“They bring different strengths” - Joshua Pacio dissects ‘intriguing’ Mansur Malachiev-Bokang Masunyane tie at ONE Fight Night 25
Though they're both accomplished wrestlers, Joshua Pacio believes top-five strawweights Bokang Masunyane and Mansur Malachiev will bring different strengths to the Circle when they square off at ONE Fight Night 25 on Prime Video.
This Friday, ONE Championship returns to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on the heels of an incredible ONE Friday Fights 81 card. This time around, fans will be treated to a highly anticipated rematch as ONE lightweight kickboxing king Alexis Nicolas returns to prove his win over Regian Eersel in April was no fluke.
But first, a high-stakes class in strawweight MMA will go down as Masunyane and Malachiev vie for a potential shot at the division's top prize.
Speaking with Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview, strawweight standout Joshua Pacio offered his take on the evenly-matched scrap between Masunyane and Malachiev, saying:
“It's an intriguing matchup. Both are wrestlers, but they bring different strengths to the table. Bokang, despite his wrestling roots, is a versatile fighter.”
Bokang Masunyane and Mansur Malachiev vie for a shot at ONE Championship gold
Having won four of his last five, Bokang Masunyane has a chance to extend his current unbeaten streak to three following impressive performances against Hiroba Minowa and Keito Yamakita in his last two appearances.
Thus far, 'Little Giant' has only lost to one man under the ONE Championship banner—current interim ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks.
Mansur Malacheiv's momentum was halted after he suffered his first career loss against Joshua Pacio, the reigning undisputed strawweight MMA titleholder, at ONE Fight Night 15. However, he has since bounced back with a big win over Yosuke Saruta in February.
Who gets their hand raised in the Mecca of Muay Thai and takes one step closer towards a shot at 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold?
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.