"I don't forget about striking technique" - Dagestani wrestler Mansur Malachiev says he can handle himself on the feet
Mansur Malachiev has proven himself to be a real problem for the other strawweight MMA contenders in the division.
Though he's confident of competing in all ranges, his wrestling background is going to be difficult for a lot of fighters to deal with.
His only loss under the ONE Championship banner came to the current world champion Joshua Pacio who was able to keep the fight standing.
On his return at ONE Fight Night 25, he faces a fellow wrestling specialist in South Africa's Bokang Masunyane.
Though Masunyane believes that using his overall skill set will be the key for him in this contest, Malachiev isn't afraid to strike either.
In a recent interview with ONE Championship, the Russian contender spoke about how he spends his training camps:
"I always train in Dagestan in my home club, Universal Fighter. I mainly focus on wrestling, but I don't forget about striking technique - we compete in MMA."
Mansur Malachiev may need his striking to prevail over Bokang Masunyane
In order for Mansur Malachiev to get his hand raised on Oct. 4, he may need to showcase some of his striking skills.
It's going to be hard to outgrapple a fellow wrestler like Bokang Masunyane without offering any threat other than the takedown.
You will often see in mixed martial arts that when two grapplers face off with one another, they cancel each other out, and a best kickboxer wins the contest.
If this is going to happen at ONE Fight Night 25, we will truly see the capability of Malachiev when it comes to striking.
His confidence shouldn't stop him from engaging in this but the same can be said for his opponent.
ONE Fight Night 25 will air live in US Primetime free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in North America.