Thongpoon PK Saenchai and Danial Williams are set to light it up inside the ring at ONE Fight Night 26 on Friday, December 6. The two strawweights collide in a Muay Thai bout that promises to be nonstop action. And the two athletes sounded off ahead of their collision to ONE Championship.
“For this fight, I am hungry for victory because if I lose again, it will affect my future in ONE. In other words, my back is against the wall right now. I have to push myself, be more determined, train harder, and be more sharp-witted in the fight. I have to change my mindset completely to regain my faith,” Thongpoon mentioned to ONE.
https://twitter.com/ONEChampionship/status/1852999157822500865/
Thongpoon had a perfect start to his ONE career, but back-to-back losses have the Thai athlete eager to return to the win column. That is one key reason he plans to be more thoughtful in his approach. Although he doesn’t want to abandon the style that brought him to the global stage, Thongpoon intends to avoid a three-match losing skid at all costs.
“For this fight, I will still use my aggressive style but fight smarter. I’ve learned from the mistakes I made last time, and I’m dialed in for this fight. Especially when solving problems in the heat of the moment, I have to think faster,” the Thai striker said.
Being mindful in the ring does not mean he will not be aggressive. Thongpoon was adamant he still plans to march forward against the Aussie. If he can accomplish his goal, the PK Saenchai star expects to finish before the final bell.
“Needless to say, [Williams] has experience in all disciplines, whether it’s MMA, kickboxing, Muay Thai. He’s fast. He has kickboxing footwork. If I was fighting him with my old style, I wouldn’t have a chance. I had to change my fighting style. I’m going to try to force him into the corner and hurt him,” Thongpoon commented.
Williams expects a war when the bell rings. Known as one of the most exciting athletes in ONE, Williams is banking on Thongpoon’s signature style to blend into a memorable battle on December 6. Action is his only prediction.
“I’m a fan of [Thongpoon]. I like his style. I think we’ll make a good fight because we’re both risk-takers. So it’s gonna be a lot of entertainment for this fight,” Williams said.
After a losing streak against the elite of the elite such as Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Superlek Kiatmoo9 set Williams back, he finally returned to his winning ways at ONE Fight Night 25. “Mini T” defeated Banma Duoji to restart his upward march in the strawweight division. Defeating Thongpoon would be a huge boost to get where he wants to go in 2025.
Williams has taken the time to break down his opponent’s game during the fight camp. Thongpoon’s aggressive nature leaves opportunities to exploit. But given his own penchant for biting down on his mouthpiece, Williams believes it will simply come down to who connects cleanly first.
“When he does throw, he takes quite a few risks with some big, big punching strikes. So he’s got some advantage there if we go into a dogfight. It becomes a 50-50, you know, first person to land. I’m well aware of that, and I feel like one of us is getting put away because we both meet in the middle,” the multi-faceted strawweight stated.
With no firm prediction, Williams offered up the best way for him to finish the match. While a knockout is the obvious preference, “Mini T” wants to do it as quickly as possible. The 31-year-old does not want to keep taking damage as he eyes a run toward the gold in the coming year.
“The ideal way would be finishing him in the first round. I don’t wanna take too much damage, but I know my style. I do wanna stand in the middle, and I feel that’s how I’ve trained so, yeah, I just want to get it done as quick as possible. If I can get it done in the first 10 seconds, that’ll be awesome,” Williams remarked.
ONE Fight Night 26 airs live on Friday, December 6, on Prime Video. The action begins at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST. The event is free for all U.S. and Canadian Amazon Prime subscribers.
