‘Make-Or-Break Moment For Both Of Us’ – Rambong, Chartpayak Battle To Reignite Main-Roster Dreams At The Inner Circle 28
Rambong Sor Therapat and Chartpayak Saksatoon have both experienced how quickly momentum can carry a fighter toward a life-changing opportunity in ONE Championship.
Each Thai striker once put together seven consecutive victories and worked their way into serious contention for a US$100,000 global roster contract before both streaks ended.
Now, they meet in a pivotal flyweight Muay Thai showdown at The Inner Circle 28 on Friday, August 28, streaming exclusively on live.onefc.com in Asia primetime from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium. Rambong enters with three straight wins, while Chartpayak has won his last two appearances and owns a 10-2 promotional record.
With both men openly targeting the contract that previously slipped from their grasp, this fight is about more than extending a winning run. One will leave Bangkok another step closer to rediscovering his peak, while the other may be forced to rebuild again.
Rambong Wants To Surpass His Previous Seven-Fight Winning Streak
Rambong has rediscovered the winning habit, but the 29-year-old is not satisfied with simply getting his hand raised.
His three consecutive victories have all gone to the judges, including a hard-fought split decision over Sornsueknoi FA Group in his most recent appearance. Rambong rallied after falling behind early, increasing his pressure and work rate to edge the deciding round.
Those results have restored his confidence following a difficult period in which consecutive defeats left him discouraged enough to consider stepping away temporarily.
But Rambong still believes something is missing.
He said:
“Even though I’ve secured three straight wins, I’m still not 100 percent satisfied. I feel I could have performed much better. As I get older, my finishing power might have dropped a bit, but I’m actively working to get that edge back.
“I want to improve my impact power and speed up my footwork for quicker entries and exits. This recent turnaround comes down purely to heart. I constantly remind myself never to give up and that victory is always within reach.”
A fourth consecutive victory is only the next checkpoint for Rambong.
He previously put together seven straight wins during the hottest stretch of his ONE career. This time, he wants to go one better and believes surpassing that personal benchmark could finally carry him toward the contract he has been chasing.
That ambition makes Chartpayak an especially fitting opponent. His compatriot has traveled a remarkably similar path, having also reached seven consecutive victories before suffering setbacks of his own.
Rambong said:
“First, I want to secure four wins in a row, and then I hope to break my personal record by hitting eight straight wins. I want to push past my previous ceiling and reach that ONE contract opportunity.
“Chartpayak and I are evenly matched. The fact that both of us have put together seven-fight winning streaks shows we’re no ordinary fighters. Physically, there isn’t much difference between us. It will come down to who executes better inside the ring. Whoever takes this fight will gain a massive confidence boost and return to their peak first.”
There is another milestone Rambong wants to claim.
Chartpayak’s two defeats in ONE have come against international opposition, meaning no Thai fighter has yet beaten him in the organization. Rambong intends to change that and is prepared to meet his heavy-handed countryman head-on.
After three consecutive decision victories, he would particularly welcome the chance to make this one definitive.
He said:
“I want to be the first Thai fighter to beat Chartpayak in ONE Friday Fights. I’m not worried about trading heavy blows with him because I’ve prepared thoroughly. I’ll use my physical durability to press forward continuously, and I’m confident I can walk away with the win.”
Chartpayak Plans To Bring Back His Old Aggression
Rambong is not the only man trying to rediscover the form that once put a six-figure contract within reach. Chartpayak is on a similar mission, but his setback taught him a very different lesson.
The 28-year-old was riding seven consecutive victories when he faced Ramadan Ondash, but he admits he entered that fight too focused on producing the kind of emphatic finish that might earn him a place on ONE’s global roster.
Instead, his eagerness left openings in his defense and resulted in the first defeat of his promotional run.
Chartpayak said:
“Looking back at that loss to Ramadan, I have to admit there’s still a bit of regret deep down. But I don’t dwell on it too much because winning and losing are just part of the sport.
“The biggest takeaway for me was definitely about impatience and defense. In that fight, I was way too overconfident. I was only thinking about finishing it early to get that ONE contract, to the point where I got careless on defense and ended up paying for it.”
The lesson changed his approach, perhaps initially too much.
Although he has since returned to winning ways in his last two outings, Chartpayak admits that he became overly cautious and slow to find his rhythm. Against Rambong, he wants to bring back the aggressive version that powered his seven-fight surge without repeating the defensive mistakes that cost him against Ramadan.
Chartpayak explained:
“The difference between me now and before is that I’ve become a much more calculated and composed fighter. Back then, I’d just walk forward and brawl without giving a damn about anything else.
“But that lesson against Ramadan taught me to be a calculated brawler. I fight more for the result now, moving forward with a game plan and staying defensively sound so I don’t leave openings like I used to.”
Chartpayak expects Rambong to be particularly dangerous early in the rounds when his power and aggression are at their highest, but he believes openings will emerge if he stays disciplined. He has no intention of blindly chasing the knockout, even though both men expect their natural fighting instincts to produce heavy exchanges.
The Thai standout views this fight as a dividing line between continuing the climb back toward a contract and having to start that process all over again.
He concluded:
“This fight is massive because it’s a make-or-break moment for both of us to see who gets back to the top of the division, while the loser goes straight back to square one.
“So I have to get past him no matter what because my ultimate goal remains the same: earning that ONE contract. I’m ready to give it everything I’ve got.”
