Banluelok Targets US$100K ONE Championship Contract at The Inner Circle 27

The 29-year-old faces former ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title challenger Songchainoi Kiatsongrit in an atomweight Muay Thai main event on Friday, August 21. It streams exclusively via live.onefc.com from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium.

Banluelok enjoyed a terrific start to his ONE Championship career, flatlining three opponents on the ONE Friday Fights circuit before suffering his only promotional defeat against reigning ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Nadaka in 2025.

The Thai has since bounced back with two consecutive wins in 2026, the most recent being a third-round knockout in June, and a victory over a former ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title challenger could deliver the US$100,000 main roster contract that has been his target since day one.

Banluelok Was Hyped When He Got Songchainoi for The Inner Circle 27

The moment Banluelok found out his opponent for The Inner Circle 27, his reaction said everything about what this fight means to him. The surging Thai has framed August 21 as the defining test of his career so far.

"I was hyped when I found out I got Songchainoi. This is the ultimate fight to prove whether I've got what it takes to earn a ONE contract. This is easily one of the biggest fights of my career. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get the win and prove to everyone that I belong on the main ONE roster," Banluelok explained.

Banluelok holds a 90-22 career record, including a 5-1 resume in ONE Championship, proving he has consistently performed when the opportunity has been in front of him. The form he has shown since recovering from the Nadaka loss gives him genuine grounds for confidence heading into a fight that could change his career trajectory entirely.

Thai Star Aims to Be the First Man to Knock Out Songchainoi

The specific ambition Banluelok has set for this Friday goes beyond simply winning. The Thai striker has identified a piece of history attached to Songchainoi's record and made it a personal goal to claim it.

"My goal is to be the first man to knock Songchainoi out. If I pull that off, I'm confident the ONE contract is mine. Even if it goes to a decision win, I still think I have a great shot – Numsurin earned his contract by beating him on points, after all," he said.

Banluelok, 29, brings a different kind of momentum into the all-Thai main event. His only ONE Championship defeat came against the reigning champion Nadaka Yoshinari, and back-to-back victories in 2026 across both kickboxing and Muay Thai have put the 90-22 career veteran back on the radar of the atomweight division's upper tier.

Banluelok Eyes ONE Championship Contract and Redemption Against Nadaka

The August 21 main event is not the final destination in Banluelok's plan. Win over Songchainoi, and a much bigger picture comes into focus.

"Right now, I've got two main goals. First is securing that ONE Championship main-roster contract. Second is getting a rematch with Nadaka. I want a chance to redeem myself, and I'm 100 percent confident that if we run it back, I'll bring a completely different performance," he stated.

Nadaka's unanimous decision win remains the only blemish on an otherwise impressive promotional record, and the certainty with which Banluelok talks about a rematch reflects a fighter who has spent every training session since that defeat preparing for a second opportunity.

Watch The Inner Circle 27 exclusively on live.onefc.com beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET/4:30 a.m. PT.