Manachai’s journey to winning the WBC title has been fraught with obstacles and challenges. His title dreams were repeatedly shattered when the organizer and opponent pulled out on 2 separate occasions. However, he pressed on despite the setbacks and was finally rewarded with the WBC title fight.
This would be one of Manachai’s toughest fights in the past 2 years as he took on young up-and-coming fighter Julio Lobo from Brazil. The YOKKAO star stepped up to the confrontation dominating the first 3 rounds with his signature hard low kicks and skillful takedowns.
Lobo proved himself to be a worthy challenger for the coveted WBC championship title. The Brazilian attempted to take advantage of his reach in later rounds and fought hard looking for an upset finish. Even with his reach disadvantage, the Thai fighter took on the offense from Lobo with great composure and tight defense. While Lobo put up a truly commendable fight, Manachai delivered a stronger performance to take home the win on points.
Muay Thai legend Saenchai was in Manachai’s corner on fight night to cheer on his apprentice and dispense advice in between rounds. The rest of the YOKKAO Fight Team was also out in full force to rally behind Manachai’s maiden title campaign. As the saying goes, the teamwork makes the dream work and Manachai clinched the WBC title to the elation of his camp mates and fans.
Manachai joined the YOKKAO Fight Team back in 2016, relocating from his Buriram hometown to the YOKKAO Training Center Bangkok. It took a period of adjustments before the young fighter found his groove and went on a 10-fight winning streak. Manachai has racked up 14 victories in his last 15 outings including the WBC championship bout.
Over the past 2 years, the 22 year-old has grown in popularity among fight fans around the world. He gained over 100 thousand followers on his Instagram account during this period with his stardom set to take off even higher following the WBC title victory. Manachai will next fight at YOKKAO 35 - 36 in Turin, Italy on 26 January 2019. Stay tuned for more details.
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