British Muay Thai star is now less than a week away from the biggest opportunity of his life.
In the main event of , the hard-hitting Birmingham native will challenge two-sport kingpin for his ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title live in U.S. primetime on February 7.
That bout will go down in front of a packed house at Bangkok라이브 바카라 iconic Lumpinee Stadium, and for Barboza, it will be his chance to make his mark at the absolute highest level of Muay Thai.
“El Jefe” is plenty familiar with the titleholder. That라이브 바카라 no surprise, as Prajanchai, with his countless accolades and accomplishments both in and outside of ONE, is recognized by many as one of the greatest strikers in history.
In fact, Barboza recalls watching his legendary opponent compete long before he joined the world라이브 바카라 largest martial arts organization. He told :
“I’ve been following Prajanchai. Funny enough, I used to watch Prajanchai when I was in Dubai on the treadmill. I’d put his fights on and I would study and say, ‘Okay, one day I want to fight in ONE Championship and this is my division.’
“I’d been watching Prajanchai for years when I first started, as well. He라이브 바카라 a legend of the sport. You can’t take anything away from what he라이브 바카라 done. So now it라이브 바카라 a big honor to step in the ring with a name like Prajanchai.”
While he obviously respects the Thai and all that he라이브 바카라 accomplished over the course of his career, make no mistake, Barboza is coming to win and believes he has some serious advantages over Prajanchai.
A former WBC European Muay Thai Champion, the 24-year-old feels like he라이브 바카라 not yet reached his full potential. He said that Prajanchai, on the other hand, has already reached the top of the proverbial mountain, and with nothing left to prove, Barboza questioned the titleholder라이브 바카라 motivation:
“I think the weakness of Prajanchai is that I am more young. I’m more hungry. I want this more. I’m more daring than him. He라이브 바카라 done everything already, so I don’t know how much he wants this. He라이브 바카라 already built his name. He already has the title. I don’t know how hungry he is. I don’t know how hard he라이브 바카라 training. I don’t know how much he wants this. So I think the weakness could be in his own mindset.”
Indeed, the main event clash at ONE Fight Night 28 is a classic showdown between a hungry rising star and a battle-hardened veteran – and “El Jefe” is confident that he has what it takes to finish the legend.
Don’t confuse his respect for Prajanchai with fear. Quite the opposite, he fully intends to make a statement and capture 26 pounds of gold on February 7:
“This fight, I’m only going for a knockout. Of course, I would do whatever I can to make sure I’m ahead on the scorecards. But I’m not here just to give it to the judges. I’m here to to finish him and take the belt straight back to the UK.”
Barboza Excited To Represent The UK
The magnitude of the opportunity before him isn’t lost on Ellis Badr Barboza.
Like any other fighter competing on ONE라이브 바카라 massive global platform, winning a World Title has long been his dream:
“I was so happy to get this title shot because this has been on my mind for a very long time since I signed to ONE Championship. I have nothing else on the mind other than the gold. I’m not here just to fight and make up the numbers. I want the gold around my waist.”
More than just becoming the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion, Barboza recognizes that defeating one of Thailand라이브 바카라 best ever in the country라이브 바카라 national sport – and in it라이브 바카라 most historic venue, no less – would be a monumental achievement.
A win over Prajanchai PK Saenchai, he said, would be a win for UK Muay Thai.
He added:
“To become a World Champion from the UK is crazy. Like, if you’d have told me five years ago when I was just an angry boy in England, I’m going to fight for this belt, I would have been like, ‘What? No way.’ It라이브 바카라 the pinnacle and to beat the Thais at their own sport, you know, from the UK, it라이브 바카라 a crazy feeling.”
