Prajanchai Returns From Surgery, Says Wang Junguang Is No Easy Opponent at The Inner Circle 35

The 31-year-old Bangkok native makes his return to the ONE Championship ring in a kickboxing contest against China's Wang Junguang in the main event of The Inner Circle 35 on Friday, October 16. Fans can watch the show via live.onefc.com.

Prajanchai's last appearance came in October 2025, when he lost a ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship unification match to Jonathan Di Bella in a gruelling five-round war.

Surgery followed, keeping him out of action for a full year. The return was always coming, and the Thai pound-for-pound great is back with a specific roadmap for what his kickboxing comeback needs to deliver before the biggest prizes come back into view.

Prajanchai on Why He Chose Kickboxing for His Return at The Inner Circle 35

The decision to return in kickboxing rather than Muay Thai was not accidental. Prajanchai has thought through the implications of a year away from active competition and arrived at a reason for the discipline choice that reflects his championship-level fight IQ.

"The reason I decided to do kickboxing first is – let me tell you this – no matter how good a fighter is, if you take a whole year off and come back to fight someone who has been actively competing every 3 or 4 months, there is no way you can win," Prajanchai explained.

The 344-53 career striking record and former two-sport ONE World Championship status he carries into the return fight are the credentials of one of the finest pound-for-pound strikers in the recent history.

Thai Striker Warns Wang is a Dangerous, Fast, and Scary Fighter

The public perception of the Wang matchup as a straightforward return opponent for a pound-for-pound great has not gone unaddressed. Prajanchai has pushed back on that narrative directly, and his reasoning is worth listening to.

"A lot of people think it's an easy win for me. In reality, that's not true at all, because nobody is ever going to bring an easy opponent to fight someone at my level – especially since I've been out of action for so long. Wang Junguang is a dangerous, fast, and scary fighter. He is definitely no easy meal," he explained.

Wang, 31, brings his own story to the Bangkok main event. A former Enfusion Kickboxing Champion, Wang made his ONE Championship debut in 2019 with a first-round TKO win, earned a ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title shot against legendary Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, and then fell out of the picture following a split-decision loss to Aslanbek Zikreev in 2020. October 16 marks his return to ONE Championship's spotlight.

Prajanchai Needs Two or Three Fights to Find His Rhythm

The return fight is not the destination for Prajanchai. It is the opening move in a carefully considered plan that has a specific endpoint in mind, and the champion has been transparent about the timeline he is working toward.

"My actual goal is to get two or three fights under my belt to get my body back into a continuous rhythm. I want to get my body fully back into the groove first and then go for a title shot or title defense against Aliff. As for which division's title we'll fight for, we can figure that out later," he said.

Aliff Sor Dechapan, the ONE Interim Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion, is the name Prajanchai has placed at the end of that roadmap, giving his return campaign a clear narrative destination. The immediate priority on October 16 is a winning return that starts the rhythm-building process Prajanchai believes is non-negotiable before the biggest fights come back around.

Watch The Inner Circle 35 exclusively on live.onefc.com beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET/4:30 a.m. PT.