Thai striker Decho Por Borirak tasted defeat for the first time in his ONE Championship career when Suriyanlek Por Yenying claimed a unanimous decision victory this past September, but the 22-year-old refuses to accept that result as the final word in their rivalry. The Singha Mawynn representative returns to Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, October 31, determined to prove their first encounter was a fluke and that he's the superior athlete. A definitive victory in their flyweight Muay Thai rematch would not only avenge his only promotional loss, but it could potentially earn him the life-changing US$100,000 contract with ONE Championship.

Domination turns to disaster in the final round

Decho Por Borirak executed his game plan flawlessly through the opening two rounds of their September showdown. The 5-foot-9 striker utilized his massive 6-inch height advantage to control the distance, peppering Suriyanlek Por Yenying with his jab and systematically attacking his rival’s legs with punishing low kicks. The strategy prevented the shorter fighter from closing distance and unleashing the powerful boxing combinations that make him so dangerous.

Decho carefully monitored his opponent's reactions to each leg kick, trying to determine whether the grimaces and adjustments reflected genuine pain or deceptive tactics designed to lure him into complacency. The uncertainty kept the youngster disciplined, maintaining his range-based approach rather than rushing forward into Suriyanlek's preferred phone-booth exchanges.

Then the third stanza arrived, and everything crumbled.

“When the final round came, I thought I was up two rounds, so I came out to control the pace. However, he changed his strategy, aggressively throwing more punches, including uppercuts and haymakers. I couldn't defend myself in time and made a mistake, [and I got knocked down],” explained Decho.

“After that, all I could think about was getting that knockdown back, which made me lose focus on the plan we had trained for… I managed to get a knockdown back. After that, I tried to attack and score as many points as possible, but I couldn't catch up.”

Firsthand experience helpful in rematch prep

The rematch announcement thrilled Decho because it provides an immediate opportunity to correct his mistakes rather than dwell on what went wrong. More importantly, sharing the ring with Suriyanlek for nine minutes taught the younger fighter invaluable lessons that film simply can’t capture.

“Suriyanlek’s strengths are his heavy offense and his incredible toughness… However, I noticed he still has weaknesses related to being loose in several moments, such as his punches – they are powerful, but still somewhat sloppy,” he noted.

Youth and reach will prevail on Halloween

Beyond his height edge, the 22-year-old brings confidence, composure and athletic potential into this rematch. If he sticks to the strategy that worked early in their first fight, he believes the result will be vastly different.

“I believe this fight will be easier than the last one,” said Decho Por Borirak. “If he comes to trade, I am ready to trade with him. I'm not afraid of his punches at all!”