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    “Trusted ourselves” – Yuan Pengjie reflects on silencing his doubters with dominant promotional debut

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    Chinese martial arts standout Yuan Pengjie arrived at his ONE Championship debut surrounded by skepticism. The 23-year-old, however, needed only three rounds to make the doubters reconsider every word they ever wrote about him.

    The Sitsongpeenong product returns for his second outing on the grandest stage of combat sports against Thai fighter Jaosuayai Mor Krungthepthonburi in the flyweight kickboxing co-main event of The Inner Circle on Friday.

    The card takes place inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

    Yuan Pengjie arrives at fight night with a stellar 39-4 career record and the momentum from a unanimous decision triumph over Lamnamoonlek Torfunfarm in his March debut — a performance that announced him as a serious player in “The Home of Martial Arts.”

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    That maiden promotional victory carried genuine weight for the Chinese star, as outside critics had questioned whether Yuan would be able to handle the step up to ONE Championship.

    Ahead of his sophomore outing, the Chinese star reflected on the night he silenced his doubters in a pre-fight interview with the organization.

    “I was really happy to make my ONE debut,” Yuan Pengjie said. “A lot of people didn’t believe in me before the fight, but my team and I trusted ourselves. We were full of confidence to get the win.”

    Yuan Pengjie ready to show Jaosuayai that there are levels to this game

    Yuan Pengjie‘s belief in his team and his arsenal could be the platform behind his climb up the flyweight kickboxing division.

    The Chinese star, in fact, is confident he’ll have Jaosuayai’s number wherever their fight unfolds at The Inner Circle on Friday.

    “If it goes as I expected, knockdowns will appear,” the Sitsongpeenong martial artist told ONE in the interview. “Even though Jaosuayai is a contracted fighter, I want to show that I am as good as him, or even better than him.”

    Yuan’s debut proved his quality; his second appearance now has the chance to confirm his place as a serious contender.

    Subscribers in Asia and beyond can catch the entire blockbuster The Inner Circle card live from Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, exclusively at live.onefc.com.