Bokang Masunyane hopes impressive win over Mansur Malachiev bags him shot at ONE gold: "It's time to make a point"
South African standout Bokang Masunyane is confident he's on the cusp of a world title shot, so long as he steers his way to another victory in his next fight.
The Coach Quan University standout collides against Russian phenom Mansur Malachiev at ONE Fight Nigh 25, broadcasting live from the Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, October 4. There, both superstars look to strengthen their grip on their spots to keep their ONE strawweight MMA world title dreams alive.
While No.5-ranked Malachiev might have to tackle one or two more names to build a case for himself, 'Little Giant' — who occupies the second-ranked spot — believes it's an entirely different scenario for him.
Bokang Masunyane told ONE Championship last week:
"I've been defending my #2 spot for a while now, and I think it's time to make a point so I can get my title shot."
The 30-year-old martial artist was last in action at ONE 165 this past January in Tokyo, Japan. That evening inside the sold-out Ariake Arena, Masunyane saw off a stiff challenge from Keito Yamakita after three intense rounds.
Before that, he rode on a 3-1 run, which included triumphs over Hiroba Minowa, Rene Catalan, and Ryuto Sawada. His only loss came at the hands of current ONE interim strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks.
Bokang Masunyane seeks to end Mansur Malachiev's night early at ONE Fight Night 25
It's been almost four years since Bokang Masunyane acquired the most recent stoppage win of his career against Rene Catalan. However, he hopes that could change come ONE Fight Night 25.
When asked about a perfect way to end his upcoming contest, in the same interview with the organization, the South African fighter hinted that he'll have his radar locked on putting away Malachiev inside the distance:
"I haven't really changed much of my game plan because I know it's good, but I do want to start finishing fights. I know I can take my opponents to the deep end, so why not risk it and go the finish the fight?"
Be sure to catch him back in action on the loaded card, available to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers live in U.S. primetime for free on October 4.