Latest news with #ElJamari
Morocco World
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Morocco World
Five Facts About Moroccan Muay Thai Star Elmehdi El Jamari
Morocco's Elmehdi El Jamari hopes to cement his status as a world-class Muay Thai fighter and a serious contender in ONE Championship's strawweight division in his second promotional bout. El Jamari is set to face Thailand's rising star Aliff Sor Dechapan in a Strawweight Muay Thai contest that could decide the next challenger to Prajanchai PK Saenchai at ONE Fight Night 32 which kicks off at 2 a.m. (WET) on Saturday, June 7. Before El Jamari returns to Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium, we look at five facts about the 27-year-old Moroccan. Muay Thai changed his life El Jamari was born and raised in the Taqaddoum neighborhood in Morocco's capital city of Rabat where he watched many of his peers sink into drug addiction and a life of crime. However, Elmehdi found martial arts as a welcome gateway to a healthy lifestyle. 'I would say martial arts saved me from so many things. I grew up in a tough neighborhood with a high crime rate. It was a difficult neighborhood. Most of the young men used to do drugs. Martial arts saved me. By practicing martial arts, I stayed away from bad friends and drugs,' he said. Elmehdi's older brother and fellow ONE athlete Zakaria inspired him to attend Muay Thai training sessions. Elmehdi joined a local gym when he was eight years old – and he instantly found his passion in Muay Thai. Their eldest brother Mohammad had led the way for both into Muay Thai, but unlike his younger brothers, he never turned professional due to an injury he suffered early on in training. He is a proven Muay Thai champion After showcasing his immense talent in more than 120 amateur Muay Thai bouts, El Jamari turned professional where he has amassed a 27-1. Most recently, the Moroccan star picked up an impressive debut victory in ONE Championship over Thai counterpart Thongpoon PK Saenchai via a first-round knockout. Before joining ONE, El Jamari had already proven his credentials as a top Muay Thai fighter, winning the Moroccan Muay Thai championship seven times, the Arab Muay Thai championship twice, and the African Muay Thai championship twice as well as Muay Thai titles at K-1 and the World Boxing Council (WBC). He has fought around the world After dominating the Muay Thai national and regional circuits, El Jamari traveled to the UAE and then to Barcelona where he started working under his manager Hamza Ostoura. In the following years, The Sniper rose to his nickname picked up impressive wins as he fought in UAE, Spain, Belgium, France, and Thailand. He recently revealed that he was especially thrilled to fight inside the Lumpinee Stadium and highlighted it as 'a dream come true'. He is aiming to become a ONE World Champion With a wealth of experience and an impressive overall record, El Jamari knows he could be one win away from challenging for the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai world title. Despite focusing on his preparations for his fight against the talented Aliff, the Moroccan already has one eye on two-sport world champion Prajanchai's Muay Thai belt. 'I think Prajanchai is a very experienced fighter. But his time is up. He is aging and this is the time for a new generation of fighters. I hope I will defeat Aliff first and then Prajanchai, too,' El Jamari said. Tags: El Jamarifightingmuay thaiONE Champion
Morocco World
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Morocco World
Elmehdi El Jamari Faces Thai Star Aliff at ONE Fight Night 32
Rabat – Morocco's Elmehdi El Jamari will face rising Thai star Aliff Sor Dechapan in an exciting Muay Thai matchup in June, ONE Championship has announced. El Jamari and Aliff are set to collide in a strawweight Muay Thai contest inside Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium in the global martial arts organization's show ONE Fight Night 32 which kicks off in the morning hours of Saturday, June 7. The 27-year-old Moroccan will hope to build on his impressive debut win in which he knocked out Thailand's Thongpoon PK Saenchai in the first round. El Jamari boasts a series of accolades that includes seven Morocco Muay Thai championships, two Arab Muay Thai championships, and belts from prestigious organizations such as WBC and K-1. In the next matchup, he will be looking to improve his impressive 27-1 overall professional record and avenge for his older brother – fellow ONE athlete Zakaria El Jamari – who endured a first-round knockout defeat against Aliff. The Moroccan's mission is far from easy, however. Aliff owns a 7-2 ONE record with five knockouts with the last two coming in the first round. Prior to joining ONE Championship, the 21-year-old Thai had proven himself as a tough, well-rounded fighter around the world, claiming gold medals at the International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) in 2021 and 2022. He also won the 2022 South East Asian Games. Fighting in front of his home crowd, the towering Thai, who owns a 60-9 overall professional record, will also have a 7cm height advantage over his Moroccan counterpart, who will surely lean on his combative spirit and hard punches in what should be an exciting Muay Thai matchup. ONE Fight Night 32 kicks off at 1:00 AM (WET) on Saturday, June 7 and will be broadcast live via beIN SPORTS and Tags: one championshipSecond ONE Championship
Morocco World
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Morocco World
Elmehdi El Jamari Knocks Out Thai Star Thongpoon in Bangkok
Casablanca – Elmehdi El Jamari opened his ONE Championship account with a spectacular first-round knockout victory against Thai star Thongpoon PK Saenchai at ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs Knowles. El Jamari dominated Thongpoon in a strawweight Muay Thai contest inside Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium right from the start, launching leg kicks and punches that forced his Thai counterpart to retreat towards the ropes. As the two men traded hooks, Thongpoon landed an elbow strike, but El Jamari was much more efficient in his striking, knocking down his opponent in under two minutes with a left punch. Later, with Thongpoon's back to the ropes, El Jamari continued to press forward, swinging with a combination of punches, targeting the head and body before landing a crispy left hook that finished his opponent at 2:56 of the first round. El Jamari picked up a statement win on his promotional debut after following in the footsteps of older brother and fellow ONE athlete Zakaria El Jamari who defeated Thongpoon via unanimous decision last year. With his debut win, 27-year-old Moroccan star now raises his incredible overall record to 27-1. Tags: knock outmuay thaione championshipONE Fight Night
Morocco World
24-03-2025
- Sport
- Morocco World
Zakaria El Jamari Suffers First-Round Knockout Defeat at ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang in Japan
Casablanca – Morocco's Zakaria El Jamari fell to a disappointing first-round knockout defeat on his kickboxing debut in ONE Championship during the martial arts organization's huge show ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang in Japan. The flyweight kickboxing bout was the second on a blockbuster card which witnessed four world title bouts and a long-awaited flyweight kickboxing super-fight between iconic striking duo Takeru Segawa and Rodtang Jitmuangnon at Saitama Super Arena. El Jamari started the fight well, launching kicks to Japanese counterpart Hyu Iwata's midsection. While the 35-year-old Moroccan showed composure in his defense, his undefeated opponent kept pushing forward, attempting to corner the Moroccan. Hyu finally managed to get the Moroccan to back up into the corner, throwing two quick jabs with his right hand, creating an opening for a vicious left knee to El Jamari's head, causing the latter to collapse. With El Jamari unable to continue, the referee called an end to the matchup at 2:12 of the first round awarding the young Japanese star a memorable win via knockout. The loss is El Jamari's third straight knockout defeat in ONE Championship after suffering the same outcome against Thailand's Aliff Sor Dechapan and Colombia's Johan Estupinan. The three-time Arab Muay Thai champion last won against Thai fan favorite Thongpoon PK Saenchai via unanimous decision in May 2024 after an action-packed bout. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Hyu displayed his big talents once again as he raised his clean kickboxing overall record to 11-0 with his third straight win from three ONE Championship bouts.
Morocco World
12-02-2025
- Sport
- Morocco World
Morocco's Zakaria El Jamari to Take on Japan's Undefeated Hyu on March 23
Casablanca – Morocco's Zakaria El Jamari will face Japanese fighter Hyu at ONE Championship's upcoming event ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23. El Jamari and Hyu meet in an exciting flyweight Muay Thai matchup inside the Saitama Super Arena on the global martial organization's return to Japanese soil. The 35-year-old Moroccan will be desperate to land a big win against his undefeated counterpart in front of his fans as he seeks to arrest his recent slump in form that has seen him lose his last two fights. After a mesmerizing performance landed him a surprise unanimous decision win against Thai fan favorite Thongpoon PK Saenchai in May 2024, El Jamari suffered two consecutive knockout defeats at the hands of Malaysian Thai star Aliff Sor Dechapan and Colombia's undefeated fighter Johan Estupinan. However, El Jamari will hope his combative style, diversified attacking arsenal, and never-say-die attitude will help him claim another big win in the organization and break his rival's winning streak. Beating the 23-year-old Japanese fighter will be far from easy as he has captured 10 wins in 10 professional bouts, including a pair of victories at ONE Championship's weekly fight series, ONE Friday Fights. Hyu defeated Algeria's Youcef Saad via unanimous decision in September 24 and followed his debut win with an eye-opening second-round technical knockout victory against Portugal's Leandro Miranda at ONE Friday Fights 96 just last week. ONE 172 marks ONE Championship's return to Japan where it last held the highly successful ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru in January 2024.
