ONE Fight Night 25 results and recap: Thongpoon PK Saenchai vs. Rui Botelho
After suffering his first loss under the ONE Championship banner in May, Thai fan favorite Thongpoon PK Saenchai returned to the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok seeking his 80th career win.
Standing in his way was Rui Botelho—a Portuguese striker desperately seeking his first victory in the art of eight limbs since signing with the promotion in 2018.
Round 1: Thongpoon comes out aggressive from the opening bell, throwing a straight left hand and closing the distance. As Thongpoon marches forward, Botelho tries to fire back with a combination. Thongpoon separates and fires another shot that appears to have Botelho busted open under his left eye.
Botelho tries to turn the tables by putting Thongpoon on his backfoot and landing some nice knees in the clinch before being separated. Thongpoon comes right back looking to land the knockout shot, but Botelho is evading well. Botelho fires a body kick that connects. Thongpoon rushes in and eats a big left hook that has him wobbled. Botelho presses Thongpoon against the ropes and tees off on his but is unable to land the knockout blow before the round ends.
Round 2: Thongpoon opens things up with a body kick that Botelho catches. Botelho comes back with a left hook and Thongpoon just flashes a smile at his opponent. Both fighters are happy to stand and trade in close with Botelho attempting to attack the body. Botelho lands a nice left hand, but Thongpoon is turning up the volume once again.
Botelho evades and lands a straight left, but then he promptly pokes Thongpoon in the eye inadvertently, bringing a pause to the bout. The fight gets underway with 80 seconds left in the round. Thongpoon goes right back to pressuring, but Botelho is using elbows on the inside to try and fend off the Thai. Thongpoon rushes in again and eats an elbow to the jaw, followed by another, but it’s not enough to put Thongpoon down before the second round bell sounds.
Round 3: Botelho lands a couple of lefts right down the middle to start the round. Thongpoon pours on the pressure and Botelho nearly tumbles out of the ring but catches himself. Botelho throws another combination in close and appears content to clinch up every time Thongpoon closes the distance—perhaps believing that he’s up the scorecards and doesn’t want to risk giving Thongpoon any opportunities.
Thongpoon lands back-to-back body kicks with 30 seconds left. Botelho clinches up in the center of the ring, but Thongpoon lands a nice left hand on the break. Botelho eats the mat during an exchange in the waning seconds, but the fall is ruled a slip and not a knockdown. Botelho gets back to his feet, but there’s no time left to do anything more.
ONE Fight Night 25 - Thongpoon vs. Rui Botelho Official Result
Going to the judge's scorecards, Rui Botelho was ruled the winner unanimously. The victory was his first win in Muay Thai action in ONE Championship. The Dinamite Team product has now won two straight following his split-decision W against Zhang Peimian in kickboxing action last November.
Unfortunately for Thongpoon, he was deprived of earning his 80th career victory and has now lost back-to-back bouts.
Official Result: Thongpoon defeated Rui Botelho via unanimous decision (Muay Thai - strawweight)