Rittewada made a thunderous ONE Championship debut. The newcomer dealt immediate impact by beating top bantamweight contender Saemapetch at ONE: NextGen II.
The much-discussed 25-year-old Thai kickboxer validated his hype with the TKO victory.
After pushing through the contender line for a Muay Thai bantamweight match, Rittewada isn’t shy about saying he is ready to face reigning champion Nong-O.
“I think this is really a great chance for me and of course if I have a chance in the future, I would like to challenge Nong-O for his world title championship,” said Rittewada in his post-fight interview against Saempetch.
Rittewada’s professional kickboxing record now stands at 66-19 with 15 TKO’s.
Second round comeback during ONE: NextGen II
Rittewada’s ONE: NextGen II competition was no pushover. In the first round, the debut fighter scored with kicks and punches but was put down by Saemapetch in the final minute.
The fight seemed to have already swung to Saemapetch after Rittewada almost fell again early in the second round. Getting tagged time and again on the jaw, Riittewada turned the tide with an elbow to the left eye. The bleeding from his strike made the doctors stop the contest.
“I must admit that Saemapetch is one of the strongest fighters ever. In the first round, you can see that I was caught by him,” said Rittewada. “I have been training on my clenching back in Thailand but since I saw the opportunity, I applied it in the fight.”
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This was the second time Saemapetch tasted ONE Championship defeat in seven matches. A rematch looms between the two, but until then Rittewada will savor victory and perhaps compete for the title.
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