Bokang Masunyane admits he’s had to rejig his style for tricky Mansur Malachiev test at ONE Fight Night 25

Bokang Masunyane is putting in the world to prepare himself for a tough matchup with Russian standout Mansur Malachiev.

Carrying a two-fight win streak and on the cusp of a shot at the ONE strawweight MMA world champion, Masunyane is leaving no stone unturned as he marches toward one of the biggest fights of his mixed martial arts career.

This Friday, 'Little Giant' will meet Malachiev in a potential world title eliminator as part of a loaded ONE Fight Night 25 card airing live on Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada.

Knowing how dangerous Malachiev is—particularly on the ground—Masunyane has worked to adjust his style in hopes of seeing his hand raised inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Speaking to ONE, Masunyane said:

"I had to go out and study how he attacks the neck and how he works on the weaknesses of other fighters, so I was able to look at the fight and adjust my style in order to be able to beat him, whether it’s on the ground or on the feet".

---

A win at ONE Fight Night 25 could score Bokang Masunyane a rematch with 'The Monkey God'

Since making his promotional debut, Bokang Masunyane has won four out of five fights—his lone loss coming against interim ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks.

With a win over Malachiev at ONE Fight Night 25, 'Little Giant' could very well find himself running it back with 'The Monkey God' in 2025. Looking back on his loss against Brooks in 2022, Masunyane said:

"It was my only loss and I had to go back home, fix a lot of stuff, and make sure that I was mentally and physically prepared. I felt like the weight cut played a role, so I made changes to that and to my diet and everything, so leading up to the other fights it was much easier for me."

Before Masunyane can think about a potential rematch with Brooks, he'll have to get past a well-rounded who has already proven himself worthy of title contention via wins over Filipino fan favorite Jeremy Miado and former ONE strawweight MMA world titleholder Yosuke Saruta.

Who leaves The Land of Smiles with their hand raised and gets one step closer to a shot at 26 pounds of undisputed gold?

ONE Fight Night 25 will air live via Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada on Friday, Oct. 4 in U.S. primetime.