Striking star Edgar Tabares had a forgettable debut in ONE Championship against Thai juggernaut Rodtang Jitmuangnon earlier this year, but he’s ready to move on and take advantage of a massive opportunity in his upcoming fight. The Mexican sensation is set to make his sophomore appearance at ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs. Grigorian on Friday, August 4.

This time out, he’ll meet exciting striking talent Elias Mahmoudi in flyweight Muay Thai action inside the iconic halls of the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Like any Muay Thai practitioner, Tabares sees it as a great honor to compete in what is widely known as “The Mecca of Muay Thai.”

Edgar Tabares will be fulfilling three dreams at once with his ONE Fight Night 13 bout

“When I was called for the fight, and they told me I’d be fighting in Lumpinee, I jumped and screamed. I talked to my wife and told her I was going to fight in Lumpinee,” he told ONE. “In that moment, I accomplished three dreams – fighting in ONE, fighting in Thailand, and fighting in Lumpinee. I’m fulfilling these three dreams in ONE.”

The WBC Muay Thai International Champion already crossed one of those three dreams off his list this past May when he went toe to toe with ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE Fight Night 10.

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Unfortunately, the power of “The Iron Man” was too much for him that evening, and he failed to answer the count after eating an elbow in the second round. Tabares believes he has plenty more to offer than what was seen in his debut performance, however, and he’ll look to prove that he belongs on the global stage by taking home a win against Mahmoudi on August 4.

Edgar Tabares wanted to take one step at a time and then go for the title

“I just want to get the respect of (ONE Chairman and CEO) Chatri [Sityodtong] and show him that I deserve to fight for gold. I know that I’m new to ONE, but I’m not focused on how many wins [I can get]. I’m focused on this fight,” he said.

“This fight is my goal, and after this fight, I’m going to think about the next fight. I’m going to move in that way because I don’t want to focus on this fight thinking about the belt again. My focus is on this fight, on this moment.”

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ONE Fight Night 13 will be broadcast live and free on Prime Video for fans across North America with an Amazon subscription.