ONE: Former Champion Continues To Inspire Next Wave

There was a time in his life when Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke was not sure what path he should take.

Eventually, it all became clear and Dejdamrong found his way to ONE Championship.

The former ONE strawweight champion will return to action against Muhammad Imran at ONE: Edge of Greatness on Friday from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.

Dejdamrong, who recently turned 40 years old, has 350 kickboxing bout and 15 more MMA contests to his resume. Of those, he has been declared the winner in 292 times.

Dedamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke Vs. Yago Bryan

“I started training Muay Thai when I was nine years old,” Dejdamrong said.

“I saw Muay Thai on television and I wanted to compete. My childhood was difficult. I stayed with my grandmother while my siblings and parents had to work in another province four-to-five months at a time.

“They would stay home for two weeks before returning to work again.”

Despite the separation, Dejdamrong and his father found a common interest in Muay Thai. That, however, did not carry over to his mother.

“My father and I liked Muay Thai, but my mother did not,” Dejdamrong said.

“She had no idea I was competing. I would sneak away from her to train. It was not until she saw me in the ring that she found out I was competing and training.”

Dejdamrong spent over 20 years competing in Muay Thai, becoming a two-division Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai World Champion.

“I won my first fight and I received 70 Baht (the equivalent to USD $2),” Dejdamrong said.

“I never stopped. When I was 17 years old, I moved to Lookbanyai camp in Bangkok. As a Muay Thai fighter, I have own three World Championship titles at Lumpinee, twice at 105 pounds and once at 108 pounds.”

His success helped me accomplish a career goal in providing financial support for his family. Shortly after Dejdamrong’s father passed away, he was offered a position at Evolve MMA as an instructor.

“My life as a child was difficult,” Dejdamrong said.

“We never owned our own home. I wanted to build a house for my parents and my family so they could have an easier life. This drove me to keep on competing.”

Eventually, his role at Evolve MMA opened up another door for Dejdamrong.

“When I joined Evolve MMA as a Muay Thai instructor, I saw my Brazilian friends competing in MMA for ONE Championship,” Dejdamrong said.

“Evolve helped me get the opportunity to compete for the ONE Championship World Title in 2015 and I became the first Thai national to become a champion for ONE Championship.

“I am very happy that I was able to become the first Thai champion of ONE Championship. I am proud to be an inspiration for many Thai kids to begin training for personal development, self-defense and competition.”

ONE: Edge of Greatness features Nong-O Gaiyanghadao defending his ONE Muay Thai bantamweight championship against top contender Saemapetch Fairtex.