ONE Championship Josh Tonna Ready For Chance Of A Lifetime Against Sam-A

Yes, Josh “Timebomb” Tonna is ready for the single biggest fight of his life.

On Friday, 9 October, the Australian underdog will challenge reigning two-sport ONE World Champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao for his ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE: REIGN OF DYNASTIES.

Although Tonna was offered the World Title clash with the dominant legend in late August, he’s been preparing for this moment since early 2019.

“I’ve had a hunch with the way I’ve been training that one day this opportunity would come,” the 32-year-old Canberra native says. “So, I’ve been training for over a year.”

While Tonna is finally getting his shot at the belt, he experienced a rough start to life in ONE Super Series.

In his promotional debut at flyweight in July 2018, “Timebomb” went toe-to-toe with fellow promotional newcomer Petchdam “The Baby Shark” Petchyindee Academy.

Unfortunately, he suffered a devastating second-round knockout loss, which he called one of the toughest moments of his career.

The Australian did deliver a comeback win over Joseph “The Hurricane” Lasiri in October 2018, but he would fall in his next contest to then-undefeated Karate World Champion Hiroki Akimoto.

Upon reflecting on that difficult stretch, Tonna realized changes were needed in order to achieve greater success.

He began working with a new strength and conditioning coach named Steven Bingley, started training with Kieran Walsh at Muay U, and surrounded himself with motivational individuals who built up his confidence and improved his mindset.