Veteran striker Rungrawee Sitsongpeenong has become a staple of ONE Championship’s lightweight Muay Thai division over the last year, but he’ll shift focus to a new sport this weekend.

At ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova this Saturday, 4th May, the Thai star will strap on the big gloves to compete in kickboxing for the first time in ONE against Bogdan Shumarov inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. 

Rungrawee has put together a 4-1 slate in the Muay Thai ranks, taking out names like Nauzet Trujillo, Vladimir Gabov, and Shakir Al-Tekreeti along the way. His next clash may be a step outside his comfort zone, but the Sitsongpeenong man believes he’s ready for anything. 

“I am a person who never underestimates my opponents. I will do my best on stage. I will fight according to the game plan. If he has a trump card to show, I’m ready to adapt,” Rungrawee said. 

“It’s definitely me who kicks better than him. We’ve practiced Muay Thai kicks since we were kids. The thing that gives him an advantage over me is his punches. I study him all the time. He’s only good at punching people.”

Shumarov has put a strong showing together thus far in ONE Championship. His two finishes from as many fights have announced the Bulgarian brawler as a contender to Alexis Nicolas’ newly acquired divisional gold, and he’ll be out to cement that on Saturday.

With that in mind, Rungrawee knows he’ll need to be at the top of his game to walk away with the win. But he intends to cause an upset and snatch a bit of extra cash while doing it. 

After that, the 28-year-old will set his eyes on the ultimate prize.

“The goal for this fight is to win by knockout. In my mind, I want to get another bonus,” Rungrawee stated.  

“If I can knock Bogdan out, I think I would like to fight for the ONE World Title.”

ONE Championship’s striking roster has continued to flourish in 2024, and it got even stronger this week with the announcement of another elite kickboxer putting pen to paper in the world’s largest martial arts organization. Japanese megastar Masaaki Noiri has officially inked a deal with ONE, and he’s set to add further depth to the stand-up ranks. 

Noiri is a former two-division K-1 World Champion and Grand Prix Champion, and he’s also a former WBC Japanese Muay Thai Champion.

Fighting in ONE will allow him to switch between the two sports whenever he wants, and this is an exciting prospect for the 30-year-old.

“As ONE officially announced, I have signed a contract with ONE Championship, the highest stage for striking. If I want to pursue being the strongest in the world that I believe in, this is a stage I have to challenge on,” Noiri said. 

“I believe ONE is the ultimate stage for striking, so I wanted to challenge myself in that ring. I’m pursuing to be the strongest in the world through martial arts, so I chose this path to test if the current Masaaki Noiri can make it in ONE.”

It would be remiss of ONE’s hottest new signing not to have World Title ambitions as he embarks on his new journey. 

However, along with gold, Noiri’s looking to show the world what strikers from his country can do, and he hopes a world-class compatriot can help him in that mission.

“[My plan is] to definitely win the ONE world title,” Noiri said. 

“Not just me, but together with Takeru Segawa. And we’ll prove the strength of Japanese fighters to the world.”

For a fighter to become the best, it helps to remain humble and focused. And if the opportunity to train with world-class athletes arises, they should grab it with both hands. Ahead of her return to ONE Championship next month, ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Smilla Sundell has been doing all that. 

The Swedish striker is set to return in the main event of ONE Fight Night 22 on Saturday, 4th May, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, where she’ll defend her crown against Russian ruiner Natalia Diachkova.

Sundell has been dominant across four promotional outings. But she knows she’ll have her hands full with Diachkova, so she recently chose to take some tips from ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai. 

“I did his seminar in Bangkok at PK Saenchai with my friend Matt. We went there and wanted to learn some new skills and see how he did seminars because I want to go to America after my fight to do seminars. I’ve done one now, and I like teaching, so it was fun,” Sundell said. 

“There’s no competition in it. He’s like a cat playing with a rat. It’s too easy for him sometimes. He doesn’t even try.”

The strawweight Muay Thai queen sharpens her skills at the Fairtex Training Center in Pattaya, Thailand, alongside other world-class striking talents, like three-sport ONE World Champion Stamp Fairtex. 

Stamp’s fun-loving nature has rubbed off on Sundell, but it’s her commitment to never backing down that has truly inspired the 19-year-old sensation.

“She’s always been a happy girl and trains hard every day. She’s basically the same funny girl. Still hungry (to get wins),” Sundell explained. 

“I think I learned that you can achieve whatever you like as long as you put in the work. But I learned that from my parents, too. But maybe more practical, in a sense, because Stamp did it in martial arts.”