Prajanchai Vows To Hit Ellis Badr Barboza With ‘Many Surprises’ In World Title Bout At ONE Fight Night 28
Reigning two-sport kingpin Prajanchai PK Saenchai is confident that he’ll have too many weapons for Ellis “El Jefe” Badr Barboza to handle when they square off in the main event of ONE Fight Night 28 on Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, February 7.
The beloved Thai veteran will put his ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title on the line against the surging British star on home turf at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.
A veteran of nearly 400 career fights who boasts a jam-packed trophy case, Prajanchai has done plenty to establish himself as one of the planet’s top pound-for-pound strikers.
Meanwhile, Barboza is still relatively early in his professional career but has already made waves on the global stage.
After knocking out Thai fan favorite Thongpoon PK Saenchai in his promotional debut (later overturned to a no contest), “El Jefe” scored a hard-fought decision victory over young prodigy Aliff Sor Dechapan to earn his crack at the gold.
Prajanchai is quick to credit the challenger for his undeniably powerful punches but told onefc.com that his own strikes are more dangerous.
“Barboza’s strength is his punches, punches to the body. Those are scary. But Ellis, don’t forget that your fists are covered by the gloves, while my elbows are bare. Let’s see who will perform better.”
The Thai’s praise of Barboza stops there.
Put simply, Prajanchai says his foe won’t be able to withstand heavy knee strikes to his body – much less the full arsenal available in “the art of eight limbs”:
“Barboza has many weaknesses from what I’ve seen in his matches with Thongpoon and Aliff. His weakness is his abdomen. He can’t have it touched. He can’t handle my knee strikes.
“But I have more than just the knees. I have so many surprises for him. Fists, punches, knees, elbows – all of the Muay Thai weapons will surely be given to him.”
Given his massive advantage in high-level experience, it’s no surprise that Prajanchai considers himself to be the more dynamic and well-rounded striker.
Still, he’s not about to predict a quick and easy battle. Instead, he plans to lean on his elite fight IQ to make adjustments on the fly, and ideally, to score the knockout.
He added:
“How would I like this fight to end? I can’t answer that now. We’ll need to improvise and adjust in the ring, punch by punch. The fight changes all the time up there, and we improvise tactics there. I can’t just say how I’d end the fight, but if there’s a chance, I’ll surely end it early. It’s on who misses first.”
Prajanchai: ‘I’m A Representative Of The Thai People’
When Prajanchai PK Saenchai defends his Muay Thai gold at ONE Fight Night 28, he won’t just be fighting for himself and his gym – he’ll be fighting for all of Thailand.
He understands that as a Muay Thai World Champion in the sport’s most prestigious organization, it’s his duty to show that Thais remain a step ahead of the rest of the world in their national sport:
“As I have said before, this belt is not just mine, but it belongs to Thai people all over the world. I’m a representative of the Thai people fighting against a foreigner.
“I think retaining my championship means a lot to me, to my family, and to people around me. I want to try to keep this belt with me for as long as I can. I will do my best in this fight, and the belt needs to be in Thailand only.”
While many athletes might feel the weight of an entire country’s expectations, Prajanchai said that he doesn’t let the pressure get to him.
The moment he allows himself to think about everything at stake – including the pride of Thailand – is the moment he’s not thinking about his performance in the ring.
So, he intends to carry a clear and present mindset when he battles Ellis Badr Barboza:
“If you ask me if I feel any pressure, I don’t. The more pressure you give yourself, the more you overthink, but you really can’t do anything. You need to let go of it and not let the pressure overwhelm you. Just let go. Let go of it.
“Fighting is a kind of sport – you can win and you can lose. My job is to do my best in the ring. Winning or losing is a different matter.”
