Dmitrii Kovtun says he “focused on defensive drills” in his preparation for forward-pressing Soe Lin Oo at ONE Fight Night 29

Dmitrii Kovtun won't force himself on the gas pedal when he takes on the marauding Soe Lin Oo in Bangkok.

The calculated Russian striker will face off against Soe Lin Oo in a pivotal 147.25-pound catchweight Muay Thai match at ONE Fight Night 29 on Friday, US primetime, at the historic Lumpinee Stadium.

Ahead of his next appearance in the ONE Championship ring, Kovtun told the promotion that he plans to employ a defensive-heavy game plan to counter Soe Lin Oo's explosive offense.

Dmitrii Kovtun said:

"I followed the same preparation plan for Soe Lin Oo as I did for Suablack [Tor Pran49]. I focused on defensive drills and maintaining distance."

Kovtun used a similar game plan when he faced off against Suablack and the Thai star's offense-centric style at ONE Fight Night 27 in January this year.

'Silent Assassin' worked mostly on his counter and baited Suablack into carefully-laden traps throughout the three-round match, a fight he won via unanimous decision.

Although he doesn't charge recklessly at his opponents, Kovtun is cerebral with his strikes. That methodical style saw him put Suablack down with a textbook elbow shot in their earlier matchup.

Kovtun has yet to crack the top five of the bantamweight Muay Thai rankings and he's confident a victory over Soe Lin Oo would give him enough of an argument to get closer to the table.

Soe Lin Oo, however, is no easy opponent.

The Burmese striker is one of the toughest fighters in the ONE Championship roster, and he started his promotional run at a blistering three-fight winning streak against Masayoshi Tsuhashi, Fabio Reis, and multi-time Lumpinee Stadium Pongsiri PK Saenchai.

ONE Fight Night 29 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

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Dmitrii Kovtun plans to frustrate Soe Lin Oo at ONE Fight Night 29

Dmitrii Kovtun knows his methodical approach to fighting would be key in disrupting Soe Lin Oo's rampaging style when they face off at ONE Fight Night 29.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Kovtun said he's got his plans all laid out in his attempt to counter whatever Soe Lin Oo throws at him in Bangkok.

"I'll read the fight as it unfolds. But in the clinch, I can make it a problem for him with elbows and knees."