‘The Same Person I’ve Always Been’ – How Rambolek Is Handling His Rise To Global Superstardom
Not long ago, Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon was just another talented fighter trying to make his name on ONE Friday Fights. Now, he can’t grab a meal in peace.
The journey from promising contender to household name happened fast. Two successive knockouts earned him the coveted US$100,000 main roster contract with ONE Championship, making him the first athlete to claim that prize. A five-fight winning streak that includes three successive finishes has done the rest.
On March 20, he takes the biggest step of his career to challenge ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane at ONE Friday Fights 147, live in Asia primetime from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.
The fans find him wherever he goes, and Rambolek wouldn’t trade it for anything. The connection with the people who fill those seats and flock to their screens is one of the most meaningful parts of the journey.
He told onefc.com:
“I’m genuinely happy that people enjoy watching me fight and like who I am as a person. I think the reason fans like me is that I don’t really act like a big shot.
“I’m easy to talk to. I’m the same person I’ve always been, even after getting these wins and gaining some fame. If you see me anywhere, feel free to come up and say hi anytime.”
The recognition kicked into a different gear after his most recent outing.
Rambolek put Abdulla “Smash Boy” Dayakaev, a teammate of Anane’s at Team Mehdi Zatout, to sleep at ONE Fight Night 39 last January, earning a US$50,000 performance bonus.
Immediately after, the 23-year-old grabbed the microphone to demand a shot at the crown. The Thai-Algerian accepted on the spot.
The moment went viral:
“Since that last win against Dayakaev, it’s true that more people recognize me. Everywhere I go, people call out, ‘Hey, Rambo! Can we take a picture?’ It happens all the time.
“Sometimes I’m just out casually grabbing a meal, not even dressed up, and they still want a photo. I’ll admit, I still get a little shy sometimes.”
That fame has had an unexpected side effect.
The people who have known the Superbon Training Camp fighter longest, his friends and family, have started giving him more space. Not out of distance or indifference, but out of a quiet consideration that he finds both humbling and amusing.
Rambolek continued:
“My friends and even my family sometimes think I’ve become too famous now. My friends don’t really reach out because they’re worried I might be too busy. Even my family is the same.
“If I want to talk to them, I have to be the one to call them first because they’re afraid to bother me. But, honestly, I have just as much time as I’ve always had. I still live my life exactly the same way.”
For Rambolek, that reality check matters. Fame was never the reason any of this started.
There was a simpler, more grounded purpose behind every hour on the pads, every fight on the regional circuit, and every sleepless night before a big bout.
He added:
“No one forced me to fight; I took it up on my own. I just wanted to fight to earn money for my parents. The fact that I’ve come this far? To me, that’s already a success in itself.”
Lights, Camera, And A Rapper In His Corner
The recognition hasn’t been limited to fight fans. Thailand’s entertainment world has taken notice, most notably in the form of MILLI, one of the country’s leading rap stars and a die-hard Muay Thai enthusiast who made her own ring debut at Lumpinee Stadium in 2025.
MILLI, who released her Muay Thai-inspired album HEAVYWEIGHT last year, reached out to sponsor Rambolek for two fights. He won both.
The support left a mark he won’t forget:
“I was honestly so shocked that someone as famous and talented as her would reach out to sponsor me. I had no idea it was coming. It gave me a huge confidence boost knowing that a star like her was rooting for me. It really motivated me to fight even harder.”
MILLI no longer sponsors his fights, but she still shows up to cheer him on, a detail that speaks to the genuine bonds his personality tends to build. He repaid the support by using the title track from her July 2025 album as his walkout song, whose lyrics and energy, he says, fit him perfectly.
The magazine shoots have followed too. But if Rambolek is being honest, no opponent has made him quite as uncomfortable as a camera lens.
For the shy kid from Chaiyaphum who has always let his fists do the talking, stepping in front of a photographer has proven a far more daunting task than stepping onto the global stage:
“I’ve actually done [modelling] twice now, but I was so shy the first time. Even two years later, when they called me back, I was just as shy. It’s just not really my thing. I don’t know how to do all those poses. I’m just much more comfortable in my fighting stance.”
