The 29-year-old Thai legend requested the move following a first-round loss to Asadula Imangazaliev at ONE Friday Fights 122. The head kick knockout ended a difficult stretch that saw him alternate between wins and losses in six promotional appearances.
Panpayak refused to let that setback break him. Instead, he chose to reset in kickboxing, where bigger gloves and different rules suit his technical timing. The move represents both strategic adjustment and emotional renewal for a fighter with nearly 300 fights in two decades.
“I don’t regret the result of the last fight at all because I executed my game plan perfectly. I controlled the pace and was able to fend off his attacks all the time. I just made an unexpected mistake and got caught with a head kick,” he said.
“I see this as a normal part of a fighter’s life; there are ups and downs. I have to develop myself even more if I want to return to greatness. I assure everyone that I have not lost hope.”
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Panpayak Jitmuangnon himself initiated the transition to kickboxing
Panpayak Jitmuangnon approached ONE Championship to take the temporary step to rebuild confidence and momentum. His Muay Thai performances were not up to his standards and he knew something had to change.
Zhao brings danger through aggressive forward pressure and dangerous punch combinations. The Chinese finisher earned his spot with a dramatic second-round knockout at ONE Friday Fights 124 in September. But Panpayak sees exploitable patterns.
“I was the one who let ONE know that I wanted to switch to kickboxing first to regain my confidence. My performances in the last four Muay Thai fights were not as good as expected. I am very grateful to the promotion for still believing in me,” he said.
“My physical condition is excellent at the moment. Fighting with the big gloves is my strength, which allows me to worry less about taking punches and use my technical timing to attack my opponent.
“Zhao Chongyang is an aggressive fighter with dangerous punch combinations and decent stamina. However, I believe he is a fighter who has no feints and relies solely on his strength to move forward, which I see as a weakness that I can exploit by countering his strikes in this fight.”
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