Although he wasn’t at his best, Aliff Sor Dechapan emerged victorious at ONE Fight Night 32: Nakrob vs. Jaosuayai on Prime Video and could be the next challenger for the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title.
On June 6 in U.S. primetime, the Thai-Malaysian phenom scored a fast-paced, hard-fought decision win over Moroccan brawler Elmehdi “The Sniper” El Jamari in front of a raucous Thai crowd at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium.
That pivotal victory extended Aliff’s winning streak to four straight.
But while he was pleased to defeat a dangerous striker like El Jamari, he told onefc.com that illness hindered his performance, forcing him to back off ever so slightly from the ultra-aggressive style that’s made him arguably the division’s top knockout artist:
“I was happy to get the win because I fell sick during fight week. And I had to alter my strategy to win by points. My plan was to knock him out, but because I wasn’t feeling at my best, my team provided me with the plan to beat him by points.
“I was happy to get the win. Not the result I wanted, but the win I needed.”
Both athletes enjoyed moments of success at ONE Fight Night 32.
While the Sor Dechapan product put in solid work with his thunderous body kicks and long-range boxing, El Jamari was able to find a home for his devastating left hook – a punch that would have sent lesser fighters crashing to the canvas.
Afterward, Aliff acknowledged his foe’s trademark punching power but said he trusted his own chin and ability to absorb punishment:
“He’s an aggressive fighter, so I knew he’d come at me with hard punches. His left hook was solid. I’d really be lying if I said it wasn’t. He caught me a few times, and I was dazed by it.
“Although I couldn’t do much to block it, it wasn’t hard enough to really get me in trouble. It was strong, but not one that could have made him knock me out.”
Aliff’s victory came three fights and less than a year after his epic first-round knockout of El Jamari’s older brother, Zakaria El Jamari.
The 22-year-old said he expected a repeat performance against “The Sniper” this time around but that it simply wasn’t in the cards:
“I was confident that I was going to finish him just like how I finished his brother. He is a more dangerous fighter, but I saw plenty of weaknesses. But, keeping my health at interest, I didn’t want to tire myself.”
(@aliff_rakib)World Title Dreams Within Reach
Aliff Sor Dechapan’s victory over Elmehdi El Jamari gave him a strong case to challenge two-sport kingpin Prajanchai PK Saenchai for the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title.
After the fight, Prajanchai was invited into the Lumpinee Stadium ring for a staredown. Even before the fighters went face-to-face, Aliff laid his hands on the coveted golden belt and shared words with the titleholder:
“I told [Prajanchai], ‘That’s a really nice belt, and I really want to try and get it from you one day.’ He responded with just a few words: ‘It won’t be easy.’ That’s it.”
Despite that tense moment, Aliff has nothing but respect for the legendary Prajanchai – a 400-fight veteran widely recognized as a pound-for-pound great.
He added that their faceoff at ONE Fight Night 32 was already a dream come true:
“He’s such an experienced fighter and one of the best champions out there. He’s been up there even before I started fighting. So it was a special moment for me. I never thought I’d be able to share that moment in the ring with such a good fighter.”
