ONE Championship: Malaysian Muay Thai fighter Aliff ‘will be a world champion, 100 per cent’ after landing US$100,000 contract, coach says
- The 19-year-old Aliff Sor Dechapan earns call-up to the big show after another KO at ONE Friday Fights in Bangkok
- ‘This is life changing for him. It doesn’t happen by accident, now the real fun begins,’ says coach JP Gallacher
The sky is the limit for Aliff Sor Dechapan, according to his coach, who has predicted the fighter will “100 per cent” win a world title in ONE Championship after earning a US$100,000 contract on Friday.
The Thai-Malaysian stopped Peyman Zolfaghari in their 120lbs catchweight Muay Thai clash this weekend in Bangkok, also picking up a US$10,000 performance bonus for his efforts.
It was a fourth straight win under the ONE Friday Fights banner at Lumpinee Stadium for the 19-year-old, and his third by knockout, this time coming after less than two minutes in the first round.
Aliff has compiled quite the highlight reel, and clearly caught the eye of ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, who made him just the seventh fighter to get the call-up to the martial arts promotion’s main roster from its weekly cards in the Thai capital.
“I can’t put into words how seeing Aliff get that contract made me feel,” JP Gallacher, the fighter’s coach at the Sor Dechapant gym in Bangkok, said. “He is my student and my little brother all in one, this is life changing for him.
“He gives me 100 per cent every session, and trusts what we do together. We’ve spoken about this contract for a long time, we chased it and it happened.
“This s*** doesn’t happen by accident, now the real fun begins. Aliff will be ONE world champion, 100 per cent.”
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Aliff made his debut on ONE Friday Fights in April, knocking out Rittidet Kiatsongrit with a spinning back elbow in the second round.
He followed that up with by finishing Ratchadej TNmuaythai with a left hook after just 50 seconds in July.
Then came a unanimous decision win over Yangdam Pumpanmuang a month later, before his latest spectacular showing.
“Friday night was very important and meant a lot to me, I have dreamed of this all this time,” Aliff told the Post.
“I get my spirit from my coach [Gallacher], he is the person who has always believed in me. He told me that I will get the contract before 2024.
“I listened to him, and [on Friday] night I got it from Mr Chatri and I am very happy, the happiest I have ever been in all my life.”
