“I have to win this fight” - Tawanchai will dedicate showdown with Liu Mengyang to his fans

ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai returns to the ring in search of redemption after suffering a shocking defeat in his last promotional outing.

After defending his crown against featherweight kickboxing king Superbon in highlight-reel fashion at ONE 170 in January, the PK Saenchai Muaythaigym wizard sought a trilogy against his countryman for his title.

However, the promotion paired him up against former K-1 champ Masaaki Noiri for the interim kickboxing gold, with the winner going on to face Superbon in a world title unification showdown.

Though Tawanchai entered his ONE 172 showdown against Noiri with plenty of confidence, and even appeared to be on his way to a win over the Japanese star, Noiri turned the match on its head and ended up finishing the Thai megastar via TKO in round three.

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It's been a long road back to the Circle for the 26-year-old, who's been busy honing his craft and taking care of his firstborn, Kirin.

As such, he hopes to punch his way back into the winner's column and revealed that he will dedicate his win to the fans who have been constantly supporting him even after his first-ever knockout loss under the ONE Championship banner.

"To be honest, I’m very happy to see the fans still supporting me. Still sending me nice messages and stuff," he told the South China Morning Post via an online interview ahead of his featherweight kickboxing clash against Liu Mengyang at ONE Friday Fights 137 this week. "I feel like if I lose this fight, then they would be very disappointed. So I have to win this fight, and consider it a victory for me and for the fans," he continued.

Watch the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion's full interview with SCMP below:

ONE Friday Fights 137: Tawanchai vs. Liu will broadcast live in Asia primetime on December 19 on ONE Championship's official YouTube channel, the ONE Super App, and watch.onefc.com. Geo-restrictions may apply.

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Tawanchai must dominate Liu Mengyang to earn Masaaki Noiri rematch

Though he has his eyes locked on Superbon's crown, Tawanchai knows he may potentially have to cross paths with Noiri again inside the ONE Circle.

While he's more than happy to do so and even the scores with the Team Vasileus man, the best way for him to earn his shot at redemption is to outclass Liu Mengyang first.

The Chinese challenger brings dangerous kickboxing that could expose the same vulnerabilities Noiri exploited.

Another loss or even a competitive struggle against Liu would further derail the PK Saenchai man's dreams of two-sport glory.

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Edited by Saiyed Adeem Karim