Sinsamut Klinmee narrowly missed capturing the ONE lightweight Muay Thai championship in his first try and was thwarted in his second attempt. He got back in the winner’s column last July, however, to move back into title contention.
On Friday, Nov. 3, Sinsamut rematches Liam Nolan at ONE Fight Night 16: Haggerty vs. Andrade to help bolster his chances at a third shot at gold.
His drive in ONE has been impressive so far, but he hasn’t done it alone. Behind every man is a good woman, or so the saying goes. And for Sinsamut, that is very much the case with his wife, Lauren.
“When she came into my life. I feel like I received a massive amount of inspiration. Even though I already had a family to encourage me, when I received encouragement from her, I felt more motivated than before,” Sinsamut told ONE.
“My wife always helps me regain my senses. When I was severely depressed, I didn’t even dare to leave the house. But my wife told me, ‘It’s ok. You can try again.’ And I tried again and again.”
The relationship was far from typical. To start, neither Sinsamut or Lauren spoke the other’s language. But the love speaks with the heart and not words, and this allowed them to connect and fulfill their destiny to be together.
“At first, I couldn’t communicate in English. So, I kept spamming stickers in our chats or used easy words like, ‘Yes, ok.’ Now my English skills have improved, but I’m not yet an expert,” Sinsamut recalled.
“Although we don’t speak the same language, we can communicate well. My wife doesn’t speak Thai at all. I don’t know why we have come this far. It must be destiny. Sometimes, we say nothing, but we can understand the needs of the other.”
As the lightweight Muay Thai athlete chased his passion, Lauren was right there by his side, even when it meant weathering the early days of financial struggle.
When Sinsamut came to ONE’s global stage and shook up the world with a knockout over Nieky Holzken, he found the stability he needed to take the next step with the love of his life.
“She stayed by my side when I had nothing. We went through the best and worst times of my life together,” the Thai star detailed.
“On the day I finally had money and success in my career, I decided to propose to her because she always stayed with me in difficult times. So, how could I ever leave her?”
The couple are now anticipating the birth of their first child in March 2024.
As Sinsamut says he is hoping to be a role model by bringing a World Title home. Those visions of success will make his Nov. 3 matchup that much more important as he works his way back to the top of the lightweight mountain.
“I am very excited to have a child. I am over the moon. My son will be my encouragement and motivation. He will motivate me to try 200 or 300 times harder. I want my child to see how great his father is. So, I want to be successful in life,” he said.
“This is going to be a great story of mine. I envision myself becoming the world champion and having my child next to me in the ring. I really want it to happen.”
ONE Fight Night 16 airs live on Prime Video at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Friday, Nov. 3. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.