Tag: ONE Championship News

The Muay Thai skills of Rodlek PKSaenchaimuaythaigym will be tested like never before when he begins his journey with the world’s largest martial arts organization, ONE Championship.

On 15 June at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST, Rodlek will make his debut at the Baoshan Arena in Shanghai against Liam “Hitman” Harrison. Before stepping onto the biggest stage he will be performing in, he took a quick look back on how his martial arts career began.

“I was 10 years old when I first got into Muay Thai,” Rodlek said.

“That time, I was in Samui, Surat Thani, and I remember I went to watch Muay Thai at a Temple Fair. I just wanted to watch the match only, but somehow I found myself fighting. That was my first fight, and I didn’t have any Muay Thai skills at all. Obviously, I lost the fight.”

The loss became a motivating factor for him to improve his skills in “The Art of Eight Limbs.” Though he was able to redeem himself by putting in a lot of work and training hard, he felt that it was still not enough. Until he found a home in Jaotalaytong Gym.

“Since then, I started researching on Muay Thai training. My motivation at that time was just to be able to compete with the guy that beat me and get a win over him the next time,” Rodlek said.

“I fought 20 times before I was able to compete with that guy again, and finally, I won. Almost two years later, I became a Muay Thai athlete in the Jaotalaytong Gym. A month after that, I started fighting and I was known then as ‘Rodlek Jaotalaytong’. Since then, I’ve kept training harder every day, up until now, in order to improve my skills and compete for even more experience.”

As he joins the stacked roster of ONE Super Series athletes, Rodlek has come a long way from competing in local village events. His first test with ONE Championship will come against an eight-time Muay Thai World Champion in Harrison using -4ounce gloves. This bout is another opportunity for the 29-year-old to raise his game to a higher level in his continuous pursuit for improvement.

“I know that ONE has many great and talented athletes, and for me, I know that I’m not the best or the most talented one, but I’m one of the toughest athletes and I know that my aggressive fighting style will impress ONE fans for sure,” Rodlek said.

“Yes, it is totally different. Traditional Muay Thai gloves are bigger and more dangerous as compared to the 4oz. mixed martial arts gloves. Every time I train, I record it and study the tape after. I use that to be able to see what I need to improve on and work on my skills.”

All of Rodlek’s hard work and sacrifices are slowly paying off as he reaches a significant turning point in his career. He attributes his success and dedicates his upcoming match to two people whom he draws motivation and receives endless support from his parents.

“My motivation is always my parents, especially my father because he used to be a Muay Thai athlete as well,” Rodlek concluded. “He taught me many things and always inspired me to be a good athlete.”

The post Rodlek PKSaenchaimuaythaigym Remembers How His Muay Thai Journey Began appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Alma Juniku will be facing one of ONE Championship’s best Muay Thai athletes when she makes her debut on the biggest stage of her career.

Juniku will be first welcomed by two-sport world champion Stamp Fairtex at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST on 15 June at the Baoshan Arena in Shanghai.

Juniku admits she has indeed come a long way, now that she has a chance to win the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title.

“I was 8 years old and started fighting at the age of 9, I’ve been training Muay Thai for almost 10 years,” Juniku said.

“A neighbor next door suggested it, and I have been hooked to it since. I looked up a lot to the Thai fighters such as Buakaw and Saenchai, their style and power and technique is amazing. I decided to turn it into a career when I started beating adults especially still being a kid/teenager.”

Beating Stamp would definitely put Juniku on the highest pedestal she’s ever been on in the Muay Thai scene. She said not even 4oz gloves could get in the way of her and the belt.

“Winning this world title would mean the world to me! If I win this title it’ll put my name up there and will definitely set me up for the future,” Juniku said.

“I’m excited to fight for the title against Stamp! Although MMA gloves are new to me so I just have to adjust my technique a little, I’m excited to try new things and step out of my comfort zone.”

Juniku may be less experienced than Stamp but she believes that it won’t be a factor. The driving force behind her performance and her impressive 24-4-0 record will fuel her to always give the best performance.

“Fighting at a high level will keep me pumped especially in training, I’ll have a purpose and will train hard to be the best,” Juniku concluded. “Stamp Fairtex is a strong and technical fighter, it’ll be a good hard fight and I’m very excited to be stepping in with the best.”

The post Alma Juniku Confident of Scoring Upset Against Stamp Fairtex appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Victorio “Indra” Senduk is finally returning to action after several months on the sidelines when he faces Phoe “Bushido” Thaw in Shanghai on 15 June.

The first preliminary match of ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST between the Indonesian’s wushu and the Thaw’s lethwei is a potential striking match and may just win the bout of the night.

“I prefer a stand-up fight, and I might be more aggressive than him. However, I will not be careless, so I can maintain my stamina,” Senduk said. “I have learned to adapt to whatever is going on in the match, and adjust my game plan to control the fight.”

Indra is ready for anything Thaw will throw at him, knowing the Indonesian can knock him out in the opening minutes and is able to perform at a high level for a 15-minute bout.

“Phoe Thaw is taller than me, and he’s a good competitor. He is a striker, and has very good counters,” Senduk said. “I had the chance to see several of his fights in ONE, including the last one against Yohan Mulia Legowo. It can be said that he is tenacious and tough.”

Senduk, the only Indonesian competing on the card, is excited to give his countrymen a reason to celebrate and cheer next Saturday. He also considers this a defining match that will prove that an athlete at his age can still go toe-to-toe with the best.

“Representing Indonesia is nothing new to me, but I definitely still feel pride and [want to earn] its respect,” Senduk concluded.

“This bout is also to prove that I still have that energy and can still perform on an international stage, even though I have reached 37 years old. It is crucial for my career, as I wish to show that age is not a limitation if we have the talent. It is not just about sports, but we are also igniting the younger generations as our successors in mixed martial arts,” he added.

“This will show that while the seniors can still fight, they would be able to do the same. I hope they become inspired and bring this sport into its peak for all athletes.”

The post Victorio Senduk Excited for Showdown With Phoe Thaw appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Anderson “Braddock” Silva’s knowledge of martial arts was limited to the action movies he watched growing up. His friend introduced him to the sport at a young age and he immediately fell in love. He continued to train and mastered the art of kickboxing until he earned the Brazilian National Kickboxing Title.

Now, Silva will face a formidable opponent in Tarik Khbabez, a two-time SUPERKOMBAT Heavyweight World Champion, at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST on 15 June at the Baoshan Arena in Shanghai.

“When a friend introduced me to martial arts, it was love at first sight. To this day, I have always trained,” Silva said.

“I started kickboxing at the age of 12, and at the time, I had no idea what kickboxing was. I came from a very humble family, and I could not train in martial arts because we could not afford to pay for training sessions. All I knew about martial arts was what I saw on TV as a kid, characters in Jean-Claude Van Damme and Bruce Lee movies, that was all I knew about it.”

The Brazilian has had plenty of experience and success competing in kickboxing matches. Though he will face an unfamiliar kickboxer, “Braddock” is confident that he will be able to stand his ground.

“I have nothing but all the respect in the world for all my opponents, but I have never heard of Tarik Khbabez until we were matched up to compete against each other,” Silva said. “I have faced the best fighters in the history of kickboxing, so I am quite calm and I am not nervous heading into the fight. I do not believe that Tarik will present anything that I have never lived through inside the ring, I know that I will be fine.”

He believes that like Van Damme and Bruce Lee, he can serve as an inspiration to kids who will watch his match, especially when he wins impressively.

“I am confident that this fight will not end in points or go to a decision,” Silva concluded. “I am coming for the finish, and I came here to make history. “

The post Anderson Silva Aims To Give His Best Performance Like His Idols appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Malaysian welterweight contender Agilan “The Alligator” Thani was surprised to learn that he has been drawn to welcome Japanese-Korean mixed martial arts veteran Yoshihiro “Sexyama” Akiyama to the ONE Championship stage.

The two square off at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST on Saturday, 15 June at the Baoshan Arena in Shanghai, China.

At first, Thani questioned the decision, given that he has been on a downslide as of late, losing his last two bouts.

Eventually, the 23-year-old then found inner peace and a sense of direction and put faith in himself. The former title contender wasted no time and began to prepare himself for the task at hand.

“Something that I learned throughout my time off and throughout the times that I lost is that my opinion is the most important opinion,” Thani said. “If I keep asking everybody’s opinion, they’re gonna say, ‘Oh, you’re not ready, you’re not going to do this, you’re not going to beat Akiyama.”

“I wake up every morning, and I just tell myself, ‘Hey look, I’m gonna beat Akiyama, and that’s the deal you made.’ I’m making the deal to myself every day saying, ‘If I don’t beat this guy, at least I’m going to give him a fight. I gotta keep saying to myself that I’m going to beat Akiyama, and if I don’t, I’ll try again,’” Thani added.

A 15-year veteran with 20 bouts under his belt, Akiyama has been all over the globe competing against the best athletes. The world-class Judoka has been known to give his all in every match he’s in, earning the respect of his opponents and the adoration of fans.

Thani, learning from past mistakes, knows that he needs to approach his bout against “Sexyama” as the most important one of his young career.

The young Malaysian is fully aware of what Akiyama brings to the table.

“He’s very athletic and very strong, that’s for sure. He has the Japanese mentality – like a go-to-war kind of mentality,” Thani said. “I think he has a lot of strengths. His experience is number one because of fighting so many high-level guys for a very long period of time. He’s not afraid to stand up or get taken down. His judo will be the key in this match, but I believe my BJJ grappling is better.”

A win over a big name like Akiyama will only be good for Thani’s confidence as he tries to pick himself up from this recent slump.

“I look at it as a decision or submission [for me]. I don’t want to think of anything fancy and strategic, but if it comes down to one situation, I’d love to put him up against the fence and finish the bout. That’s my strength,” expressed Thani.

With 12 professional matches to his name, Thani believes that age is just a number when it comes to the sport and believes that the main factor in every bout is the preparation and motivation of the athlete.

Whatever critics may say, the Malaysian star is focused on making sure that he will give both Akiyama and the fans the best performance they have ever seen.

“He’s 43 now, but he’s still much more ripped than me,” Thani quipped. “Most of the guys I fought at ONE Championship are older than me, and they’ve put in a good performance against me. I cannot underestimate him. He may be past his prime, but there might be a new motivation for him.”

“Hey Akiyama, I know you’re a sexy guy, but I hope you bring your A-game for me!” Thani concluded.

The post Agilan Thani Excited And Surprised To Welcome Yoshihiro Akiyama To ONE appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.