"It all came together" - Gurdarshan Mangat on returning to the ONE circle after being out for over a year 

Gurdarshan Mangat has now won seven of his last eight fights following a split-decision victory over Yodkaikaew Fairtex at ONE 158 a week ago. 'Saint Lion' has endured his fair share of adversity since signing with the Singapore-based promotion. Injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic meant he only competed twice since losing to Reece McLaren in December 2019.

With back-to-back wins inside the circle, the Canadian-Indian flyweight is very much back on track, and his win against the Thai was arguably his most impressive yet.

Speaking exclusively to Dylan Bowker, he said:

"It had been a little longer lay-off than I wanted. Everything happens for a reason and it all came together. I thought I was gonna fight in March or April but it ended up being in June. It is what it is but we got the job done."

The 35-year-old was the clear winner despite one judge opting to award the fight to 'Y2K'. Mangat showcased excellent grappling as well as the ability to hang on the feet with an opponent who began his career as a prolific Muay Thai fighter.

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Gurdarshan Mangat doesn't recall front kick

As well as showing his prowess on the ground, the Williams Lake native showed tremendous resilience. After getting rocked with a front kick in the second round, he turning the situation to his advantage.

Looking back on the incident, Gurdarshan Mangat said:

"It was a muscle memory thing because I don't remember any of that. I don't remember going into a double leg takedown. I don't remember ending up on top. I think I woke up and came to my senses when I was in side control on him."

He went on to add:

"It was just autopilot. My body just reacted that way, so it's cool to know your body can just react in certain situations. I didn't know what I was doing!"

With momentum behind him, Gurdarshan Mangat has made it clear that he wants to take on Geje Eustaquio next. After beating Yodkaikaew, he said that the Filipino is the ideal fight for him as both men want it, it's been booked "two, three times now," and the idea of beating the former champion holds massive appeal.