Sweden’s Magnus Andersson steps into the spotlight on Friday when he takes on featherweight Muay Thai champion Petchmorrakot Petchyindeeacademy in Bangkok.
The bout headlines ONE: ‘A New Breed’ Part III. Andersson has been based in Phuket for some time now and amassed 52 fights in his career, winning 39 of them.
Andersson has already faced some big names in his career such as Sudsakorn Sor Klinmee, Yodwicha Khemmuaythai and Chujaroen Darpransarakham. He thinks these experiences will serve him well as he prepared to face Petchmorrakot,
“Yodwicha was really tough, very strong and complex, as far as having all the weapons of Muay Thai. Three times Lumpinee champion Sirimongkol was also a very tough opponent, I hit him with everything but the kitchen sink and he still kept coming forward. I managed to beat Sirimongkol on points.”
Mx Muay Xtreme
Proudest moment
Andersson has won the 70kgs MX Muay Extreme title and last year claimed the Lion Fight super welterweight title by knocking out Petchsanguan Sanguanchai which he describes as his proudest moment in the sport so far,
“Winning the Lion Fight title at home in Sweden in front of my family, friends and Swedish crowd was an incredible moment for me. I had been living and fighting overseas for two years so it was a proud moment to show everyone back home how far I had come.”
The opportunity to sign for ONE has come at the perfect time for Andersson and he can’t wait to show everyone what he has,
“I am very excited and grateful for the opportunity to face Petchmorrakot in ONE, it’s a dream come true and he is the fighter I want to face the most as he has the belt. Petchmorrakot has a good classic style with strong kicks and elbows.”
Mx Muay Xtreme
Training hard
Andersson sees some holes in Petchmorrakot’s game that he wants to exploit but won’t say what they are,
“His weaknesses I will try to show you next week rather than tell you today. I watched his last fight with Yodsaenklai, it was a close fight,Petchmorrakot showed good defense throughout.“
The Covid-19 pandemic hasn’t slowed up Andersson who is working hard with his team at Revolution Muay Thai in Phuket. He says he feels ready to get the job done,
“I think Covid has been tough on everyone mentally more than physically. Everyone is concerned about the future and there is a lot of uncertainty. We exercised regularly through the covid situation and we as a team have been training hard for these fights.”
Mx Muay Xtreme
Nothing to lose
Andersson knows he is the underdog in this fight but it is a role the Swedish fighter embraces,
“I have nothing to lose in this fight. I have been working hard with Pee Pah, Samranchai and Pettawee for this camp because my usual trainer Sayannoi’s wife just had a baby. It’s been a great camp with a wealth of experience and knowledge coming from my team.“
Andersson still has plenty of goals left in the sport and feels ready to try and make his mark, but prefers to stick to the one ruleset,
“Obviously winning the ONE Championship belt is my main goal and I am also hoping to fight in the stadiums with Petchyindee Promotions and improve my level and my legacy. I love Muay Thai and am not really a fan of kickboxing so I would prefer to stick to Muaythai fights if I can.”
Although Andersson knows the scale of the task ahead, he is still confident he has what it takes to pull off a shock.
“It’s not the first time that I have been up against a top class Thai fighter. If he underestimates me and I can stick to the game plan then I think he’s in for a surprise.’
