“He can retire now” – Zhang Peimian plans to send Sam-A to victory at ONE 169

Chinese prodigy “Fighting Rooster” Zhang Peimian ready to take on the most decorated opponent of his career and is determined to punch his ticket to another shot at gold this Friday, November 8th at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug.

That night, the 21-year-old striker will take on the former two-sport, two-division world champion. Sam-A Gayangadao in the ultimate strawweight kickboxing bout at Lumpini Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

For Zhang, this fight represents an opportunity to defeat a true striking icon. Sam-Ah, twenty years his senior, is a veteran of over 400 career fights, firmly establishing himself as one of the greatest strikers in history.

Despite his opponent’s incredible list of accomplishments, which includes the ONE Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Titles at strawweight, as well as the Muay Thai World Flyweight title, the young Chinese star says he’s not intimidated.

When asked if he would be nervous before a face-to-face fight, Zhang replied: onefc.com:

“Many people asked me the same question. My answer: I’m never afraid of a fight, and it’s just a fight.”

An explosive athlete who loves to use powerful attacks to overwhelm his opponents, Zhang has all the tools needed to defeat the best strikers on the planet.

Although he knows that the Thai legend has an overall advantage in experience, “The Fighting Cock” insists that he is in fact the more experienced kickboxer.

Moreover, he predicts that Sam-A will not be able to match his physical characteristics:

“He has a lot of experience in both kickboxing and Muay Thai, but I think I have more advantages in kickboxing.

“His straight crosses and knees are very famous, but his weakness may be his physical ability because he is old.”

Zhang respects everything Sam-A has accomplished in his career, but feels his time has passed.

With that in mind, he plans to retire the Thai icon this Friday:

“The time has come for young soldiers to take over. Now he can resign.”

Zhang sets his sights on another world title fight

Zhang Peimian has his sights firmly set on the ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title and Sam-A Gaiyanghadao stands in his way.

“The Fighter Cock” fought for division gold back in 2022, turning down a tough decision Jonathan Di Bella in the main event ONE 162.

Now he’s confident that winning ONE 169 will give him another opportunity:

“Sam-A is a legend. If I can win, it will prove that I have the ability to compete for the gold belt. Yes, I think winning this fight will give me a chance to fight for the world title.”

Prajanchai PC Saenchai currently holds the minimum weight kickboxing belt. However, the title holder has discussed the possibility of moving up in weight, which could lead to a potential rematch between Zhang and Di Bella.

Whether gold is on the line or not, the Chinese star is excited to have another showdown with his Italian-Canadian opponent:

“Of course I want to fight for the title, but if Di Bella wants to fight again, then let’s do it.”