"His most dangerous weapon" - Valmir Da Silva says Hiroyuki Tetsuka's smooth footwork more of a threat than his KO power
ONE welterweight contender Valmir Da Silva has massive respect for his upcoming opponent Hiroyuki Tetsuka, ahead of their contest on April 5 at ONE Fight Night 21, which goes down inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Before they throw hands inside the ring, Da Silva had an interview with ONE Championship recently, where he talked about the biggest strength of Tetsuka that he needs to find a counter on fight night.
The BJJ savant pointed out the Japanese's biggest asset against him and said:
"He's a very skilled striker, an unpredictable guy, and has a lot of weapons in his striking, I'm studying his game, adjusting some things to be able to neutralize his striking. He works a lot on his footwork, and I believe this is his most dangerous weapon in striking."
Valmir Da Silva is looking to bounce back from his defeat at the hands of Isi Fitikefu in April 2023 at ONE Fight Night 9 and get back on track to the winner's circle. Also, he intends to halt the four-fight win streak of Tetsuka and hand him his second loss on the global stage of ONE Championship.
'Junior' made his debut under the world's largest martial arts organization in February 2022 at ONE: Full Circle, where he was rudely welcomed by former ONE welterweight MMA world champion Zebaztian Kadestam with a first-round knockout setback.
The Blacks MMA representative quickly rebounded from that forgettable first bout by submitting Jin Tae Ho in July 2022 at ONE 159.
Hiroyuki Tetsuka braces himself for a grappling-heavy matchup with Valmir Da Silva
This welterweight match between Valmir Da Silva and Tetsuka is another classic battle between a striker and a grappler. This is the reason why both are ramping up their respective all-around MMA skills during this training camp to give them the best possible chance of securing a victory.
The 34-year-old Japanese picked Sumo as his main training in grappling, as he recently posted a video of him training with wrestlers in an effort to improve his takedown defense against Da Silva.
ONE Fight Night 21 is available live and and free for all Prime Video subscribers in North America on April 5.