Ozcan Out; Sitthichai Vs. Tawanchai To Headline ONE: BATTLEGROUND III
Dutch-Turkish striking phenom Tayfun “Turbine” Ozcan will have to wait a little longer to make his ONE Championship debut.
Ozcan, the #5-ranked featherweight kickboxing contender, has been forced to withdraw from his contest against #4-ranked Sitthichai “Killer Kid” Sitsongpeenong, which was scheduled for ONE: BATTLEGROUND this Friday, 30 July.
The 29-year-old Valkenswaard resident suffered a broken hand near the end of his training camp as he prepared for the battle at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
“I had never been so ready for a match as I am now,” Ozcan wrote in an Instagram post.
“During one of my last sparring sessions, I hit an elbow. I immediately felt intense pain at the time, but I did not want to give into it. At one point, it got so bad that I couldn’t make a fist anymore. I went to the hospital for a photo and it turned out to be broken. My world collapsed for a while and I couldn’t believe it.”
As a result, the matchup between Ozcan and Sitthichai has been removed from ONE: BATTLEGROUND.
Instead, the card will feature a strawweight mixed martial arts encounter between Japanese rising star Ryuto “Dragon Boy” Sawada and Cuban Olympic wrestler Gustavo “El Gladiador” Balart.
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Sitthichai is still scheduled for action, as he will now headline ONE: BATTLEGROUND III on 27 August after one of the fighters was forced to bow out of the main event.
Top-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Saemapetch Fairtex was originally scheduled to square off against #4-ranked Tawanchai PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym, with the winner getting a shot at reigning ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao.
However, Saemapetch’s cornerman tested positive for COVID-19 prior to traveling to Singapore.
The Fairtex athlete had been in close contact with the cornerman, so he’s been removed from ONE: BATTLEGROUND III due to Singapore’s health and safety protocols.
With both of their opponents out, Sitthichai and Tawanchai have agreed to compete in a ONE Super Series featherweight Muay Thai contest.
For the first time in his career, “Killer Kid” will put on the 4-ounce mixed martial arts gloves, and with a victory, he could earn the next crack at ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy.
But if Tawanchai defeats the living legend, he could get the coveted World Title shot against Nong-O.
Stay tuned to ONEFC.com for more details on these developments.
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