“I’m going to hit his chin” - Brazilian dynamo Walter Goncalves confident he can stifle Aliff’s dynamic strikes
Walter Goncalves will be aiming for the chin when he meets 21-year-old Thai-Malaysian sensation Aliff Sor Dechapan.
'Iron Hands' will make his return to the Circle at ONE 169 on Friday, November 8, desperately seeking a win after dropping back-to-back bouts against Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Jacob Smith in his last two outings.
Standing in his way will be one of ONE Championship's fastest-rising stars in Aliff—a 58-win veteran with an 80% finish rate under the ONE banner.
As impressive as Aliff has looked since making his promotional debut last year, Goncalves believes he can exploit the Thai's weakness.
“Aliff’s strong points, without a doubt, are his head kicks and flying knees," Goncalves told ONE Championship. "I have to be very careful not to be surprised.
"His weak point is his chin. When he takes a clean blow to the chin, he loses his fighting base a little. And that’s what I’m going to do to him. I’m going to hit his chin to build my victory.”
Aliff seeks his sixth ONE Championship victory against struggling Walter Goncalves
While Walter Goncalves has struggled to see his hand raised inside the Circle, Aliff has been stacking bodies since making his promotional premiere at ONE Friday Fights 13.
Aliff kickstarted his ONE run with four impressive wins, including highlight-reel knockouts against Rittidet Kiatsongrit, Ratchadej Sor Petjumrat, and Peyman Zolfaghari.
He also went toe-to-toe with Yangdam Jitmuangnon in a three-round Muay Thai thriller that ultimately saw Aliff come out on top via unanimous decision.
He did suffer his first setback at ONE Fight Night 23 in July after coming up short on two of the three scorecards in his scrap with Ellis Badr Barboza, but he has since bounced back via a vicious first-round KO against Zakaria El Jamari a month later.
Now, he'll look to start a new win streak when he meets Walter Goncalves as part of a loaded ONE 169 card.
Fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 169: Malykhin vs. ‘Reug Reug’ live on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, November 8 in U.S. primetime.