Former ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title challenger Songchainoi “Mini-Hulk” Kiatsongrit is promising fireworks at The Inner Circle 27, and he is not the type to make empty threats.
He stars in a crucial atomweight Muay Thai main event clash alongside Banluelok Sitwatcharachai, which streams live in Asia primetime from Bangkok’s world-famous Lumpinee Stadium this Friday, August 21. The complete card will be available exclusively for subscribers at live.onefc.com.
The Thai slugger opened his promotional tenure with four knockouts from a nine-fight win streak, but that momentum has since cooled considerably, with only one win to show across his last four appearances. He suffered two losses to Numsurin Chor Ketwina and a defeat to reigning divisional king Nadaka at ONE SAMURAI 1 in Tokyo, Japan.
His most recent outing, a unanimous decision loss to Numsurin this past June, left plenty to be desired, and the 25-year-old is the first to admit the version of himself that showed up that night fell well short of his standard.
Songchainoi said:
“It was a big learning experience for me. Credit to him, he was well-prepared. But on my end, adjusting my weight for the fight drained me, and my body never recovered.
“My confidence took a slight hit, but I’m hungry to get back to my true form. I’m 100 percent ready to go for this fight.”
With redemption firmly on his mind, he has left no stone unturned throughout this training camp, fully aware that another difficult test awaits him inside the mecca of Muay Thai.
Banluelok enters on a two-fight winning streak, and Songchainoi has taken careful note of exactly what makes his opponent so dangerous.
He added:
“He’s on a great run right now. He’s won two straight in kickboxing and Muay Thai. Looking at his past fights in both Muay Thai and kickboxing, he’s really fast. I have to press forward and stay glued to him.
“If I back up like I did in my last fight, I’ll just get battered by his left kicks.”
Respect for Banluelok’s skill set has not translated into any hesitation about what needs to happen once the two go to war on fight night.
Songchainoi is well aware of everything riding on this fight for his opponent, and he has no intention of making it easy at The Inner Circle 27.
The Kiatsongrit Muay Thai Gym representative pointed out:
“He’s definitely coming in hot. A win over me could earn him a ONE contract, push him onto the big stage, or set up a rematch with Nadaka. But we’ll see what happens inside the ring.
“I’m not letting anyone pass through me easily. I want this win to reclaim my prime form. Fans are definitely going to get an action-packed, toe-to-toe war.”
Songchainoi Dissects His Path To Victory Against Banluelok
Speed and left kicks may be Banluelok Sitwatcharachai’s greatest weapons, but Songchainoi Kiatsongrit insists he has spent this camp specifically preparing to neutralize exactly that threat.
Rather than simply hoping his own power carries the day, the Thai veteran, who seeks the 61st win of his career at The Inner Circle 27, has drilled a concrete defensive answer designed to close off his opponent’s best avenue of attack.
The 25-year-old continued:
“I’ve trained to actively raise my block on the left side. I need to block that left kick and counter quickly, because if I’m slow [when we are inside the pocket], he’s going to land it.
“I also worked a lot on my boxing throughout this camp because my hands are my main weapon. I went back to refining my core strengths while adding new tools.”
Beyond simply solving the puzzle in front of him, a win inside the legendary venue this Friday would mark a genuine step back toward the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Championship.
That said, Songchainoi is not interested in cutting corners on the road back to gold, no matter how tempting a shortcut might be.
He concluded:
“The goal is still to build my way back up to Nadaka. I want to keep my spot at the top and keep raising my game.
“But I want to do it right. I want to win two, three, four, or five fights in a row first, so nobody can question it when I get that title shot again.”