ONE Fight Night 42: “I still got it”

Veteran Muay Thai fighter Sam-A Gaiyanghadao continues to defy Father Time. It is something he said he is set to still do for some time more.

The now-42-year-old Thai martial arts icon raced to his third straight victory in his last fight at ONE Fight Night 42: Mann vs. Dzhabrailov on April 10. He knocked out Elmehdi El Jamari of Morocco in the second round of their strawweight clash at the event, which took place at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Sam-A was big in the back-and-forth second frame against El Jamari, scoring two early knockdowns. He, however, was also sent down to the canvas by his opponent off a left hook.

But the former two-division ONE world champion stayed the course after being knocked down, landing a well-timed left leg kick to the head that immediately sent El Jamari crashing to the mat and unable to continue after.

In an interview with ONE Championship following his victory, Sam-A opened up about how he is not short on motivation in continuing what he does:

“First of all, what motivates me is my family. They’ve been there every day, always by my side. Secondly, all the fans around the world, and thirdly, it’s my heart, my spirit. I still got it.”

The impressive KO win of Sam-A at ONE Fight Night 42 also earned him a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

Replay of ONE Fight Night 42 is available for free to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Sam-A touts preparation as key to keep in step with younger opponents

Sam-A said his win over Elmehdi El Jamari at ONE Fight Night 42 was a result of the strict preparation he has adopted to keep in step with his younger opponents.

He spoke about it in an interview with ONE Championship, highlighting how his tweaked approach to training and competing has produced good results.

The Evolve MMA affiliate said:

“[The wins I have had of late] really boosted my morale. It changed the minds of people who thought I was too old. It proved to me that age doesn’t matter as long as you’re prepared… I’m feeling great about my body and my ability to hang with these younger guys.”

Sam-A’s victory at ONE Fight Night 42 was his third straight and fortified his push for another shot at the ONE strawweight Muay Thai world title he used to hold.