Elias Mahmoudi is looking to string together some wins in ONE Championship, starting with his outing this weekend. At ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart this Friday, August 2, the Algerian striker is set to face Taiki “The Silent Sniper” Naito in a flyweight kickboxing bout inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Mahmoudi earned the chance to challenge “The Kicking Machine” Superlek Kiatmoo9 for the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship after he bested WBC Muay Thai International Champion Edgar Tabares at ONE Fight Night 13 in August last year.

Elias Mahmoudi reflects on injury setback

It was to be his second attempt at the divisional gold, but injury forced him to withdraw mere days before their match at ONE 165. As a result, Superlek went on to defend his belt against Japanese star Takeru Segawa, whose scheduled fight with Rodtang was also scrapped following an injury to the Thai star.

In an interview with ONE, Mahmoudi discussed his disappointment with having to pull out and explained how his upcoming battle will help him get back on track in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

“Life is like this. It was not destined despite my desire to fight for this title. For the rest, I took the time to recover well. I am at 100 percent of my abilities,” he said.

“I wanted a kickboxing fight for my recovery from the injury to my right hand during my fight against Tabares.”  

Mahmoudi eyes comeback and future Muay Thai showdown

Mahmoudi’s return fight will not be an easy one, as he’ll be up against the #3-ranked contender in the flyweight kickboxing division. “The Silent Sniper” has struggled to put wins together lately in ONE Championship, but he scored five in his first six bouts in the promotion when he debuted in 2019.

Since then, the Japanese star has alternated between wins and losses, and he’ll be looking to bounce back from a tough defeat to Dedduanglek Wangkongoh MBK in his last outing at ONE Fight Night 21 this past April.

However, Mahmoudi is determined to reassert himself in ONE’s striking ranks, and he hopes to do so in kickboxing this weekend. After that, he plans to shift his focus to the ‘art of eight limbs.’

“After this fight, I would like to fight in Muay Thai against Denis Puric so when I win, I can have a chance to face Rodtang Jitmuangnon for the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title. But that does not depend on me. It is the organization who has the last word,” he said.