“The goal is definitely to finish the fight” - Bokang Masunyane aims for an early night out vs. Mansur Malachiev
Bokang Masunyane will be looking to deliver something spectacular in his return to the Circle on Friday night.
Emanating from the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, ONE Championship will present ONE Fight Night 25 live on Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada. In the main event of the evening, one of the biggest rematches of 2024 goes down as reigning ONE lightweight kickboxing world champion Alexis Nicolas puts his title on the line against the very man he took it from six months ago—Regian 'The Immortal' Eersel.
But first, fight fans will see a high-stakes strawweight scrap as second-ranked contender Bokang Masunyane looks to fend off rising star Mansur Malachiev in a fight that could deliver the division's next title challenger.
Hoping to give fans inside the Mecca of Muay Thai and those watching around the world something to remember, Masunyane confirmed that he'll be looking to finish Malachiev—one way or another. He told ONE Championship:
"The goal is definitely to finish the fight, I think it’s better for the fans, also ONE Championship has a very high rate of finishing fights and that’s what I want to do."
Bokang Masunyane is on the verge of a ONE world title opportunity
Masunyane goes into ONE Fight Night 25 with a solid 10-1 record in mixed martial arts, with five of those wins coming inside the Circle.
He kickstarted his promotional campaign with back-to-back wins against Ryuto Sawada and Rene Catalan but saw his streak snapped during his April 2022 meeting with interim ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred 'The Monkey God' Brooks.
Since then, 'Little Giant' has bounced back with a pair of big wins over Hiroba Minowa and Keito Yamakita, putting him right back into title contention.
If he can score a win over Malachiev, there will be no denying that Bokang Masunyane is the next man in line for a shot at strawweight MMA gold—once Jarred Brooks and undisputed titleholder Joshua Pacio settle some business first.
ONE Fight Night 25 will air live via Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada on Friday, October 4 in U.S. primetime.