On Friday, Jun. 28, ONE Strawweight Muay Thai Champion Prajanchai PK Saenchai will try to become a two-sport king by toppling Jonathan Di Bella for the vacant ONE Strawweight Kickboxing Title at ONE Friday Fights 68.
After their last match was abruptly knocked off the ONE Friday Fights 58 card due to Di Bella falling ill, Prajanchai is happy that he has a second chance to compete against the former divisional king.
“I didn’t know a lot about this incident. I just knew that Jonathan didn’t pass his hydration test. I felt sorry for him. But we must follow the rules. I didn’t feel upset. I was just disappointed that I missed the chance for gold,” Prajanchai told ONE.
“After that day, I didn’t think I’d have the chance to fight him again. When I found out he was my next opponent, I was happy to finally get a fight with him.”
“I’ve been ready for a long time. I’m just waiting for fight day to come.”
The Thai athlete feels that both men will enter Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on equal footing.
Prajanchai will have the home crowd’s support, and he believes Di Bella has more pressure entering the title tilt. But both men are at the top of their respective sports, so the PK Saenchai star doesn’t think either is the favorite or underdog.
“I think Jonathan will feel more pressure than me because he used to say that he stands at the top. I replied that it will hurt more if you fall. I think he realized what I meant from last time. He didn’t lose to me, he lost to himself, and he just fell from the top,” Prajanchai stated.
“But there is no underdog here. It doesn’t matter which country you come to fight in. In fact, I should be an underdog because he is a veteran in kickboxing. He fought kickboxing all his life while I am still wet behind the ears in this rule set.”
Prajanchai compliments his opponent’s offensive skill set, but he’s confident he has identified areas of weakness in Di Bella’s game.
That said, he is not tipping his hand ahead of the ONE Friday Fights 68’s main event.
“Jonathan’s style is fast and agile. His strength is his combination punching. I know his weaknesses, but I won’t reveal them to you,” the Thai athlete remarked.
“I think I’m going to throw a variety of punches. And I have some other weapons for him, but please wait and see in the ring.”
Prajanchai expects a well-contested bout between the two stars, though he’s confident he will have the belt placed over his shoulder the belt at the end. When that happens, the 29-year-old wants fans to know he plans to carry both divisions into the future as the face of strawweight striking.
“For me, winning ONE World Title in two sports, kickboxing and Muay Thai, means a lot to my life. It can keep me going for a long time,” Prajanchai said.
“I can’t predict anything, but you guys can expect to see two belts on my shoulders.”
ONE Friday Fights 68 airs live on watch.onefc.com via global pay-per-view at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT on Friday, June 28.