Aug 21, 2020

Remembering Shannon Wiratchai’s 3 Greatest Knockouts

Shannon Wiratchai knocks out Rahul Raju at ONE: IRON WILL

When Thai mixed martial arts pioneer Shannon “OneShin” Wiratchai makes his return on Friday, 21 August, he’ll be standing across the ring from the greatest striker he’s ever faced.

That evening, the 31-year-old featherweight will welcome multiple-time Muay Thai World Champion Fabio Pinca to mixed martial arts competition at ONE: NO SURRENDER III in Bangkok, Thailand.

Though Wiratchai is not a decorated stand-up fighter like the Frenchman, he’s a masterful counterstriker – and quite the knockout artist, too.

Before the bout premieres, let’s relive the Thai star’s three greatest knockouts in ONE Championship.

The ONE-Punch Man

In March 2018, Wiratchai proved he only needs a single punch to shut off an opponent’s lights.

The Thai went toe-to-toe with promotional newcomer Rahul “The Kerala Krusher” Raju at ONE: IRON WILL, and though “OneShin” kept taking a backward step, the move became crucial to his success.

Following a quick touch of the gloves, the Indian kept inching forward. Then, Raju went for an overhand right, causing the Thai southpaw to lean back and respond with a right hook that missed the mark.

“The Kerala Krusher” repositioned himself, stood right in front of Wiratchai, and aggressively moved forward with another overhand right, which caused his opponent to again lean back and counter with a right hook.

Raju continued to move forward with punches, but another counter right hook from Wiratchai landed on the button and instantly dropped him face-first to the canvas.

After just 21 seconds, the match was over.

‘OneKnee’ Wiratchai

Wiratchai has stopped many opponents with his punches, but he can do the same with his knees.

In August 2017, the Thai battled SFL Lightweight Champion Rajinder Singh “Knockout” Meena at ONE: KINGS & CONQUERORS in Macau – and the action did not last long.

Wiratchai threw some strikes to find his range and landed a leg kick, but Meena caught the right calf, fired a right hand at his rival’s chin, and tried to take him down.

However, “OneShin” demonstrated excellent takedown defense by pulling his right leg away from the Indian’s clutches, hooking his right arm under Meena’s left arm, and uppercutting his hunched-over opponent in the torso.

Next, Wiratchai smoothly placed his left hand on the back of Meena’s neck, stepped out, and launched a knee at his head.

That strike instantly separated the SFL Lightweight Champion from his senses and crumpled him to the mat, causing the referee to stop the contest after just 29 seconds.

An Overwhelming Flurry

While Wiratchai has massive knockout power in his strikes, he’s also gotten the job done by throwing punches in bunches.

He did just that at ONE: WARRIOR KINGDOM in March 2017, as he defeated Malaysian-based Filipino Richard “Notorious” Corminal before the end of the first round.

The Muay Thai practitioner actually showed himself well in the opening minute, as he countered a leg kick and dropped “OneShin” with a straight right hand. But the Bangkok native bounced right back up and turned up the heat.

Wiratchai became more aggressive, backing the Filipino up and going head-hunting against the Circle Wall. With 90 seconds left, Corminal rushed forward with his hands up, and the Thai connected with a right hook that dropped him to the canvas.

Although “Notorious” immediately stood up, “OneShin” gave him no time to catch his breath. He followed Corminal back to the Circle Wall, connected with a cross-hook-hook combination, and threw a flying knee.

The Filipino managed to dodge that, but a short right to the chin ended his night.