Ecuadorian star Aaron “Tommy Gun” Canarte is confident that he’ll bounce back to the win column when he collides with #5-ranked featherweight MMA contender Shamil “The Cobra” Gasanov at ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart on Prime Video.

That bout will go down live in U.S. primetime this Friday, August 2 at the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Well, ahead of his clash, let’s have a look at what the Ecuadorian star is thinking about.

Aaron Canarte bounces back with renewed confidence

Widely regarded as one of the top MMA talents to come out of South America in recent years, Canarte arrived at the world’s largest martial arts organization with a pristine 10-0 professional record and plenty of well-deserved hype behind him.

However, in his promotional debut last July at ONE Fight Night 12, he suffered a stunning knockout loss against fellow undefeated phenom Akbar “Bakal” Abdullaev.

Of course, no fighter ever wants to lose, but “Tommy Gun” is now able to look back on that loss with a positive outlook. He says that tasting defeat has removed the never-ending pressure to remain undefeated.

As a result, he feels more confident than ever ahead of his pivotal showdown with Gasanov.

“Now that my perfect record is gone, I know how it feels to lose and feel like I have less pressure on me. I think this fight will be different because I have a lot of confidence in myself, and I’m going to come forward. I’m bringing my all against Shamil Gasanov and winning this fight.”

Canarte’s determination to overcome adversity

Although he’s in high spirits before his return at ONE Fight Night 24, the 27-year-old admits that he initially struggled to handle his first career loss, taking weeks off of training to rest and reset.

Given his elite talent and lofty expectations surrounding him, though, it’s no surprise that Canarte has picked himself back up and is now ready to restart his climb toward featherweight MMA gold. That climb will begin with the submission-savvy Gasanov.

“Tommy Gun” added: “It was a bit difficult because of the way that I lost and because I lost my perfect record. I didn’t want to return to training, and I took some time to rest. But after that, I told myself that I have to continue moving forward. I reminded myself that this sport is difficult and that even the greats have lost. I knew I had to move forward and continue improving.”