Yamin PK Saenchai is back, baby, and he is laser-focused on shutting down every single critic who dared write him off. This Friday, September 18, he steps onto the global stage in the co-main event of The Inner Circle 31 for his bantamweight kickboxing debut against Alexey Balyko, determined to prove he still has “plenty of fight left in me.” After those scintillating back-to-back stoppage wins over Zhang “Chinese Tiger” Jinhu and Joachim “Pantera” Ouraghi to open his ONE account, Yamin then suffered consecutive, disheartening knockout losses. The outside noise got deafening, with some saying his career was flat-out over, but Yamin never once thought about hanging up the gloves.
The Brotherhood That Sparked A Fire
The sheer support from his crew, former three-division Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai World Champion Suakim Pongsuphan PK and newly minted ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Yod-IQ Or Pimolsri, made all the difference. Yamin watched in “pure awe” as Suakim pulled off one of the year’s biggest upsets, grinding former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane down in an epic three-round war at The Inner Circle 25. He admits, “everyone, including myself, thought it was a tough matchup for him,” but seeing Suakim pull off that win totally fired him up. Then Yod-IQ went and topped it, defeating Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon at The Inner Circle 30 to claim the division’s 26 pounds of gold. Yamin saw Yod-IQ “level up so fast” from his “slow and raw” debut, calling it “super impressive” and a “huge inspiration.”
Sam-A’s Trust and Yamin’s New Path
While the bond with his PK Saenchai comrades is strong, his connection with Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, a former two-sport, two-division ONE World Champion, is something else. Yamin sees Sam-A not just as a mentor but as a trusted brother and confidant. Watching his peers achieve that kind of success sparked a quiet confidence within Yamin himself. “Seeing them achieve that kind of success makes me believe I can do it too,” he said. He knows their fighting styles might differ, but he’s ready to “excel in my own way” and is “ready to give it another real shot.”
This Friday, September 18, all eyes are on Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium. Yamin PK Saenchai makes his bantamweight kickboxing debut against Alexey Balyko in the co-main event of The Inner Circle 31, streaming for members at live.onefc.com in Asia primetime. After all the criticism and all the doubt, Yamin is stepping back into the ring to write his own ending. You absolutely can’t miss it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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