SUMMARY
- Suablack is a ONE Championship superstar who defeated Vladimir Kuzmin in his last fight.
- In an exclusive interview with Sportsmanor, Suablack has also expressed interest in fighting Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 168.
The celebrations in northern Thailand continued till late on April 5, because one of their rising local Muay Thai stars scored his sixth straight victory in ONE Championship. Suablack did not disappoint in his 2nd Prime Time fight, winning by unanimous decision against ace Russian striker Vladimir Kuzmin.
In an exclusive interview with Sportsmanor, the Thai sensation reflected on his undefeated streak while keeping one eye pointed toward the future. He said, “I’m very proud of myself, to be in this point of my life. I never thought I would be able to have a six-winning streak because in ONE Championship, there are a lot of really, really good, really tough fighters. So it’s really unexpected of me to, you know, achieve this goal in my life.”
You can check out the full interview right here:
While Suablack’s performance was clinical, it left his fans wanting more. His patented explosiveness was not on display as much as his previous fights, but turns out, there’s a reason for that.
Suablack eyes ONE Championship rankings, responds to critics with a promise
The Killer Thigh Sensation broke into ONE Championship as a formidable striker. His first four fights were knockouts, with his second against Lenny Blasi being a TKO. But his last two victories were based on a unanimous decision, going three rounds each. Some fans were upset with Suablack for pulling back against Kuzmin, but he explained his logic behind the decision.
Suablack said, “I think it’s very important to cater the game plans according to your opponent. So as you can see, my last opponent, he has really, really good speed, he’s [a] really tough fighter. So I just take that into account, take his skills into account, also take my well-being into account, because you also have to know your opponent, and you have to know how to counter them.”
He continued, “I understand that the last fight wasn’t really my style, as people might [be] familiar with. But I’m pretty happy with my fight because I was able to win and also I was able to follow my game plan. I think my ultimate goal is to win and to also like, to enter the ranking, so I will have to be a bit smart about that.
“So I cannot just go in and you, just trade the striking, trade the weapons with everyone. So the whole point is to counter, and I think I did a pretty good job at that. Additionally, this is also my very first time to face with an opponent who has such speed, so I’m still trying to get used to that.”
View this post on Instagram
While he was happy about not sustaining an injury, Suablack did acknowledge his “over-defensive” approach to the fight and promised fans a better show next time around.
He said, “Well, there’s no injury [from] this fight, that actually, in the after perspective, has me thinking that maybe I was too careful. But as I have told you, that was my first time facing an opponent like this, so maybe I was too defensive, I don’t know”
“So maybe I will have to adjust that in the next fight, to you know also be defensive and also to, you know, go forward and you know, just hit him. Because I understand that like, you know, no injury, the fans just feel like it’s not fun to watch the fight. So I think I will have to improve at that.”
With the promise for a better fight made, the man who’s still undefeated went on to express his desire for the gold, and called out the winner of Haggerty vs. Superlek; sort of.
Suablack Offers to sub in for Haggerty v Superlek!
Vladimir Kuzmin is one of the toughest fights in the bantamweight division of ONE Championship. He took the champion Jonathan Haggerty to the limit in a thrilling contest at ONE on Prime 4, losing the match by majority decision. He then went on to win his next two fights by unanimous decision, with the second one taking place at the ONE 166 card in Qatar. After defeating him, Suablack feels like he’s ready to go for anyone in the bantamweight division.
When asked if he was ready for a fight with Haggerty, he said, “Well, it had been my internal monologue before I faced Kuzmin. Because like, I feel like Kuzmin is, you know, out of the six wins that I have won, I feel like Kuzmin is like, the best fighters that I have faced in ONE Championship. And I have thought to myself that if I am able to defeat Kuzmin, then you know, I think I am ready to face anyone because he’s just really good.”
With the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai Championship up for grabs at ONE 168, Suablack is just itching for a title opportunity. So much so, that he offered to sub in for Haggerty vs Superlek in case someone “falls ill”!
View this post on Instagram
Suablack said, “Well, you know, I’m just ready, any second, for anything. I feel like, that fight, if someone fall ill, and they need a replacement, I am ready. And I would just go, like, I would do anything, I would be a replacement, I would, you know, take more fights, anything. I am ready, and I just like, you know, keep training to be ready, at anything.”
So ONE Championship, if anything goes awry with that co-main event, you have a volunteer ready in Suablack!