Dejdamrong Has Spent Months Preparing For A Winning Return

After more than seven months away from the cage, Muay Thai legend Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke will return to action at ONE: HEART OF THE LION.

The former ONE Strawweight World Champion will resume his journey to reclaim the gold by going up against Himanshu Kaushik on Friday, 9 November.

“Kru Rong” usually keeps an active schedule – he has only taken so long between bouts once before – but says his break from the cage means he will be firing on all cylinders at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

“I wanted to give myself some time to rest my body and recover – to slowly get back in shape and make sure I’m fight-ready,” says the 39-year-old.

“I am 110 percent ready for my bout. I’m very excited to come back and fight again, and excited to get in the cage.

“This one is a little bit special because I’m very happy to be competing in Singapore once again, in front of all my students from Evolve, and especially since I consider Singapore a second home.

Though Dejdamrong has not competed since March, his time on the sidelines has not been wasted.

The three-time Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai World Champion has kept his striking skills sharp, and continued to develop his other mixed martial arts skills.

“I have worked on everything, really – nothing specific,” Dejdamrong says.

“I am making sure I’m improving in all the different martial arts, trying to better every aspect of my game.

“My teammates here at Evolve have been a tremendous help in my preparation for this bout. 

“There’s no one specific thing that I’ve improved on. I just made sure to add equal value to all aspects of my game.”

Though the Thai icon has worked to develop his ground game, the most intriguing prospect about this contest in The Lion City is the potential clash of striking styles.

A stand-up battle could be on the cards, as Dejdamrong’s Muay Thai will be matched up against his Indian opponent’s national championship wushu skills.

It is a dynamic “Kru Rong” sounds excited to explore, even though he is not sure how it will play out after the first bell rings.

“It’s hard to compare the different martial arts like wushu and Muay Thai. They are very different styles and have their different strengths,” he says.

“The only way to compare them properly is once we step in the cage on 9 November.”

Dejdamrong is far more confident about the eventual outcome of this match-up.

Thanks to decades of experience in martial arts, he is always confident ahead of a match, but the extra work he has done in the gym since March has bolstered that feeling.

A win is vital to put the former titleholder back on track to compete for the belt he used to own, so he has left no stone unturned in his preparations to achieve it.

“I’ve been training really hard and preparing for anything that might come my way in the cage. Preparing for all possible situations so I feel much stronger and ready,” he adds.

“I’m very confident that I will win this bout. My preparation will show on the night itself, and I hope to get back on the path to attain my goal to become World Champion again.”

A rematch with ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio may be some way down the road, but a vintage Dejdamrong performance and a finish will thrust him towards that opportunity.