“Win the hearts of the crowd” - Eddie Abasolo says his goal is to entertain regardless of the fight outcome
Win or lose, Eddie Abasolo also aims to put on a show.
'Silky Smooth' will look to do it again when he returns to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, for a showdown with Algerian standout Mohamed Younes Rabah at ONE 169 on Friday, November 8.
It will be Abasolo's fifth time competing under the ONE Championship banner, and while he's struggled to see his hand raised in his previous appearances, the American fan favorite has established a reputation for being one of Muay Thai's most exciting scrappers.
"When I go in there, obviously, I leave it all out there and I win the hearts of the crowd," Abasolo told Cageside Press in a recent interview. "That’s the main thing."
Unfortunately, Abasolo's balls-to-the-wall style of fighting hasn't generated very many wins on martial arts' biggest global stage. Thus far, 'Silky Smooth' is a paltry 1-3 inside the Circle, his lone victory coming against Niclas Larsen at ONE Fight Night 8 more than two years ago.
He'll look to change his fortune, but that will be no easy task when he meets a fighter fresh off his first career loss.
Mohamed Younes Rabah goes into fight with Eddie Abasolo on the heels of his first career defeat
Squaring off with Eddie Abasolo at ONE 169 will be Mohamed Younes Rabah, a 27-year-old knockout artist looking to bounce back after seeing his undefeated streak snapped at the hands of Thai legend Saemapetch Fairtex at ONE Fight Night 19 in February.
It will be Rabah's first time competing in the featherweight division after making his first two promotional appearances as a bantamweight.
Offering some insight into why he chose to move up a weight class, Rabah told ONE Championship:
"I wasn’t enjoying my camp last time. I was eating less and training hard. Then I lost all my power."
Who leaves the Mecca of Muay Thai with their hand raised?
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.