Kritsada Kongsrichai
Kritsada Kongsrichai (Thai: กฤษดา คงศรีชาย; born 1991) is a Thai mixed martial artist who most recently fought for ONE Championship, competing in their Strawweight division. He made his ONE debut in 2016. He has also competed for DEEP, making his debut in 2020. Kongsrichai is also a Greco-Roman wrestler who has won a silver medal and a bronze medal at the 2009 Southeast Asian Games and 2013 Southeast Asian Games respectively, in addition to multiple national championships.
| Kritsada Kongsrichai | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kritsada Kongsrichai 1991 Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand |
| Other names | Dream Man |
| Nationality | Thai |
| Height | 161 cm (5 ft 3+1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 57 kg (126 lb; 9.0 st) |
| Division | Strawweight Flyweight Bantamweight |
| Style | Greco-Roman Wrestling, Freestyle Wrestling[1] |
| Fighting out of | Thailand |
| Team | DNA Thailand Team Hunter |
| Trainer | Tommy Hayden |
| Wrestling | Asian Games Greco-Roman Wrestling SEA Games Greco-Roman Wrestling |
| Years active | 2014–Present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 13 |
| Wins | 7 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 6 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By disqualification | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling | ||
Representing  Thailand | ||
| Southeast Asian Games | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2009 Vientiane | 50 kg |
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2013 Naypyidaw | 55 kg |
As a mixed martial artist from Thailand, Kongsrichai has distinguished himself from other Thai fighters with his extensive wrestling background that makes up most of his fighting style. Prior to turning to MMA, he was trained in both freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling, competing in over 200 combined matches, in addition to participating in the Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games as a Greco-Roman wrestler.[2]
Early life and background
Kritsada Kongsrichai was born in Nakhon Si Thammarat in the South of Thailand on 1991.
At an early age he was eager to learn Muay Thai, as many of his neighbors were practicing the sport. However, his mother was hesitant in letting him get involved. In the beginning, he would train and fight in secret. Eventually, he'd amassed 200 Muay Thai fights and was later crowned Southern Thailand Muay Thai Champion.
Wrestling career
Kongsrichai's interest in Muay Thai was short-lived, however, and he began to seek out other sporting endeavors. With the help of his cousin, who was a wrestler, he went to the Srisaket Sports School to learn wrestling.[3]
At the age of 15, he was selected to the Thailand national wrestling team. He started out with only freestyle wrestling but later picked up Greco-Roman wrestling, where he would channel his focus on training and competing in the latter style.
Kritsada Kongsrichai would go on to represent Thailand in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2009 SEA Games, competing in the 50 kg event. He would finish second and won the silver medal in the men's 50 kg Greco-Roman wrestling event.
Kongsrichai was one of 5 Thai wrestlers selected to participate in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. However, he would only make it to the tournament quarterfinals, losing to Japan's Kohei Hasegawa, and did not win any medals.
Kritsada Kongsrichai returned at the 2013 SEA Games to compete in Greco-Roman wrestling, where he finished in third place to win the bronze medal.
Kongsrichai is a highly accomplished wrestler at the national level, being a 13-time Thailand national wrestling champion and having a combined wrestling record of 180–20.[4]
Mixed martial arts career
Full Metal Dojo
Kongsrichai made his mixed martial arts debut for the Thai promotion Full Metal Dojo.
On August 23, 2014, Kritsada Kongsrichai made his debut at Full Metal Dojo 2: Protect Your Neck, where he lost to Kichong Tran by second-round submission via rear-naked choke.
He would pick up his first professional victory on November 22, 2014 at Full Metal Dojo 3: No Sleep 'Til Bangkok with a first-round submission of Manachai Promsawad via rear-naked choke.
On March 6, 2015, he lost to Caleb Lally by TKO at Sena Combat: Pattaya Fight Night.
On August 22, 2015, he defeated Detchadin Sorsirisuphathin by TKO at Full Metal Dojo 6: For Those About to Rock... to capture the vacant FMD Bantamweight Championship.
Kongsrichai would then defeat Pakorn Isarat by submission via rear-naked choke in the first round at Full Metal Dojo 10: To Live and Die in Bangkok on March 19, 2016.
ONE Championship
With his success and title win on Full Metal Dojo, Kongsrichai was eventually contacted and signed by ONE Championship.
Kritsada Kongsrichai made his ONE Championship debut on May 27, 2016 at ONE Championship: Kingdom of Champions, where he defeated Kev Hemmorlor by first-round TKO.[5]
His next fight saw him facing future ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua Pacio at ONE Championship: Heroes of the World on August 13, 2016. Kongsrichai lost the fight by submission via rear-naked choke.[6]
On March 11, 2017, Kongsrichai faced Adrian Mattheis at ONE Championship: Warrior Kingdom, where he won via first-round TKO after dominating with his wrestling-based grappling.[7]
On December 9, 2017, Kongsrichai defeated Rabin Catalan by first-round TKO at ONE Championship: Warriors of the World.[8]
Next, Kongsrichai was matched up with Robin Catalan, Rabin Catalan's brother. On March 24, 2018, the two faced off at ONE Championship: Iron Will. Kritsada Kongsrichai appeared to win the fight by TKO after executing a suplex on Catalan. However, after the fight, reviews determined that the suplex was illegal and the result was reversed to a disqualification loss for Kongsrichai.[9]
On June 29, 2018, Kritsada Kongsrichai faced Jeremy Miado at ONE Championship: Spirit of a Warrior. After the fight went the distance for three rounds, Kongsrichai was awarded the unanimous decision victory.[10]
DEEP
After over a year away from mixed martial arts action, Kongsrichai was scheduled to return to face Kosuke Terashima at DEEP 94 Impact on March 1, 2020.[11] He lost by second-round TKO via submission to strikes.[12]
Fairtex Fight
Kongsrichai was scheduled to return to mixed martial arts against John Shink at Fairtex Fight: Descendants of the Empire II, to be held in Lumpinee Stadium, on March 12, 2022.[13] He lost by first-round knockout.
Fighting style
Like most Thais trying their hand in mixed martial arts, Kritsada Kongsrichai has some experience in Muay Thai, which is considered to be the foundational martial art for many Thai MMA fighters.
However, Kongsrichai's style is primarily rooted in wrestling. Kongsrichai has a Greco-Roman wrestling pedigree, having competed in the Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games. He often uses his high-class wrestling to dominate his opponents before implementing strikes in order to go for a finish. He oftentimes combines his Muay Thai and wrestling styles in his fights with great effectiveness, taking his opponents down with his wrestling before attempting to finish them off with ground-and-pound. While competing in Full Metal Dojo, Kongsrichai also proved capable of using submissions on the ground, particularly the rear naked choke.
Titles and accomplishments
Greco-Roman wrestling
- Southeast Asian Games
2009 Southeast Asian Games Men's Greco-Roman 50 kg – second place
2013 Southeast Asian Games Men's Greco-Roman 55 kg – third place
- Thailand National Games
41st Thailand National Games in Chiang Mai (2012) – Men's Greco-Roman 55 kg – first place- 42nd Thailand National Games in Suphan Buri (2013) – Men's Greco-Roman 55 kg – first place
- 43rd Thailand National Games in Nakhon Ratchasima (2014) – Men's Greco-Roman 59 kg – first place
- 44th Thailand National Games in Nakhon Sawan (2015) – Men's Greco-Roman 59 kg – first place
- 45th Thailand National Games in Songkhla (2017) – Men's Greco-Roman 59 kg – first place
- 46th Thailand National Games in Chiang Rai (2018) – Men's Greco-Roman 60 kg – first place
- 47th Thailand National Games in Sisaket (2022) – Men's Greco-Roman 60 kg – first place
Mixed martial arts
- Full Metal Dojo
- FMD Bantamweight Championship
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 13 matches | 7 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 4 | 3 |
| By submission | 2 | 2 |
| By decision | 1 | 0 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 7–6 | John Shink | KO (punch) | Fairtex Fight: Descendants of the Empire | March 12, 2022 | 1 | Bangkok, Thailand | ||
| Loss | 7–5 | Kosuke Terashima | TKO (submission to strikes) | DEEP 94 Impact | March 1, 2020 | 2 | 4:11 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 7–4 | Jeremy Miado | Decision (unanimous) | ONE Championship: Spirit of a Warrior | June 29, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Yangon, Myanmar | |
| Loss | 6–4 | Robin Catalan | DQ (illegal suplex) | ONE Championship: Iron Will | March 24, 2018 | 1 | 1:40 | Bangkok, Thailand | Originally ruled a TKO win for Kongsrichai. |
| Win | 6–3 | Rabin Catalan | TKO (punches) | ONE Championship: Warriors of the World | December 9, 2017 | 1 | 3:01 | Bangkok, Thailand | |
| Win | 5–3 | Adrian Mattheis | TKO (punches) | ONE Championship: Warrior Kingdom | March 11, 2017 | 1 | 2:51 | Bangkok, Thailand | |
| Loss | 4–3 | Joshua Pacio | Submission (rear naked choke) | ONE Championship: Heroes of the World | August 13, 2016 | 1 | 4:27 | Macau, China | |
| Win | 4–2 | Kev Hemmorlor | TKO (punches) | ONE Championship: Kingdom of Champions | May 22, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Bangkok, Thailand | ONE debut. |
| Win | 3–2 | Pakorn Isarat | Submission (rear naked choke) | Full Metal Dojo 10: To Live and Die in Bangkok | March 19, 2016 | 1 | 4:18 | Bangkok, Thailand | |
| Win | 2–2 | Dechadin Srosirisuphathin | TKO (cut) | Full Metal Dojo 6: For Those About To Rock... | August 22, 2015 | 1 | 3:31 | Bangkok, Thailand | Won the vacant FMD Bantamweight Championship |
| Loss | 1–2 | Caleb Lally | TKO (punches) | Sena Combat: Pattaya Fight Night | March 6, 2015 | 1 | 3:10 | Pattaya, Thailand | |
| Win | 1–1 | Manachai Promsawad | Submission (rear naked choke) | Full Metal Dojo 3: No Sleep 'Til Bangkok | November 22, 2014 | 1 | 0:00 | Bangkok, Thailand | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Kichong Tran | Submission (rear naked choke) | Full Metal Dojo 2: Protect Your Neck | August 23, 2014 | 2 | 0:00 | Bangkok, Thailand |
See also
References
- "How Kritsada Kongsrichai Won His Mother's Support". ONE Championship - The Home Of Martial Arts. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- "Kritsada Kongsrichai: Cut from a different cloth". The Fight Nation. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- "How Kritsada Kongsrichai Won His Mother's Support". ONE Championship - The Home Of Martial Arts. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- "Kritsada Kongsrichai: Cut from a different cloth". The Fight Nation. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- "ONE Championship 'Kingdom of Champions' Results". Fight Madness. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- "ONE Championship: Pinoy fighter Pacio stops Kongsrichai in first round". ABS-CBN Sports. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- "Kongsrichai taps out Matheis via ground and pound". Sport 360. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- "ONE Championship: Pinoy fighter Rabin Catalan falls to Thai fighter in Bangkok". ABS-CBN Sports. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- "ONE Championship reverses result of Robin Catalan-Kritsada Kongsrichai bout". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- "Kritsada Kongsrichai Defeats Jeremy Miado In Strawweight Thriller". ONE Championship - The Home Of Martial Arts. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- "Kosuke Terashima vs. Kritsada Kongsrichai". Tapology. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
- "DEEP 94 Impact Results". The Body Lock. 2020-03-01. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
- "Kritsada Kongsrichai vs. John Shink". Facebook. 2022-03-09. Retrieved 2022-03-11.