“Mini-Hulk” Songchainoi Kiatsongrit went five rounds with the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion and came agonizingly close to pulling off one of the biggest upsets in the division's history. Now, before he gets another shot at the gold, he has to clear a different kind of obstacle – the man who handed him his first ONE Championship defeat.

At ONE Friday Fights 160 inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium on June 26, Songchainoi gets his rematch with Numsurin Chor Ketwina, and he has been waiting for this night for nearly a year.

A Lesson That Cut Deep

Their first meeting last August was supposed to go one way. Songchainoi entered the tilt as the heavy favorite. He rattled off nine straight wins in ONE Championship and was full of confidence – maybe too full.

Songchainoi let his guard down at the wrong moment, absorbed a right hook that sent him to the canvas, and watched the momentum slip away in real time. Numsurin left Lumpinee Stadium with the majority decision, the life-changing contract, and a World Title shot. As for Songchainoi, he went home to rebuild.

The “Mini-Hulk" does not make excuses for what happened. That accountability is part of who he is, but so is the belief that it will not happen twice.

"After losing to Numsurin, I was pretty devastated. I'd never lost to anyone in ONE before, so I might have been a bit too overconfident. When things went sideways, my mental state took a pretty hard hit. But I got so much support from my family, my girlfriend, and everyone at the gym. They really helped me get through that tough time," Songchainoi said.

"When people say Numsurin got a fluke win, I don't really look at it that way. It was on me — I was the one who got careless. Mistakes happen in this sport."

This Rematch Will Look Different

Numsurin is not an easy puzzle to solve.

The Thai has speed, sharp footwork, and crisp boxing that can punish anyone who gets sloppy. He proved as much in their first encounter, but he is also entering the ONE Friday Fights 160 main event on a two-bout losing streak, which means the hunger on his side of the ring will be just as real.

But Songchainoi has done his homework, and he sees where the advantage lies. Numsurin tends to fade when pressured hard on the inside, his output drops, and his endurance becomes a factor. Songchainoi plans to exploit every second of that. The difference this time is discipline – no wild exchanges, no dropped guard, no overconfidence.

"I think this fight will look totally different from our first meeting because I'm going to be much more disciplined. I won't be throwing wild shots or getting into reckless exchanges," Songchainoi explained.

"I'll still be the one pressing forward and putting the pressure on him, just with way more caution. If the opening presents itself, I'm going for the finish right away. I don't want this going to the judges' scorecards."

A World Title Shot Looms

Songchainoi has already proven he can compete with the best in the world.

At ONE SAMURAI 1 this past April, he pushed ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Nadaka Yoshinari across five grueling rounds before falling short on the scorecards. He came out of that performance with hard lessons, as well as the unshakeable belief that he can solve that puzzle next time.

But there is no next time without first taking care of business this Friday. A win over Numsurin could put him back at the front of the line. That is the only thing on his mind.

"This fight is massive for both of us. It's basically a battle for the top contender spot to see who gets to face Nadaka next," Songchainoi said.

"I'm incredibly focused on getting this win so I can build my momentum back up for another title shot. Now that the promotion is putting the belt on the line, becoming the champion is the only goal I care about."

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