Challenger Believes Pressure's On ONE Featherweight Muay Thai Champ To Beat Him

ONE featherweight Muay Thai king Tawanchai PK.Saenchai will be putting up his crown on the line against a dangerous striker in Jamal Yusupov, and the challenger is entering the bout with as calm a mind as possible.

Yusupov, 39, knows that he will be entering a high-pressure situation when he enters the cage against Tawanchai in the latter's home country of Thailand.

However, he feels that he does not need to carry the burden of bearing the pressure heading into the five-round tiff.

"[Fighting in Thailand] doesn't affect me much. I think it should affect him more because he's fighting in his hometown and defending his belt [at the same time], so I believe there must be more pressure on him," Yusupov told media members through an interpreter during a virtual press conference.

"Everything's subjective, but the only thing I can think of is the fight will be very close. I believe that the decision will go to him, not to me."

Yusupov's last fight saw him put on a star-making win against "Smokin'" Jo Nattawut in April 2022, taking the Thai to his absolute limit before cruising to a unanimous decision victory.

Tawanchai had previously explained that he is entering the bout with cautious optimism against a fellow heavy-hitter like Yusupov, citing that he feels more physically fit owing to his intense training.

Despite being 16 years older than the champ, "Yeniciri" actually sees Tawanchai as his equal.

"I know that they (people in Thailand) fight from youth. For me, I started my Thai boxing career when I was 21, so I believe we're more or less equal, but he's good; stylistically strong. He's very fast [with his] legs and he's speedy, so it's gonna be an interesting fight," he remarked.

The legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, where Muay Thai's greatest practitioners established their names, will play host to ONE Fight Night 7 this coming Saturday, February 25 (Friday, February 24 in the United States).

With the biggest fight of his life just being a couple of days away, Yusupov wants the newly-crowned featherweight Muay Thai king to give him his best shots.

"I just want to tell him to get ready, to be prepared and for him to go at his full max because I want to show a spectacular fight in this event," he mentioned as their portion of the press conference ended.