Mohamed Younes Rabah replaces Felipe Lobo, ONE debut vs Saemapetch at ONE Fight Night 17

Just days out from ONE Fight Night 17, there’s a big change to the card with Felipe Lobo withdrawing from his contest with Saemapetch Fairtex.

In his place, undefeated striker Mohamed Younes Rabah will step in on short notice to make his ONE Championship debut with a huge opportunity in front of him.

Lobo and the Thai striker were set to run back their fight from earlier this year at ONE Fight Night 9 where the Brazilian emerged victorious.

As the No.2 and No.3-ranked competitors in the bantamweight Muay Thai division, this was shaping up to be a huge fight for both men.

Both have been chasing fights with the world champion Jonathan Haggerty, but it looks like Lobo’s chance to move closer up to the pinnacle of the division will have to wait a little bit longer as he is unable to compete on December 8.

The show must go on, though, and Mohamed Younes Rabah and Saemapetch will undoubtedly produce an epic contest before two behemoths collide in the main event of the all-striking bill this Friday inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

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Mohamed Younes Rabah now has a great opportunity to face Saemapetch Fairtex

After suffering his defeat to Lobo at ONE Fight Night 9, Saemapetch bounced back with an impressive victory at ONE Friday Fights 30 to reestablish himself as a legitimate contender.

Meanwhile, 26-year-old Mohamed Younes Rabah has built up a record of 13-0 competing in the Middle Eastern scene in both kickboxing and Muay Thai. Coming in at 6-foot-2, he is sure to cause some unique problems for some of the contenders in the division.

Taking out the No.3-ranked contender in the bantamweight Muay Thai division on his debut would be a huge upset that could massively shake up the division heading into the new year.

ONE Fight Night 17 will air live and free in U.S. primetime for North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.