Thailand’s top Muay Thai champion Buakaw Banchamek knocked out his Japanese rival, Yoshihiro Sato, in just 2 minutes and 18 seconds of the first round in a special World Series match at Rajadamnern Stadium last night (Friday).

It was the fifth encounter between the two fighters and first held in Thailand. In their first match, about 14 years ago in Japan, Sato knocked out Buakaw.

The fight last night was held under a kickboxing rule which bans knee or elbow strikes. The fight was to be decided on a knock-out.

It was fierce fight, with the opponents exchanging punches and kicks from the start of the first round. In just 2 minutes and 18 seconds, Buakaw managed to put Sato on the floor.

After the fight, Buakaw told the media that he didn’t expect the fight to end so quickly, adding that he had prepared himself and trained hard.

For his next fight, the Thai boxer told the promoter to arrange a tough fighter for him, to experience how he will feel when he meets the real thing.

Sato, meanwhile, said that, although he has retired from boxing, he has been training regularly but, in the end, he had lost to a professional boxer.

Sato is the only boxer who has knocked Buakaw out twice. The last time was in the K-1 World Max 2008 in Tokyo, when he unleashed a powerful right hook to Buakaw’s chin, sending decking him in the last round.