Sam-A Gaiyanghadao Calls For World Title Shot After Stopping Elmehdi El Jamari At ONE Fight Night 42
Sam-A Gaiyanghadao had already knocked Elmehdi El Jamari down twice when the Moroccan turned the fight on its head and sent the 42-year-old legend crashing to the canvas at ONE Fight Night 42. What happened next is the part nobody will forget.
Sam-A regrouped, waited, and when El Jamari charged in looking to finish, the Evolve MMA representative uncorked a perfectly timed head kick that put him to sleep on the spot at the 2:43 mark of round two. The walk-off knockout earned him a US$50,000 performance bonus and pushed his career record to 378-50.
The finish had been in the game plan all along. Sam-A had identified El Jamari’s habit of dropping his guard when throwing punches and spent camp drilling the counter.
“I am aware that he is an aggressive fighter,” Sam-A said. “I also noticed that whenever he threw a punch, his guard would be a bit down, so I was waiting for the opening to counteract that. Every time he throws a hook, you have to tilt your body slightly, and then that will be the opening for a head kick. So I had been training every day for this one.”
Being knocked down himself did not rattle him. With two knockdowns already banked, he knew where he stood on the scorecards.
“Before I got knocked down, I knocked Elmehdi down twice, so I was confident that my score was ahead of his,” he said. “So the only thing I was thinking was that I would have to survive the round.”
He did more than survive. The knockout was his first finish by that method in ONE Championship, and he acknowledged what it means in the context of a career already laden with gold.
“I did not expect to get the knockout because I thought it was going to be a longer fight, but I saw the opening, so I went for it,” Sam-A said. “It’s among my favourite knockouts, because this is my first fight that I won by knockout in ONE Championship.”
The title shot remains the destination. With Aliff Sor Dechapan and Prajanchai PK Saenchai set to meet for the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title, Sam-A was unambiguous about his intentions.
“Definitely, the title shot is my dream,” he said. “I really want that belt on my shoulder.”
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