“I market myself as a three-sport champion” - Thai-Aussie star Danial Williams eyes redemption arc in Muay Thai
Danial Williams is eyeing to redeem himself in Muay Thai, where he feels he has not done enough in his push to excel in three different sports under ONE Championship. The Thai-Australian fighter made this known after his recent victory at ONE Fight Night 25: Nicolas vs Eersel II on Oct. 4 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, where he won by unanimous decision over Banma Duoji of China in their catchweight (136.25 lbs) MMA clash.
Williams shared that his dream of becoming a three-sport champion is very much alive and he wants to shore it up by doing well in Muay Thai, saying (via Sportskeeda MMA):
"I've been wanting a Muay Thai fight since I called out Joseph Lasiri for the strawweigtht tiltle back in 2022, because I've been training quite heavily in Muay Thai. It's the one sport I haven't stopped training and I've only had that one Muay Thai fight with Rodtang. So, you know, I market myself as a three-sport champion and to be able to take challenges in different sports and as a unique fighter under the ONE platform."
Danial Williams entered ONE Championship in April 2021 in Muay Thai, and challenged flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang Jitmuangnon for the belt. He ended up losing to 'The Iron Man' via unanimous decision.
He then fought in four straight MMA matches after, winning three, before competing in back-to-back kickboxing title fights, both of which he lost. The last two matches has seen 'Mini T' go back to MMA, where has gone 1-1.
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription who want to relive all the action at ONE Fight Night 25: Nicolas vs. Eersel II can do so on demand.
Danial Williams says Banma Duoji surpassed his expectations at ONE Fight Night 25
While happy that he chalked up a skid-busting victory in his last match, Danial Williams said it did come easy as opponent Banma Duoji proved much tougher than he had anticipated.
'Mini T' defeated 'The Prince' at ONE Fight Night 25 on Oct. 4 by unanimous decision in their catchweight MMA showdown but not after going through the wringer. He particularly cited the strength that the Chinese fighter displayed, telling Sportskeeda MMA in an interview:
"I thought compared to his last fight, he was doing a lot of takedowns against a Muay Thai-styled fighter. So I was expecting him [to do that]. But he's big, man. He missed weight and I just felt he was quite strong."
Check out what he had to say below:
The win at ONE Fight Night 25 effectively halted a four-fight losing streak spanning two years for Danial Williams.