Aliff Sor Dechapan Credits The Fans Who Made History With Him
Some victories are remembered for the record they set. Others are remembered for who stood behind the fighter as it happened.
Aliff Sor Dechapan reflected this week on the night he knocked out Muay Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao in the fifth round to become Malaysia’s first-ever ONE World Champion. The historic win came at The Inner Circle 23 on Friday, July 24, streaming live from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium.
His father joined training camp in Thailand for the first time in the lead-up to the fight, while his mother made sure he stayed nourished throughout preparation. Even Malaysia’s Prime Minister lent his public support before the biggest night of Aliff’s career.
Nothing, however, prepared him for the sight of his countrymen flooding Lumpinee Stadium on fight night.
“I’m truly touched and grateful. I never expected so many Malaysians to travel here to support me,” Aliff said.
“Before the fight, I was overwhelmed with emotion because everything I had worked so hard for was finally happening, and I had so many people cheering me on and giving me their support. I sincerely want to thank everyone.”
For all the outside support, doubts about Aliff’s ability to hang with a fighter of Sam-A’s pedigree lingered right up until fight night. The Malaysian-Thai star made sure those doubts did not survive the fifth round.
“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,” Aliff said.
“Many people had said before that I couldn’t match his experience and fighting pedigree, but today, I proved that I could.”
Aliff had been patient throughout the fight, tagging Sam-A with rangy kicks and sharp straights while resisting the urge to force a finish against a man with over 378 career victories.
“My [corner] told me to stick to my game plan and stay calm. If the opportunity to finish the fight came, I should take it, but if it wasn’t there, I shouldn’t force anything,” Aliff said.
“We never expected to get a quick knockout. We just waited for the right moment and made it count.”
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