Sean Climaco had a successful ONE Championship debut in 2024 but stumbled in his follow-up contest. At ONE Fight Night 28 on Friday, February 7, he gets a chance to return to form against a familiar foe. “The One” faces Diego Paez for the third time in their careers, as Paez steps onto the global stage for the first time in Bangkok, Thailand.
“The first fight, I won by TKO. The second fight, he fought a little bit differently. He actually caught me with a spinning elbow at the end of the first round, which I felt like should have been a flash knockdown because I got up really fast as the bell rang, and then the ref gave me an eight-count. If I didn’t get that eight-count, I would have won the fight. That second fight ended up being a draw. This [third fight] is something that him and I have been like itching for over the last five years. It’s something he wants, something I want, and it’s gonna be an exciting fight, especially for American Muay Thai,” Sean Climaco said to ONE.
Sean Climaco Hopeful That Lessons Learned in Past ONE Fights Guide Him to Win
Experience in ONE has Sean Climaco feeling confident heading into the matchup. Wearing four-ounce gloves in Muay Thai is a different beast, and the Californian believes he has adapted to it. With three-minute rounds awaiting them in Lumpinee Stadium, Climaco wants to overwhelm his home-state rival.
NEXT WEEK 🔥 ONE Championship returns to @primevideo for another night of wall-to-wall martial arts action that includes Prajanchai’s defense of the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title against Ellis Badr Barboza, the legendary Nong-O’s flyweight Muay Thai debut against… pic.twitter.com/saBjlqfasH
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) February 1, 2025
“I don’t think he’s gonna be ready to take the damage I’ll bring, especially with the small gloves. It’s a different ball game with the small gloves. I’ve experienced getting hit with them in my last fight. It could be a dominant decision or a knockout. It’s only gonna be three rounds, so he’s not gonna have any chance to breathe in those three rounds. It’s gonna be at fast-paced, three-round fight,” the flyweight remarked.
Sean Climaco Wants To Give Californians Reason to Cheer on Friday
Although Climaco wants to pick up the victory, there is a greater meeting to the showdown at ONE Fight Night 28. With the recent fires creating havoc in southern California, the meeting between two California martial artists will be a showcase for the resilience of Californians everywhere. Sean Climaco hopes fans tune-in and become inspired by their grit.
“We could say that this fight is for California. We’re showing that California is strong and we’re all gonna get through this together,” Climaco said.
Sean Climaco Eager to Put Estupinan Loss Behind Him
Following his loss to Johan Estupinan in an entertaining brawl at ONE 168, Climaco is hoping he can apply what he’s learned in his return. Perhaps the biggest lesson was needing to slow down. While he wants to push the pace, Sean Climaco is preparing to be a more mindful athlete on February 7.
“What I learned was I don’t have to go into a firefight like that. I mean, I’m still gonna try to make the fight exciting, but if you’re ever rocked or hurt, then you should try to slow things down, learn how to calm down and take your time to recover. I’m learning to take my time. Not every minute of the fight needs to be a firefight. It doesn’t need to be chaos the whole time,” the Californian said.
If all goes according to plan, “The One” is expecting a victorious night in Bangkok. He hopes to show how he has developed as he looks for a big year on the global stage. Doing it against a rival is just the cherry on top.
“I now know how to stay composed and I’ve been definitely working on my defense, too. It’s gonna be a different fight, especially from the last two fights we’ve had,” Sean Climaco concluded.
ONE Fight Night 28 airs live on Friday, February 7, on Prime Video. The action begins at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST. The event is free to all Amazon Prime subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.