3 keys to victory for Jamal Yusupov against Tawanchai

No.2-ranked ONE featherweight Muay Thai contender Jamal Yusupov is hellbent on ending the Tawanchai PK.Saenchai era before it even begins.

‘Yeniceri’ will be seeking to unseat the 23-year-old phenom from the ONE featherweight Muay Thai throne at ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs Andrade II on Prime Video on February 24.

The stacked card, which will be broadcast for free to all Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada, will mark Tawanchai’s return to the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Yusupov, however, fully plans to spoil the Thai hero’s homecoming and make it his own coronation night. After three impressive performances inside the circle, the Turkish-Russian earned the opportunity to challenge Tawanchai in his first world title defense.

Tawanchai undoubtedly enters this match as the clear favorite, but the 39-year-old challenger won’t be a walk in the park.

Let’s have a look at what Jamal Yusupov needs to do to pull off an upset victory against the mighty Tawanchai at ONE Fight Night 7.

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#3. Jamal Yusupov must pick his shots and not engage early

Yusupov understands that he’s facing a prodigal talent and must be wary of the world champion throughout all five rounds.

Tawanchai showcased incredible mettle by going the distance in his gold-winning performance against Petchmorakot Petchyindee at ONE 161 last year. However, it’s also evident that the Thai wrecking machine is the most dangerous in the early rounds.

The PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym superstar loves to come out aggressive off the bat and sets the tone with his lethal kicks. Those who get baited and trade leather early often pay a hefty price – just like Saemapetch Fairtex.

Back at ONE: Heavy Hitters last year, Tawanchai blitzed his fellow Thai in less than a round with a vicious left cross. The same happened to Niclas Larsen at ONE 158, when he kept up with Tawanchai’s pace early on and got smoked with another laser left hook in round two.

As tempting as it is to take it to the champ once the bell rings, Yusupov’s best course of action is to counterstrike and get a feel of the Thai sensation’s rhythm in the early rounds.

Once he gets a read of Tawanchai’s attacks, that’s the perfect time to mount his own offense and put the 23-year-old on the defensive.

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#2. Jamal Yusupov must close the distance and avoid Tawanchai’s kicking range

We’ve seen Tawanchai demolish opponents with those lightning-fast hands of his, which he sets up with his impeccable kicking game.

The 23-year-old is a master at gaging distance with chopping kicks to the legs and body. Those heavy blows take a toll as the fight progresses, especially in a five-round affair.

Once his opponents’ movements are compromised by those kicks, Tawanchai lets his hands go and peppers them with damaging punch combinations. Yusupov also has an impressive kicking repertoire, but trading shot-for-shot with the lanky Tawanchai in his range won’t bode well for him.

The Hyperion Fighters standout can mitigate this aspect of Tawanchai’s game by dirtying up the fight in the clinch. From there, Jamal Yusupov has an array of tools at his disposal, from his slicing elbows to piercing knees.

Closing the gap between him and Tawanchai would also disrupt the Thai’s rhythm and could potentially even slow him down in championship rounds.

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#1. Jamal Yusupov must chain his combinations to set up his left hand

Much has been said about Tawanchai’s stopping power, but Yusupov also packs a mean left punch. ‘Yeniceri’ introduced himself big time to the ONE audience back in ONE: Age of Dragons against Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex.

The southpaw striker pieced him up with a textbook two-punch combination followed by his signature left hand of doom.

Relive Jamal Yusupov’s stunning promotional debut, here:

That frightening power was once again on full display in his decisive wins over Samy Sana and Jo Nattawut. Yusupov can knock out anyone – even the elusive Tawanchai – with that devastating left-hand missile.

However, as tempting as it is to go for the one-shot kill, Yusupov can’t bank on a single hail mary to get the job done.

Tawanchai is a cerebral fighter, who likely already has a game plan to evade the challenger’s best weapon. ‘Yeniceri’ can set this killing blow in motion by chaining it on the tail-end of his punch and kick combinations.

Yusupov does have the elite striking pedigree to do so. He can even take a page out of the newly crowned ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Chingiz Allazov and apply the same game plan as when he dethroned Superbon Singha Mawynn.

If Jamal Yusupov can stick to his three keys to victory, don’t be surprised if we crown a new featherweight Muay Thai world champion at ONE Fight Night 7.