Nakrob Fairtex details journey from electrician to ONE Championship fighter: “I gotta keep pushing”
Reaching ONE Championship was a life goal for #4-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender Nakrob Fairtex. But simply being here isn’t enough.
The Thai star meets Jaosuayai Mor Krungthepthonburi in a flyweight Muay Thai tilt at ONE Fight Night 32 on Friday, June 6, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.
Nakrob reached the ONE Friday Fights series in January 2023. He earned eight victories in nine outings to pick up a main roster contract worth US$100,000. It was a life-changing moment for the 26-year-old.
Now just weeks away from his clash, he doesn’t plan on slowing down. Instead, he has his eyes on achieving much more in the division. And he’s excited to see how far he can go in the flyweight Muay Thai realm.
“When the host announced I got the ONE contract, I almost cried. My dream as a country boy going to experience the city finally came true,” he said.
“I’ve come a long way in my life, but I’m not stopping here. I gotta keep pushing.”
Nakrob reveals how ONE Championship changed his life
The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 changed the world as we knew it. It saw the globe come to a standstill. And millions of fighters saw their careers put on hold.
Nakrob was certainly among them. For the first time in his life, he was forced to find work outside of Muay Thai.
Fast forward to 2025, the Thai striker doesn’t take his combat sports career for granted. And getting to feature prominently at ONE Fight Night 32 under the bright lights means that much more to him.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, I didn’t have any fights for almost a year, and I had to work as an employee for the electricity company just to put food on the table,” he said.
“I’d been fighting my whole life. I’m not exactly good at climbing electric poles and installing wires, you know? It was the hardest thing in my life at that point. But I just had to force myself to do it because if I didn’t, we’d starve.
“I felt super happy and honored to have the chance to compete in this event. I gave it my all in every fight because I’ve always believed that this promotion could change my life, and it really has.”
