Danial Williams talks about fighting his ‘friend’ Rui Botelho

If Danial Williams has his way, Rui Botelho is not someone he’d like to trade punches with.

The fifth-ranked strawweight Muay Thai contender recently made this admission, ahead of his bout with the Portuguese slugger at ONE Fight Night 8: Superlek vs Rodtang on Prime Video.

This Friday, March 24, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, ‘Mini T’ marks his return to Muay Thai after going 3-1 in mixed martial arts bouts inside the Circle.

While lacing up the 4-oz. gloves for an all-striking war is a pleasure for Williams, duking it out against someone he considers a friend brings out mixed feelings for him.

The Australian told ONE Championship:

“It is a bit awkward. Hey, but that's just the Muay Thai game. I swear, everyone's friends in Muay Thai. I fought a lot of friends in Muay Thai, and it will be massive respect after, and we're both in the same position. So whoever's in front of you is in the way of your goal. You must treat them like they're trying to take everything away from you. So you can't be too friendly with them coming into the fight or even thinking about stuff like that. But after, of course, yeah. Massive respect and everything.”

A fan-favorite on and off the Circle, Williams is considered one of the nicest guys in the promotion. The Kao Sok Muay Thai and Scrappy MMA standout has gotten to know Botelho during their years on the Muay Thai circuit.

Still, it won’t stop Williams from doing everything he can to get his hand raised on ONE Fight Night 8, saying:

“But now it's just like, he is trying to take everything away from me. So for me, it's like he's stopping food being put on my table. That's a massive deal. It doesn't matter who it is. I know we're watching each other on Instagram. We kind of know what we're both up to.”

Plus, Williams knows Botelho will also look to tear his head off once the bell rings:

“He's going to be hungry as well. So it doesn't really matter. But yeah, it can be a little bit strange, and sometimes you think, man, I'd rather have an opponent that's just abusive, and it just makes it easier. But, like what I said, he's trying to stop putting food on my table, so it's a massive deal.”

ONE Fight Night 8: Superlek vs. Rodtang will air live on US Primetime and is free for all existing Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.