"I wanted to take him down" - Danial Williams rues missed chance to show improved wrestling at ONE Fight Night 25
Australian standout Danial Williams put an end to his four-match skid with a courageous display at ONE Fight Night 25. Still, the striking specialist isn't entirely pleased with his triumph last Friday, Oct. 4.
The 31-year-old opened the promotion's latest American primetime card against Chinese star Banma Duoji inside Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium. Though he got his hand raised by relying on his bread and butter — Muay Thai — the Perth native would have loved to showcase more of his abilities on the canvas.
Speaking to Nick Atkin inside the Mecca of Muay Thai, Danial Williams said:
"I've been working a lot on my get ups and my wrestling. So it's good that I got up every time. I wanted to take him down, but when I felt his strength - because in this fight, in MMA, I do want to work on some takedowns because it gives my striking a lot more ability as well."
Though he does hold a bit of regret for not being able to put his all-around arsenal on show, the Kao Sok Muay Thai and Scrappy MMA representative is still pleased to halt his run of losses on the global stage of the promotion.
'Mini T' headed into the showdown off four back-to-back defeats to Jeremy Miado, Superlek Kiatmoo9, Jonathan Di Bella, and Lito Adiwang. Despite having his back against the wall, the Australian fighter showed no signs of fear as he claimed an all-important triumph over Banma via unanimous decision.
Watch the full interview here:
Danial Williams over the moon after claiming the win over tough-as-nails Banma Duoji
Taking to Instagram moments after his win, Danial Williams delivered a message to his fans and everyone who had his back throughout his unpropitious run.
The former ONE world title challenger shared:
"I just wanna say thank you so much for the support. Finally, got the win. It's been a long time coming. I knew I just had to really change my style. I just wanna go in there in MMA, but I really had to be patient. Thank you to everyone who helped me get here."
ONE Fight Night 25 is available via replay for active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America.