ONE Fight Night 22: Dmitry Menshikov believes his "willingness" to fight propelled him to late KO of Sinsamut
ONE Fight Night 22 showed the incredible toughness and tenacity that Dmitry Menshikov brings to the table in ONE Championship. The Russian competitor has put together an impressive win streak ever since coming up short on his ONE debut.
Menshikov may have been stopped by Regian Eersel, but since then, the lightweight Muay Thai contender has shown himself to be far better than he showed on that night. In his high-stakes match-up with former title challenger Sinsamut Klinmee this past weekend, he was rewarded for his patience and determination.
Arguably two rounds down going into the third and final round, Menshikov kept his composure and after hurting his opponent, was able to find the finish to secure a huge comeback victory inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
In his post-event press conference, the Russian contender spoke about how his mentality was crucial in this fight:
"You know, like I could finish the fight early, I could have finished with a knockout [earlier]. But I think, thanks to my willingness to fight, to win, I was going to win. I was thinking about the win, I was going to do everything."
Dmitry Menshikov answers some vital questions against Sinsamut
His last wins have been impressive finishes but there was a clear difference this time around with Dmitry Menshikov. The fight wasn't going his way in the opening two rounds and Sinsamut appeared to be settling into a groove that would be hard to break him out of.
What Dmitry Menshikov proved on May 3 is that he doesn't always need to be the one in front to pull ahead when it matters most. His finishing ability has been on show in this winning streak but this was the best example of how he cannot afford to be counted out.
North American viewers with an active subscription can rewatch all the action from ONE Fight Night 22 via the free event replay on Prime Video.