Sam-A Kaiyanghadao, the 42-year-old Thai boxer, has responded after his opponent flexed muscles and punched him in the face, leading to a knockout victory and a 1.6 million baht bonus.
On 12 April 2026, at ONE Fight Night 42, Sam-A Kaiyanghadao (in red), the 42-year-old Thai fighter, faced El Mehdi El Jamari (in blue) from Morocco in a strawweight Muay Thai bout.
In this fight, Sam-A came in full of confidence after winning two consecutive matches. The 42-year-old Thai fighter scored two eight counts against El Mehdi, one of which was from a punch to the face after being flexed at by his opponent, though he was also counted down once.
Near the end of the second round, Sam-A delivered a neck strike that secured a knockout victory, earning him a $50,000 bonus (over 1.6 million baht).
After the fight, Sam-A said, “He flexed his muscles, so I went for it (laughs).”
“I pushed myself, hoping for a knockout, but I got caught by a right punch (got an eight count). I don't know how it happened, but I went down and got up immediately, still conscious. I'm very happy. This is the first fight where I received a bonus. Everyone thinks I'm 42, almost 43, but I've proven in the last three fights that I can still compete with younger fighters. My goal is to challenge for the world title again.”