"That was a crazy KO" - Fans feel the power of Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao in epic one-shot finish of Akram Hamidi
At 40 years old, former ONE strawweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion and ex-flyweight Muay Thai kingpin Sam-A Gaiyanghadao proved that age is just a number in his latest victory.
Sam-A scored a first-round knockout against surging Algerian contender Akram Hamidi at ONE Friday Fights 81, which took place at the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The winning moment of the Thai icon was posted by the promotion on Instagram:
"STILL GOT IT 😤 Sam-A obliterates Akram Hamidi in Round 1 for his 374th win! @aaa_gaiyanghadao"
After sitting him down on the canvas halfway into the opening round, Sam-A wasted no time finishing the bout with a thunderous left-hand punch that sent Hamidi to the shadow realm.
This outstanding performance by the Evolve MMA representative garnered massive praise from fellow ONE Championship athlete Eddie Abasolo (@eddie_abasolo_show) and users @rylan_gutz, @synthetic mara_, @ameliasophie, and @richyparis, who commented:
"Akram had to get stretched out... That was a crazy KO 😮"
"374 wins is INSANE"
"He was out"
"good night 🔥"
"The way he fell straight unconscious is scary"
Sam-A silences the doubters with his latest victory, says they need to start believing in him again
After Sam-A lost his ONE interim strawweight Muay Thai world title match with Prajanchai PK Saenchai in June 2023 via second-round knockout, many thought it would be the start of his steep downfall, with more losses to follow.
But the Thai striking maestro has silenced those critics and doubters with this exceptional performance against a young contender.
Speaking to Nick Atkin recently, Sam-A gave the naysayers a chance to ride back his hype train and start believing him again, as he stated:
"Yes, some people already don't know believe in me, but now, I let you see that you need to believe in me."
Watch the full interview below: