Mansur Malachiev certain he’ll have Jarred Brooks’ number if they lock horns for ONE gold: “I can beat Brooks”

Mansur Malachiev is confident he'll have Jarred Brooks' number when the two strawweight stars inevitably collide.

Before that hypothetical matchup gets underway, the Russian standout will have to get through a tough test this Friday night when he meets second-ranked strawweight contender Bokang Masunyane in what could very well be a title eliminator.

Malachiev vs. Masunyane will feature as part of a stacked ONE Fight Night 25 card, which airs live and exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada.

Thus far, Malachiev has found great success inside the Circle, earning wins over Jeremy Miado and Yosuke Saruta. However, he did suffer a setback against current undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio when the two fought at ONE Fight Night 15 last year.

Still, Mansur Malachiev is holding strong as the division's fifth-ranked contender and believes a win over Masunyane on Oct. 4 will put him on a collision course with 'The Monkey God.'

"I’m sure that I’ve got some advantages and when we fight, I’ll be better," Malachiev told ONE Championship when asked about a potential fight with Jarred Brooks. "I can beat Brooks. I’m sure it will be a very entertaining fight for the fans.”

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Bokang Masunyane wants a title fight with a win over Mansur Malachiev at ONE Fight Night 25

Of course, it would be foolish of Mansur Malachiev to look past the task at hand.

With wins over Ryuto Sawada, Rene Catalan, Hiroba Minowa, and Keito Yamakita, Bokang Masunyane has been working his way toward and ONE world title fight for some time. Now the second-ranked contender in the division, a win over Malachiev should give him the push he needs to finally get there.

"For me, after this fight, the only fight that will matter is getting the title shot," Masunyane told ONE. "That’s what I’ve been wanting for the last four years. I’m super motivated for this fight, going out on my shield. This is one of the hardest training camps I’ve done.

He added:

"Mentally, I’m in a great space. I just can’t wait to showcase my skills. It’s going to be incredible. This fight is for my fans, this fight is for my country, and this fight is for Africa."

ONE Fight Night 25 will air live via Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada on Friday, Oct. 4 in U.S. primetime.