“I'm top five caliber” - Eddie Abasolo has a point to prove against Mohamed Younes Rabah at ONE 169

Despite some struggles with getting his hand raised, Eddie Abasolo remains confident that he's a top-five caliber fighter. He'll look to prove it when he returns to martial arts' biggest global stage on Friday, Nov. 8.

Emanating from the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, ONE 169 will feature a loaded lineup punctuated by four massive ONE world title fights, including the highly anticipated showdown between three-division king Anatoly Malykhin who put his ONE heavyweight MMA world championship on the line against Senegalese sensation Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane.

Also on tap for the evening will be the return of American standout Eddie Abasolo who will look to snap a two-fight skid against 14-win veteran Mohamed Younes Rabah.

Previewing his clash with Rabah on the 4oz to Freedom podcast, 'Silky Smooth' said he still believes he is a legitimate contender—it's just a matter of coming up on the ride side of the scorecards:

"So it's like I'm top five caliber, it's just I ain't been getting the decisions lately. That's what's been stifling me from climbing up the ladder."

---

Eddie Abasolo is getting used to fighting larger opponents

Since making his promotional debut in May 2022, Abasolo has looked nothing short of sharp inside the Circle despite his lack of wins.

Thus far, he has lost three of his four appearances under the ONE banner, his most recent being a close split decision loss to Dubuque, Iowa native Luke Lessei at ONE Fight Night 19 in February.

It'll be a tough test for Abasolo at ONE 169 when he faces yet another opponent who carries a significant size advantage over the 38-year-old fan favorite. Of course, that's nothing Abasolo isn't used to by now.

On being asked about the size difference between himself and Rabah, Abasolo said:

"I'm just getting used to it by now. I remember when I first stood against Liam Nolan, I was like looking up at him on the face off and I'm like, 'Jesus Christ, this man is huge!'"

Fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 169: Malykhin vs. ‘Reug Reug’ live on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Nov. 8 in U.S. primetime.