Suablack Tor Pran49 will look to extend his perfect ONE Championship record to 6-0 on Friday, April 5, at ONE Fight Night 21.
The Thai striker will meet Vladimir Kuzmin in a bantamweight showdown as he inches closer to title contention. But Kuzmin is not there to lay down for anyone.
The Russian is coming off a win at ONE 166: Qatar, and adding the first loss to Suablack’s ONE record will allow him to make noise at bantamweight. The danger has the 27-year-old Thai star locked in on Kuzmin’s greatest weapons.
“I think Vladimir is another great opponent. He’s probably the toughest job for me since I joined ONE, but I think I can manage to handle him. I think Russian fighters have faster footwork and attacks than Thai fighters, but I see many flaws in his game,” Suablack told ONE.
“Vladimir’s strength lies in his right hand, while his weakness is that he is not good at close combat. If I stay close to him, don’t give him a chance to create distance, I’ll have a good chance to beat him.”
In four of his five wins, Suablack has gotten a knockout finish. He hopes to add to that total against Kuzmin but notes the difficulties in finishing his Russian opponent due to his defensive style.
“I think the reason Vladimir has never been knocked out in ONE is because he always avoids trading blows. His style is defensive. Fighters who choose to play it safe instead of aggressively are rarely knocked out,” the Thai striker stated.
“If I fought in the same style as him, I think I’d never be knocked out, too. But my style is: You hurt me, I hurt you back.”
Intent on drawing Kuzmin into exchanging blows, Suablack is confident he can earn another knockout in front of the Bangkok audience.
If he can complete that quest, his status as one of the top contenders in the division may be difficult to ignore.
“I’m confident on a certain level that I can knock Vladimir out in this fight. I’m confident that my weapons are powerful enough to knock him down to the canvas. I believe I can be the first person to knock him out in ONE,” Suablack remarked.
As Jonathan Haggerty reigns over the division, Suablack is in pursuit of the throne.
The 27-year-old knows this is his biggest opportunity to date to force the Brit to recognize another threat to his crown.
“Being ranked in the top five is really important to me because it means I’m close to the opportunity to challenge for a World Title. As long as my name is included in the rankings, it is beyond my dreams,” Suablack said.
“If one day I have the opportunity to fight in a title match, it will be a massive life opportunity. I haven’t reached my destination yet, but when I get there, I’ll consider myself successful in my career.”
ONE Fight Night 21 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, April 5, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event is free for all Amazon Prime members in the U.S. and Canada.