Petchmorakot Eyes KO, But Vienot Sees Weaknesses To Exploit In ONE 157 Main Event
Petchmorakot Petchyindee and Jimmy Vienot are primed and ready for their colossal ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title fight this Friday, 20 May.
The hard work is done, and both star strikers are ready to throw down in the main event of ONE 157 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The World Champion and his challenger are each extremely confident ahead of their scheduled five-round encounter, and they shared their final thoughts on the battle at media day earlier this week.
Petchmorakot Predicts Big Finish
Petchmorakot has already defended his ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title twice, and he expects more of the same against Vienot.
The Thai superstar feels like he’s leveled up his game – especially with his recent foray into the world of professional boxing – and he expects to showcase those improvements on Friday.
He told reporters:
“Boxing has made me a better striker overall. The way I trained and I fought in boxing with the steps and the details used in punching made me have better punching power. So overall, it has made me a better martial artist.
“That will give me the advantage because I’m more well-rounded. There are a lot more weapons that I can use.”
While Petchmorakot has a target on his back, he doesn’t feel any more threatened by “JV01” than by the previous challengers to his throne
The experienced Petchyindee man always rises to the occasion, and he’s eyeing an emphatic finish to prove he’s the division’s one true king.
He added:
“I personally think it will be the same as [my previous title defenses]. There’s more pressure defending the belt than fighting for it.
“I think I can win by KO. It’s not going to be a hard fight and I think I can get the [finish].”
Vienot Eager To Prove Himself On The Biggest Stage
Jimmy Vienot earned his way to ONE Championship with an impressive resume that includes five Muay Thai World Titles.
However, he’s still a newcomer in the promotion and hopes to announce himself in style by claiming the biggest prize in the sport.
The Frenchman said:
“I’m very happy and proud to be able to be part of this, the biggest fighting organization in the world. I’ve trained very hard, and I gave up everything to be here.
“I arrived here with a lot of results. I’ve won a lot. I won on every circuit that I participated in, so I came here to prove myself and to prove to everybody that I’m a winner.”
While Petchmorakot might not agree, “JV01” considers himself a better striker than any of the reigning king’s previous challengers.
And though the World Champion has a famously strong arsenal, Vienot sees some holes that he plans to exploit in Friday’s main event.
He added:
“I think Petchmorakot has weaknesses, and I think my boxing style is more beautiful. I will be very hard on him. I came here to show everybody that I can do it.
“I’m stronger than him. So far he has had only easier opponents, so I’ll be the man [to beat him].”