Muay Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao is making a return to action today at ONE Lumpinee 9.
The former two-division and two-sport ONE world champion will resume his illustrious career when he faces Irish striker Ryan Sheehan for what is shaping up to be the biggest card at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in years.
"This is a very big event," said Prem Busarabavonwongs, managing director of ONE Championship Thailand.
Sam-A took a hiatus from ONE in 2022, vacating his ONE strawweight kickboxing world title in the process.
Now he is back and ready to kick off another run towards strawweight gold.
On the other hand, Sheehan, an ISKA and WBC Muay Thai world champion, has an opportunity to claim a huge scalp in his ONE debut.
Sam-A's resume is the stuff of dreams, with his incredible 370-48-9 record punctuated by reigns as ONE flyweight Muay Thai, strawweight Muay Thai, and strawweight kickboxing world champion.
The Evolve MMA representative crushed future ONE strawweight Muay Thai king Joseph Lasiri in his ONE debut back in 2018, before claiming the flyweight Muay Thai belt in just his second appearance with a devastating elbow knockout of Sergio Wielzen.
He would go on to amass six victories under the ONE banner.
Prior to his run with ONE Championship, Sam-A won the prestigious Lumpinee title twice, including the 2011 Lumpinee Fighter of the Year award, and is a former four-time Thailand champion.
He was also named the 2011 Sports Authority of Thailand fighter of the year and is the only fighter to have won the Siam Kela Fighter of the Year Award twice.
ONE Lumpinee 9 is headlined by the rematch between two-sport ONE world champion Regian Eersel and Sinsamut Klinmee, with Eersel's ONE lightweight Muay Thai world title on the line.
The event starts at 7.30pm and will be televised live on Ch7HD from 8.30pm. Tickets are available at thaiticketmajor.com.
