Sean Clancy Wants to Prove Himself Among the Elite with Win Over Pongsiri
One Championship
September 8, 2020 11:54 MYT
September 8, 2020 11:54 MYT
Thirty-one-year-old Irish veteran Sean “Clubber” Clancy is ready to make his ONE Championship debut, and the WBC Super Lightweight World Champion plans on making it a memorable one. Clancy aims to prove himself among the best strikers in the world in ONE Super Series, and with a win over his next opponent, he can do just that.
Fans can catch “Clubber” in action this Friday night, 11 September against Thailand’s Pongsiri PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym in the headline bout at ONE: A NEW BREED II, an event previously recorded from Bangkok, Thailand.
Ahead of his much-anticipated first foray into the ONE Championship ring, Clancy shares his thoughts on what debuting on the biggest global stage of martial arts competition means to him.
“What better place to represent your country than on the big stage of ONE Championship? It’s not just the minutes going through your preparation. It’s the blood, sweat, and tears, and it’s the years, weeks, and months going into this moment,” Clancy told ONE Championship.
“To test your skills on the big stage and represent your country, you can’t put it into words, honestly. It’s everything for a fighter in this position.”
Against Pongsiri, Clancy faces a formidable opponent.
Pongsiri is a 4-time Muay Thai World Champion who has trained in the ‘art of eight limbs’ since he was seven years of age. He’s won the Thailand Championship, a WBC World Title, and several prestigious stadium belts, including the vaunted Lumpinee World Title.
Pongsiri’s reputation certainly precedes him. But Clancy isn’t fazed one bit by his opponent’s impressive credentials. The Irishman exudes immense confidence in his ability to score the upset against the hometown hero.
“Pongsiri is a very aggressive fighter. He has strong hands and he comes forward,” the Irishman says. He likes to throw his punch combos and finish them off with a kick, and he is a very strong ‘stand-there’ type of fighter,” said Clancy.
“He doesn’t appear like a person who steps into the ring with fear, and that doesn’t bother me. I always say to people about myself: ‘A man with no fear is a man to fear.’ Do to me what you can. We’re both stepping into the ring knowing the dangers involved.”
ONE: A NEW BREED II was a closed-door, audience-free event previously recorded from Bangkok, Thailand. Aside from the compelling main event, fans can look forward to a plethora of incredible contests, including a showdown between Thailand’s Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Tunisia’s Fahdi Khaled, as well as the debut of PBA Thailand Champion Supergirl Jaroonsak Muaythai who took on Argentinian Muay Thai Champion Milagros Lopez.
Clancy is fixated on getting the victory in his first time inside the ONE Championship ring, in order to send a message to the rest of the division, that he has finally arrived on the world’s top platform for striking martial arts.
“Winning means everything because it’s testing who you are, and testing your skills, your preparation, your training, everything,” said Clancy.
“To win on the main stage, you can’t put it into words. To win against a fighter like Pongsiri, who is well-recognized and is well-known throughout the fight scene here, would mean everything. It shows I am ready to go with the big boys here.”
Watch the previously recorded ONE: A NEW BREED II this Friday, 11 September, at 8:30 p.m. Singapore Standard Time (SGT) on meWATCH or by downloading the ONE Super App. Also, Channel 5 will provide a same-day delay at 10 p.m. SGT.
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