‘Bring The Heat’ – Petmuangsri And Gregor Thom Preparing To Ignite ONE Friday Fights 169 Main Event
There is no shortage of motivation on either side of the ONE Friday Fights 169 main event, where Petmuangsri Torfunfarm and Gregor Thom meet with plenty on the line.
Their flyweight Muay Thai showdown streams live in Asia primetime this Friday, September 4, from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, and both men are eager to take a step closer to the coveted US$100,000 main roster contract.
Here is what the two striking maestros had to say before they go to war on the grandest stage of combat sports inside the mecca of Muay Thai this week.
Petmuangsri Eyes A New Milestone In ONE
Petmuangsri Torfunfarm is fired up to extend his current run to three straight wins, a mark that would stand as the longest winning streak of his ONE Championship tenure.
That two-fight streak followed a rougher stretch for the Thai warrior inside the promotion, forcing him to rethink his entire approach to competing in the always-explosive 4-ounce gloves.
He said:
“I’ve come to understand that ONE is completely different from traditional five-round Muay Thai — the striking output and defensive blocking are totally different, with only a little bit of five-round Muay Thai tactics being able to work.”
That kind of adjustment matters even more against an opponent like Thom, a striker with legitimate finishing power. As it turns out, the TDed99 representative has had a front-row seat to that power before.
That familiarity has shaped exactly how he plans to approach this contest, right down to the specific game plan he intends to execute.
Petmuangsri said:
“I’ve seen Gregor fight often in the promotion. I was actually ringside when he knocked out Donking Yotharakmuaythai. When I saw that, I knew he was very skilled. He is a tall, aggressive, and dangerous fighter.
“I plan to shut him down from the outside using kicks, head kicks, and adding knees into the mix. I’m really focusing on fighting from the outside, but if that doesn’t work, I’ll switch to the inside clinch to throw knees and counter whatever he brings.”
Petmuangsri also expects a hungrier version of Thom to show up this Friday, given the two-fight skid the Scotsman is looking to snap.
Desperation can bring out something unpredictable in anyone, yet the Thai is ready to match it and deliver the kind of main event ONE Friday Fights 169 deserves.
He said:
“He’s going to bring the heat. Since he’s coming off two losses, he’s going to be hungrier than ever – probably a nine or 10 out of 10 on the intensity scale. But I think he’s going to be disappointed for a third time, because I’m very confident. Winning this means it’ll be my first three-fight win streak in ONE.
“I’ll test the waters first to see how he approaches it. If he doesn’t initiate, I will. But if he tries to blitz me early, I’ll trade right back and fight fire with fire.”
Thom Certain His Fists Will Get The Job Done
On the other side of the matchup, Gregor Thom is eager to return to the winner’s column after a difficult stretch that has forced him to confront some hard truths about his own game.
The Scotsman enjoyed a 2-1 run through the promotion, both wins coming by knockout against Taku Kondo and Donking. Unfortunately, back-to-back setbacks on ONE Friday Fights halted that momentum.
Rather than brush those results aside, however, the 26-year-old has spent his time since picking apart exactly what went wrong.
He said:
“I’ve been working on my movement, to not take the shots and [make sure I] give back. I need to work on that in and out. Like exit and enter again without being too far out of range.
“I realized that after my last fight against Khunponnoi [Sor Sommai], where I wasn’t exiting enough, and I was just taking the shots really.”
Having worked on his all-around arsenal, while primarily focusing on that movement, Thom believes it will give him the edge he needs against the Thai slugger.
The Aberdeen Combat Centre and Kiatsongrit affiliate has poured the same effort into studying Petmuangsri, and he has a clear read on what to expect at ONE Friday Fights 169.
He said:
“He’s a solid technical fighter. He’s good. He sits on the back foot quite a lot. So I need to be a bit smarter with my shots here. I need to keep the pressure on, but not fall into his shots.
“So, at the start, I’m not going to go 100 percent in. There’s going to be a lot of tests. I want to bait him out a little bit, and then we’ll take it from there. During the first minute or two, I want to see how he’ll react to my shots. After that, I’ll pump up the level a little bit.”
Should all go to plan, he is confident he can put his two-fight skid to an end and secure the 28th win of his career the best way he knows how.
Thom does not need much time to explain exactly what that looks like in practice.
The Scottish knockout artist said:
“I’m confident that I can knock him out. I just need to get him in the right spot. As long as I can keep that pressure on and back him up against the ropes, I’m 100 percent confident in my hands here.”
