Sam-A Vs. Prajanchai II Set For Interim ONE Strawweight Muay Thai Gold In June

Thailand's best strawweight Muay Thai competitors are headed to a rematch of epic proportions in late June as former ONE strawweight Muay Thai titleholders Sam-A Gaiyanghadao and Prajanchai PK Saenchai meet at ONE Friday Fights 22.

Moreover, ONE Championship confirmed that the pair will be for the interim belt because current division kingpin Joseph Lasiri could not defend his title due to an undisclosed injury.

Sam-A had already seen the mountaintop of the ONE Super Series circuit as he had claimed world titles in two divisions and two sports.

For the Thai legend, rematching Prajanchai surely was on his list of agendas before he eventually calls it a career as the upstart Bangkok-born 28-year-old was responsible for him ending his vaunted 518-day reign.

They first met at ONE: Battleground in July 2021, with many expecting Sam-A to handily retain the title due to his expansive Muay Thai resume that then stood at 370 wins, 47 losses, and nine draws.

However, it was Prajanchai who instead left the Singapore Indoor Stadium on that day with the strawweight title draped on his shoulder as judges awarded him the majority decision after he knocked down the living icon.

Following the biggest triumph in his ONE Championship career, Prajanchai was then thrust into another bout with a big-name opponent in May 2022–Lasiri.

Prajanchai would go on to find himself dropping the title to the current champion after a beatdown that ended with a TKO in the third round before bouncing back with a unanimous decision win against Kompetch Sitsarawatsuer this past January.

As for Sam-A, the loss to Prajanchai seemed to fuel something within him as he rattled off three straight victories with the most recent being a second-round knockout of Ireland's Ryan Sheehan care of a left cross at ONE Friday Fights 9 last March 17.

ONE Championship already had the attention of mixed martial arts (MMA) fans as the heavyweight unification bout between lineal champion Arjan Bhullar and interim titleholder Anatoly Malykhin was moved from July to ONE Friday Fights 22 as the headliner–with no reason as to why the change was made.

Adding an interim strawweight Muay Thai title bout of epic proportions as the co-main event points to the Singapore-based combat sports outfit's dedication to building up a global Muay Thai fanbase.

ONE Friday Fights 22 takes place this June 23 on the hallowed grounds of Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.