"From orphan to ONE strawweight MMA star" - Bokang Masunyane's inspiring journey to become one of the world's elite fighters

Many of the best fighters in the world have experienced hardships on their road to greatness. Such was the story of ONE strawweight MMA star Bokang Masunyane.

Ahead of his strawweight MMA showdown against Mansur Malachiev at ONE Fight Night 25 on Friday, Oct. 4, inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, ONE Championship recounted Masunyane's incredible story on Instagram with the accompanying caption:

"'Little Giant' rises above the odds 🙏 Will Bokang Masunyane come out on TOP against Mansur Malachiev this week at ONE Fight Night 25 on @primevideo? @littlegiant_bk"

Masunyane's undefeated run in the regional scene caught the eye of ONE Championship management. In December 2019, he made his promotional debut against Japanese star Ryuto Sawada, whom Masunyane defeated via unanimous decision.

After knocking out Filipino veteran Rene Catalan in December of the following year, 'Little Giant' went toe-to-toe with Jarred Brooks in April 2022 but unfortunately lost via submission late in the first round.

The Coach Quan University product bounced back with solid decision wins over Hiroba Minowa and Keito Yamakita in April 2023 and this past January, respectively.

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Bokang Masunyane switches up tactics ahead of Mansur Malachiev matchup

Fighting Mansur Malachiev presents Bokang Masunyane with a unique problem as they both lean heavily on their wrestling abilities to overwhelm their opponents.

Speaking with ONE Championship, the second-ranked ONE strawweight MMA competitor shared how he plans to counter the Russian star's ground game at ONE Fight Night 25:

"I'm going to be able to use my striking more and look for a finish there if the wrestling cancels each other out."

ONE Fight Night 25 will air live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.