Shannon Wiratchai Smiles And Strikes His Path To Victory
Shannon “One Shin” Wiratchai overcame an early knockdown from Richard“Notorious” Corminal to score a first-round TKO victory at ONE: WARRIOR KINGDOM on Saturday Night, 11 March. He got the win in front of a roaring hometown crowd at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
After entering the ONE Championship cage flamboyantly, complete with Disney’s Aladdin and a dance routine, Wiratchai was promptly dropped by a straight right hand to the head within the first minute by Corminal.
“One Shin” quickly popped back up to his feet and got on the offensive, smiling and laughing throughout despite the setback. The Bangkok Fight Lab superstar then landed two big hooks to the head of Corminal en route to victory.
The first one was followed by a high kick, and he cut angles and lunged in and out of range with measured strikes, all while backing Corminal up against the fence. Although Wiratchai missed with a spinning back elbow to the head and gave up his back, he got free rather quickly.
From there, the Bangkok native goaded his opponent to come in by putting his hands down and laughing. Corminal obliged and charged in, only to be checked by a second right hook. That one dropped the Filipino, and though he was quick to get back to his feet, he was clearly hurt.
Wiratchai flurried with follow-up strikes against the cage and referee Yuji Shimada jumped in to stop the fight at the 3:37 mark of the first round.
The win is Wratchai’s fifth consecutive victory and he improves his record to 7-1. Following the bout, he called for a shot at the ONE Lightweight World Championship, but he will have to wait in line and see who prevails between reigning kingpin Eduard Folayang and challenger Ev Ting. The two warriors are slated to meet in the main event of ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY on 21 April.
Corminal, meanwhile, dips to 4-2 and goes back to the drawing board.
