Marvin Dittrich admitted his pride at becoming the first German Muay Thai fighter on ONE Lumpinee, after a dramatic last-second victory in Bangkok.
The 26-year-old, who trains at the Silk Muay Thai gym in Pattaya, made his debut against a dangerous and game opponent in Li-Chih Yeh at ONE Friday Fights 87 last week.
Dittrich may have recorded the latest finish in ONE Lumpinee history, but he also took home another meaningful milestone.
“I’m very proud,” he told the Bangkok Post. “For me personally it is my No 1 goal in life to fight in ONE Championship.
“And to be the first German on this big stage is something no one can say, except me. It feels like I made history.”
Taiwanese fighter Yeh had been on a 13-fight win streak outside of the ONE promotional banner, and looked set to extend that run to 14 when he knocked down Dittrich in the second round.
But the European newcomer picked himself up off the canvas and returned to TKO his 30-year-old opponent with just one second remaining in the three-round bout.
“When I got knocked down, I thought to myself, ‘OK, let’s go – it’s all or nothing, all in now’,” Ditrrich recalled.
“But I knew that I would get the knockout. I was 100 percent sure about it. I didn’t plan on getting it in the last second, but that makes it even more special.”
Adding to the drama was the fact Dittrich also took the fight on short notice, and changed his plans of travelling home to Germany.
“Getting my hand raised made me realise that all the sacrifices, the hard work, and all my decisions I took in order to fight on this day was worth it,” Dittrich added.
“And I was able to show myself again that I have a big heart.”
