“My style is much more superior” - Bokang Masunyane says he is a better wrestler than Mansur Malachiev

Number two-ranked strawweight contender Bokang Masunyane of South Africa believes his superior wrestling skills give him an advantage over Russia's Mansur Malachiev in their scheduled showdown this week.

'Little Giant' will battle No. 5 contender Malachiev at ONE Fight Night 25: Nicolas vs. Eersel II on Oct. 4 at the famed Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. It is part of the event which will be aired live and for free to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

In an interview with ONE Championship ahead of his showdown with Malachiev, the 30-year-old fighter from Johannesburg talked about his opponent's game, particularly wrestling, a realm in which he believes he has the edge.

Bokang Masunyane said:

"What I truly believe is that our styles of wrestling could kind of cancel each other out because we're similar, but I feel like my style is much more superior. There's much more tools and much more ammo in my wrestling skills. I've also worked on my stand-up skills with tweaks."

Bokang Masunyane is currently riding a two-fight ascent, fortifying his spot as a bonafide contender in the strawweight division, which is now ruled once again by Filipino champion Joshua Pacio.

Malachiev, 32, meanwhile, swung back to the win column in his last match in February, beating Japan's Yosuke Saruta by unanimous decision.

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Bokang Masunyane also banking on his speed and agility for ONE Fight Night 25

Apart from his wrestling, Bokang Masunyane said he is also banking on his speed and agility to get the better of Mansur Malachiev in their scheduled showdown at ONE Fight Night 25 on Oct. 4.

He shared this in an interview with ONE Championship, highlighting how quickness is a facet of his game he is looking to exploit to get the win in what could be a title eliminator against Malachiev.

'Little Giant' said:

"I can always take the fight into the deep end. And I feel my speed and agility is going to play a big factor in winning this fight."

Masunyane has been part of ONE Championship since 2019 and is one of the steady forces in the strawweight division, winning four of five matches to date.