Kongthoranee says Tagir Khalilov's speed made it hard for him to hunt for a KO: "I wasn't able to get the right timing"
Kongthoranee Sor Sommai returned to the win column this past weekend at ONE 169 with one of his finest displays to date. The Thai striker has already produced a lot of great moments in the flyweight Muay Thai division as one of the stand-out competitors on the ONE Friday Fights circuit.
On his return to Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium on Nov. 8, he got the chance to showcase his skills on one of the biggest cards of the year and he took advantage of this opportunity.
In a clash with Russia's Tagir Khalilov, who has faced some of the best of the best during his time in ONE, Kongthoranee was completely dominant.
His performance over the three-round duration was exceptional, all it lacked was a finish to cap off a great night for him. He later explained in a post-fight interview with the Bangkok Post that Khalilov's speed made him difficult to line up for a knockout:
"He is very fast, and, you know, I was trying to find the right timing to knock him out, but I wasn't able to get the right timing. It is what it is."
Watch the full interview below:
Kongthoranee bounced back in style at ONE 169
Before ONE 169, Kongthoranee suffered his second loss since he debuted with ONE Championship in Feb. 2023. At ONE Friday Fights 68, he went head-to-head with arguably the best in the world, Superlek Kiamtoo9.
There is obviously no shame in losing to a two-weight and two-sport world champion, especially after how well he was able to bounce back against Khalilov.
This experience will only make him stronger as the 27-year-old now sets his sights on competing for ONE Championship gold in the near future.
The flyweight Muay Thai world championship is currently vacant and with that performance, the Sor Sommai man is sure to be in the picture.