Aliff Sor Dechapan Calls Out Prajanchai After Sam-A KO
Aliff Sor Dechapan stopped Muay Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao in the fifth round last Friday to become Malaysia's first ONE world champion, and the 22-year-old wasted no time calling out Prajanchai PongSuphan PK for a unification fight.
Aliff won the interim ONE strawweight Muay Thai belt at The Inner Circle 23 in Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium, finishing Sam-A to improve his record to 63-9 and collect a $50,000 performance bonus. According to BJPenn.com, Aliff had faced skepticism heading into the bout about whether he could match the veteran's pedigree, but he settled those questions with the knockout. "To me, this interim World Title belt feels just like a real World Championship because defeating a legend like Sam-A is not something that happens every day," he told reporters. "Many people had said before that I couldn't match his experience and fighting pedigree, but today, I proved that I could."
Prajanchai Unification Bout Next
Aliff has stood opposite Prajanchai at multiple faceoffs without the fight materializing, and he made clear he plans to change that. "I have already stood face-to-face with Prajanchai several times, and I hope this time we finally get to fight, for real. I'm ready to face him," he said. Prajanchai has held the undisputed strawweight Muay Thai title for years, making a unification bout the clearest path to settling the division.
Aliff said he understands the challenge ahead. He credited Prajanchai's speed and ability to switch stances, and said he needs to study what the champion will bring and make sure his body is fully prepared. The Malaysian fighter has been chasing the matchup for more than a year, and the interim belt now gives him the platform to force it.
Original reporting:
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