Tagir Khalilov is about to compete in the biggest fight of his career so far, but he is unconcerned about the challenge ahead. “Samingpri” will square off against Thai superstar Superlek Kiatmoo9 in a flyweight Muay Thai battle in the main event of ONE Fight Night 12: Superlek vs. Khalilov this Friday, July 14, inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. 

The matchup, which goes out live to North American audiences via Prime Video, may appear on paper to be a lot bigger than his original booking against #5-ranked divisional contender Elias Mahmoudi, but the Russian striker believes it will present fewer challenges.

Tagir Khalilov views Elias Mahmoudi as a tougher challenger than Superlek Kiatmoo9

“Superlek is a typical Thai fighter, so his style won’t surprise me because I’ve fought a lot of Thais,” Khalilov told ONE Championship. “I will be more comfortable fighting him than [former flyweight kickboxing king] Elias Mahmoudi. Mahmoudi would have been a more difficult opponent – he’s taller than me and works in a kickboxing style.”

The Samingpri Muay Thai Gym representative has been on a roll in his previous two outings in ONE. He ran over two Thai competitors with a combined 178-win total in Black Panther and Chorfah Tor Sangtiennoi, defeating them both in the first round. He now looks to add a third Thai star – and a big one at that – when he takes on Superlek this Friday.

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But “The Kicking Machine” is on a dominant roll himself. He has won six straight bouts, which includes two World Title matches in flyweight kickboxing, and his last two victories came via knockout.

Tagir Khalilov revealed the blueprint to beat Superlek Kiatmoo9

Just three short weeks ago, Superlek chopped down the towering teenage Muay Thai phenom Nabil Anane in the opening round of their bout at ONE Friday Fights 22.Despite his opponent’s impressive form of late, Khalilov believes he has the right recipe for success against him.

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“In my view, the keys to beating Superlek are definitely good boxing, good footwork, and somewhat of a kickboxing style. I’ll need to deceive him, throw power shots, and punch in combinations,” he said.