BANGKOK: Malaysian Muay Thai exponent Kabilan Jelevan Thiagarajan made a stunning ONE Championship debut at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok as he earned a technical knockout (TKO) victory and pocketed 350,000 baht (RM45,743) as performance bonus.

The 23-year-old Sarawakian downed Sulaiman Looksuan of Myanmar with a thudding right hand to earn the TKO at 2:51s of the opening round in flyweight Muay Thai, on Friday night.

“All Muay Thai athletes dream of fighting in ONE Championship. It has been my dream since I started training when I was 14.

“I worked hard to make my dream come true. I underwent intensive training for nearly two months before for my ONE Championship debut. I trained about eight hours a day, four hours in the morning and another four hours in the afternoon for six days a week. It all paid off with a stunning debut,” he told Bernama.

Kabilan from Rentap Muay Thai Gym in Kuching, Sarawak expressed his gratitude to his coach, Addy Singpayak, for keeping his training on track.

Meanwhile, fellow Sarawakian Muhammad Johan Ghazali Zulfikar won by unanimous decision after three rounds against Samurai Seeopal of Thailand. It is the 16-year-old teenager’s third victory in ONE Championship.