Suablack Tor Pran49 has yet to suffer defeat in ONE Championship. The bantamweight is a perfect 5-0 and wants to add a sixth name to that list at ONE Fight Night 21 on Prime Video. That man will be Vladimir Kuzmin.
The 27-year-old knows it will be his toughest test to date. Suablack even admitted that the Russian may have faster footwork than he does. But that doesn’t stop him from identifying some holes in his opponent’s game ahead of their clash in U.S. primetime.
“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,” Suablack told ONE.
Another difficult aspect of the match, according to Suablack, is his opponent’s defensive style. The Thai star is known for his knockouts and aggressiveness, but Kuzmin has never been finished in ONE. Even before the bell rings, the Tor Pran49 athlete is frustrated with the cautious portions of the Russian’s game.
“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. 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,” the 27-year-old detailed.
The 27-year-old still plans to finish the match. It is imperative if he wants to make an impression and jump into the red-hot title race. As such, he wants to draw Kuzmin into making a costly mistake where his power can close the deal.
“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.
Suablack admitted a win would likely push him near the top five of the division. Breaking into the official ONE athlete rankings will be a massive achievement for the striker, especially in front of his home crowd in Bangkok. But it will not be easy.
Kuzmin will force Suablack to be at his best. April 5 will be a huge moment for the 27-year-old Thai athlete if he can topple the Russian, with Jonathan Haggerty keeping a close eye on all of his contenders. Suablack can move one step closer to a Muay Thai athlete’s dream — competing for the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship.
“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. 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,” Suablack said.
ONE Fight Night 21 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, April 5. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event is free for all Amazon Prime members based in the U.S. and Canada.
