Pakorn PK Saenchai Would Like to Live Up to Reputation at ONE Friday Night Fights 78

Pakorn PK Saenchai was a name many Muay Thai fanatics recognized when he made his ONE debut in June. But the five-time Muay Thai world champion may need a few more of those performances if he finds crossover stardom. There is no doubt how exciting Pakorn’s debut was for anyone who follows MMAfighting latest news.

Pakorn laid out Rafi Bohic in the first round to display his abilities with his hands. Pakorn is someone who hardcore Muay Thai fans have been following for years. He would like to keep building on that legend.

For an encore, Pakorn will be charged with trying to handle Portuguese fighter Fabio Reis in a Muay Thai bantamweight fight. Reis has put a lot more time into competing in ONE.

However, Reis’ experience hasn’t been all that positive. He has produced three losses during Reis’ last three trips to the ring. It’s a difficult stretch for Reis, who had come into ONE with a lightning strike.

Reis won his first two fights by knockout but hasn’t found a way to recapture the lightning. This is a good opportunity for him to get back on track. There will be plenty of other action during this event at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Thailand.

This event will be the table setter for what should be an important weekend for ONE. The promotion is returning to the United States for ONE 168 and will have the Friday Night Fights to help build momentum.

Co-Main Event Will be an Action Affair

Komawut FA Group has been a valuable asset for ONE. When the promotion fights in Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, the 25-year-old fighter has been someone to be relied on to produce an exciting fight. He has fought nearly 70 times in his career, and this will be his sixth time being called to fight on the ONE Friday Fights series.

Komawut would like this next performance to produce a good result for him. Online boxing news shows Komawut has produced mixed results after winning his first two fights in the promotions. He’s 2-2 over his past four.

Siwakorn PK Saenchai, a 24-year-old Thai striker, will hope to continue building on his solid start to his ONE career. Siwakorn has ground out two decision wins to start his career. Siwakorn has some extra motivation to beat Komawut.

Komawut beat Siwakorn’s teammate, Pornsiri SK Saenchai, last year. Siwakorn hopes a third straight victory may be enough to earn a $100,000 contract. Komawut won’t be easy for Siwakorn to keep up with.

Komawut may carry more power than Siwakorn. Expecting to eke out decision win after decision win is difficult for any fighter.

Yodthongthai Isn’t Someone to Take Lightly

Yodthongthai Sor Sommai hasn’t captured gold in ONE Championship. But anyone who has seen his resume will see plenty of accolades. Yodthongthai is a three-division Rajadamnern Stadium World Champion.

While Yodthongthai lost his ONE debut, the latest boxing news online shows he didn’t get discouraged. Instead, Yodthongthai has composed three consecutive victories, including two by TKO. Yodthonthai’s next challenge will be attempting to slow down 21-year-old Aslamjon Ortikov.

Ortikov is from Uzbekistan and has delivered many solid results. He has won all four of his fights in ONE, including two by knockout. One difficult thing that Ortikov has to deal with is the pressure of protecting an 18-0 record.

If Ortikov is still undefeated after this fight, ONE should consider signing him to a $100,000 contract. This is also an excellent opportunity for Yodthongthai to get back on the radar. He won’t want to waste an opportunity while fighting with a highly-touted prospect.

Kazakbai Tilenov Ready for a New Challenge

Kazakbai Tilenov entered ONE Championship on a sour note. Before Tilenov made his debut in February 2024, he took his first loss of his career in June 2023 to Sundet Aitkulov at Octagon 46. But any negatives that come from losing a match didn’t carry over in this scenario.

Tilenov was able to bounce back and scored a third-round knockout to start his ONE career. Now, Tilenov is tasked with trying to prevent someone else from taking the same path. Russian fighter Idris Abdurashidov has yet to take a loss in his career.

Adburashidov doesn’t have as much experience in professional fights as Tilenov. But Abdurashidov has shown some immense potential. During all three of his professional fights, he has produced first-round knockouts.

Adburashidov’s last effort was excellent. He scored a knockout in 18 seconds that caught the attention of ONE officials. The longest of his professional fights only lasted 122 seconds. While that will change eventually, seeing if Tilenov can slow him down will be interesting.

With MMA, fights get more difficult as you get up the rankings. Quick finishes are much more challenging to achieve.

Jun Young Lee Needs to Prove He Belongs

Lee is excited to have an opportunity to fight in ONE. But he’s entering the promotion coming off a disappointing result. Lee won his last fight via split decision before he got the call to sign with ONE.

Lee’s opponent, Jean Claude Saclag, has started to heat up. After losing his first professional fight, Saclag put together back-to-back knockouts in smaller promotions. The question for Saclag will be whether his power can translate to this level.

Here’s a look at the rest of the fights on the card not mentioned above:

• Muay Thai (flyweight), Khunponnoi Sor Sommai vs. Tanachart Por Patcharawat
• Muay Thai (119-pound catchweight), Tonglampoon FA Group vs. Topgun Kor Kanluak
• Muay Thai (122-pound catchweight), Got Taipetburi vs. Yodkitti FiatPathum
• Muay Thai (112-pound catchweight), Detphupa ChotBangsaen vs. Rodbenz PK Saenchai
• Muay Thai (140-pound catchweight), Shin Dong Hyun vs. Yota Shigemori
• Muay Thai (women’s atomweight), Tsz Ching Phoebe Lo vs. Moa Carlsson
• Kickboxing (119-pound catchweight), Gianny De Leu vs. Kuroda Naoya

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.

By Dean McHugh.