“Happy to be back again” - Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao revels in comeback win, plans one final title run
Sam-A Gaiyanghadao is back and staying for one final run at ONE Championship gold.
The Thai legend reminded the Muay Thai community why he's one of the sport's greatest-ever champions when he obliterated Akram Hamidi in their strawweight showdown at ONE Friday Fights 81 last week at Lumpinee Stadium.
Taking to Instagram, Sam-A expressed his gratitude toward the fans and ONE Championship for giving him the atmosphere that befits his status in the combat sports world.
Sam-A Gaiyanghadao wrote:
"This comeback means a lot to me, I've been training hard for the last three months, fully focused, and I'm happy to have the opportunity to show my fans that I can still do what I'm good at. @onechampionship I'm so grateful and happy to be back again, until next time 💯."
He added:
"Thank you so much to everyone who supported me, family, friends, and all my sponsors, and of course @sinbimuaythai gym for getting me 100% ready for the fight."
Sam-A was already one of the most illustrious strikers on the planet before he joined ONE Championship in 2018. The now-40-year-old icon held multiple world titles across different organizations, including Lumpinee and WBC Muay Thai.
His arrival at ONE Championship, though, further elevated his career to supernova levels. Sam-A was the first fighter in the promotion's history to capture three world titles across two disciplines.
The 374-win veteran was the inaugural holder of the ONE flyweight Muay Thai, strawweight kickboxing, and strawweight Muay Thai world titles after he captured the three belts from 2018 to 2020.
Sam-A Gaiyanghadao guns for another world title shot in ONE Championship
Sam-A Gaiyanghadao already holds a place among Muay Thai's pantheon, but that doesn't mean he's done in his quest to capture more gold.
After his knockout win over Akram Hamidi in Bangkok, Sam-A told Nic Atkin that he plans to secure another world title shot before hanging up his gloves for good:
"For the next fight, if I'm not fighting for the belt, sure I can fight other people. But for sure, I want to fight for the belt."
Watch Sam-A's entire interview below: