Team Lakay chair Mark Sangiao may be busy watching over his stable, but that does not mean he would not spare some time to closely monitor the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world grand Prix.
The Muay Thai tournament is nearing its climax with the two semifinal matches, and two alternate bouts, set for the end of this month.
Sangiao, who hones some of the best strikers in mixed martial arts, couldn’t help but get excited for the Grand Prix since he expects the best Muay Thai artists to lay it all out in the tournament.
He also noted unlike their native martial art wushu, Muay Thai fully utilizes elbows and knees and that alone makes the grand Prix such an exciting tournament to watch.
Sangiao knows the semifinals will fully display Muay Thai’s artistry, but the alternate bouts are also sure to excite fight fans around the world.
Although Jonathan Haggerty is listed in an alternate bout, Sangiao still believes the former ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion can still win the whole thing if he finds a way back in.
Haggerty will take on Amir Naseri in an alternate bout at ONE Fight Night 1, while the other alternate bout between Panpayak Jitmuang-non and Sherzod Kabutov is set for ONE 160.
Haggerty was originally part of the eight-man tournament but he was forced to pull out due to medical concerns. Nevertheless, Sangiao picks him as one of his favorites in the tournament.
The other man Sangiao sees as the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion is Rodtang Jitmuang-non, the fighter who already holds the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title. “I’ll readily say Rodtang or Haggerty but again, I can be totally wrong. To be honest and fair, I have not seen the others in actual war so I really can’t say,” Sangiao said. – ONE release
