Panpayak Rediscovered Himself In Kickboxing And Has No Plans To Let Go
Humbling defeats in Muay Thai could have closed the book on Panpayak Jitmuangnon. Instead, the seven-time Muay Thai World Champion switched rulesets and found the fighter who once ruled Thailand’s biggest stadiums.
“The Angel Warrior” now defends a perfect 4-0 ONE kickboxing record against Thai compatriot Lamnamoonlek Torfunfarm in the flyweight kickboxing main event of The Inner Circle 32 on Friday, September 25. The event streams exclusively for members at live.onefc.com.
The 30-year-old Jitmuangnon Gym product has already strung together back-to-back wins over Othman “The Ironside” Rhouni and Anuar Cisneros. Those results proved his famous reflexes had never really left.
“It was definitely the right decision to return to kickboxing. It gave me my confidence back, made me throw more weapons without hesitating, and reignited my hunger to keep winning,” Panpayak said.
“Right now, I’m 4-0 in kickboxing under ONE. I want to keep this consistency going and hold onto this undefeated streak as long as possible to push myself toward the top.”
Lamnamoonlek presents a mirror-image problem. The decorated WMC World Champion has won three times on ONE’s weekly series and has flourished since his own move to kickboxing.
Both men also captured Thailand’s coveted Fighter of the Year award at the height of their Muay Thai careers. For Panpayak, the meeting feels long overdue.
“It feels like fate keeps pulling us together! We’ve almost fought several times before, and the fans have been waiting forever to see this matchup,” the Samut Prakan native said.
“Style-wise, we’re very similar — we’re both technical southpaws with lethal kicks as our trademark weapons. It’s going to be an exciting trade of kicks, and it really comes down to who controls the tempo better.”
A bigger prize may also be taking shape, with reigning ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek sidelined by a serious leg injury and an interim title bout potentially on the cards.
“If I pass a test like Lamnamoonlek, a world title shot isn’t far away. No one in the division has completely pulled away as the undisputed top contender, so this fight is essentially a title eliminator in its own right,” he said.
“My primary goal is to secure the win because I want to protect my undefeated kickboxing streak in ONE. If I see an opening, I won’t hesitate to take it.”
READ MORE: ONE Championship Unveils Its Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix Fighters
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