Sam-A stops El Jamari with walk-off head kick at ONE Fight Night 42, eyes strawweight world title shot

Sam-A Gaiyanghadao delivered one of the finest moments of his career. The 42-year-old legend stopped Elmehdi “The Sniper” El Jamari with a walk-off head kick at 2:43 of round two in their strawweight Muay Thai co-main event at ONE Fight Night 42 on April 10 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

The fight was anything but clean. El Jamari’s heavy hands troubled Sam-A early, and the Moroccan dropped the Thai veteran with a clubbing shot in round two after absorbing two knockdowns himself.

It was a wild, dramatic swing. But Sam-A had prepared specifically for that scenario. He knew El Jamari’s guard dropped when he threw hooks. He had trained the counter head kick every day in camp. When El Jamari charged in to finish, Sam-A stepped back, read the opening, and put him to sleep.

The performance earned Sam-A a US$50,000 bonus. He also had a message for anyone questioning whether he belongs at this level at his age.

“I am aware that he is an aggressive fighter. I also noticed that whenever he threw a punch, his guard would be a bit down, so I was waiting for the opening to counteract that,” Sam-A said.

“Before I got knocked down, I knocked Elmehdi down twice, so I was confident that my score was ahead of his. So the only thing I was thinking was that I would have to survive the round.”

Sam-A Gaiyanghadao calls for ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title shot

Sam-A Gaiyanghadao is now three wins into his comeback and has made his intentions clear. He wants the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title. And he plans to be waiting for whoever comes out of the Aliff Sor Dechapan versus Prajanchai PK Saenchai fight.

The bonus money goes to his family first — his kids’ education — and then to those around him. He was emotional receiving it, and equally direct about what comes next.

“I’m very happy to be the proof that age is just a number, and I’m also very happy to be able to fight younger generations,” Sam-A said.

“Definitely, the title shot is my dream, and whoever wins that fight, I will be there for the title shot.”