ONE Friday Fights 67 Will Feature Ranked Flyweight Tagir Khalilov in Muay Thai Main Event

Nakrob Fairtex has laid the foundation for a strong career in ONE Championship. All the Thai star needs is a few wins over ranked opponents. Nakrob is 7-1 with ONE and has picked up three straight wins.

Anyone looking at online boxing news will see that Nakrob will have another substantial opportunity to make an impression against a strong opponent. Tagir Khalilov is the No. 4 ranked flyweight kickboxer in ONE.

Khalilov is no stranger to challenging fights. The Russian has faced some of the top fighters in the promotions, including ONE champions Rodtang Jitmuangon and Superlek Kiatmoo9. Facing that type of competition will make Khalilov harder to beat.

Nakrob has been one of the most active fighters in ONE over the past two years. In 2023, Nakrob competed in seven fights. He has already fought twice so far in 2024. When he last fought in April, Nakrob had to eke out a split decision over Muangthai PK Saenchai.

Nakrob wants to keep pace and stay active as he seeks championship opportunities. With the Russian’s strength of schedule, this will be a strong matchup between both sides.

This card will feature 11 fights, including MMA and Muay Thai contests. Nakrob and Khalilov will look to make the main event memorable.

Co-Main Event Promises Action

Sibsan Nokkhao KorMor11 is in a new place during his Muay Thai career. Sibsan is entering his 136-pound catchweight fight with Paidang Lukjaoporongtom, coming off a loss for the first time in ONE. Previously, Sibsan had reeled off four straight victories after joining the organization.

Sibsan last lost in January. It was a unanimous decision loss to Mardsing Khaolakmuaythai. Paidang already knows what poor results in ONE feel like. Paidang has lost three straight fights, including a knockout loss last time out to Jaosuayai Mor Krungthepthonburi last November.

Paidang has found life in ONE complicated. He is 1-3 overall. This will be a fight in which Sibsan needs to have a strong performance to bounce back. Sibsan is one of those fighters who has been able to develop a good variety of attacks to deploy against their opponents.

Sibsan has proven in his career that he is equally comfortable at fighting from a distance as he is about squaring up in the pocket.

Samingdam in Search of Some Extra Money

Samingdam Looksuanmuaythai has produced plenty of memorable moments since joining ONE. During Samingdam’s knockout win over Javad Bigdeli in April 2023, he earned a bonus check for outstanding performance. During his career in one, Samingdam hasn’t had too many knockout finishes in fights.

Squaring off with Petseekiew Kor Kampanart will be another chance to build his reputation. Anyone looking at the best MMA sites will see that Petseekiew has yet to build on his big reputation. This will be an intriguing matchup of styles to see which man can get a leg up.

Russian Fighter Ready for Debut

Idris Abdurashidov showed plenty of power while he was fighting on the regional scene. The Russian bantamweight fighter will now see how that finishing touch will transition to the next level. Anyone looking at MMAfighting latest news will see that he will now have a chance to test himself against an opponent with more experience.

Kazakbai Tilenov is 6-1 but has spent much more time working on his grappling prowess. Four of Tilenov’s wins have come by decision. However, when Tilenov made his debut in ONE, he showed that he is capable of knocking people out as well.

Tilenov won his debut with a third-round knockout of Ivan Parshikov last February. Abdurashidov is hoping that his background in combat sambo will help give him an edge as he reaches the top of the organization.

Kongklai Would Like to be a Rude Host

Kongklai Sor Sommai won’t want to give any ground to his opponent Otis Waghorn when they meet in a 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle. Kongklai hasn’t had a strong run in ONE.

He is coming off back-to-back knockout losses. While Kongklai has knocked out two of his other opponents, while he has compiled a 2-4 record overall in the organization. Waghorn, who is one of the top strikers in Great Britain, is a WKO K-1 champion and also became a WBC Muay Thai national champion.

Those credentials look good on paper but will look different when fighting in front of passionate Muay Thai fans in Thailand.

Ngoc Luong Tran Ready for Step Up

Ngoc Luong Tran is ready to see where he can measure up in ONE’s flyweight MMA division. Tran is 4-0 in his career and hasn’t demonstrated much power in his hands yet.  Two of Tran’s victories came via submission. 

He has yet to win a fight by knockout. Tran’s challenger this weekend will be Japanese fighter Kaito Oda. Oda has one fight under his belt in ONE. He won his debut fight over Cooper Royal by decision. 

Copter Ready for Next Challenger

Debuting in a new promotion is never easy for any fighter. Winning over the crowd is one pressure that any fighter can face. But Muay Thai fighter Copter Sor Sommai will face the pressure of trying to bounce back from a loss in his promotional debut.

Copter was knocked out by Takuma Ota in the second round this past April. Copter will take on Kiriluang Chor Hapayak in a strawweight Muay Thai fighter. There isn’t a lot of information available about Kiriluang on the internet.

Here’s a look at the rest of the fights on the card that aren’t listed above:

• Muay Thai (118-pound catchweight), Paeyim Sor Boonmeerit vs. Petporwarit Sor Sommai 
• Muay Thai (118-pound catchweight), Tonglampoon FA Group vs. Prakaypetlek EminentAir
• Muay Thai (141-pound catchweight), Moe Htet Aung vs. Kazuki Yamagishi
• Muay Thai (116-pound catchweight), Nguyen Van Thanh vs. Haruyuki Tanitsu
• MMA (117-pound catchweight) Saorattana Sitkrujeab vs. Koko Ohara

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.

By Dean McHugh.