5 Things To Know About Timur Chuikov Before His Debut At ONE Fight Night 19
Timur Chuikov has the biggest fight of his life coming up in U.S. primetime on Friday, February 16.
The 21-year-old rising star will make his ONE Championship debut against Thongpoon PK Saenchai at ONE Fight Night 19: Haggerty vs. Lobo on Prime Video, and he has all the skills to make an immediate impression.
Adding to the opportunity, Chuikov will be facing a highly regarded opponent in his first big-league appearance at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Before that strawweight Muay Thai battle opens the show, here are five things to know about the talented Tiger Muay Thai product.
#1 He’s From A Small Village In Kyrgyzstan
Competing in front of a global audience on Amazon’s Prime Video platform is a world away from the small Kyrgyzstan village where Chuikov grew up.
The young striker was raised in Ak-Beket in the country’s northern Chuy region. After losing his parents at an early age, he was brought up by his grandmother in a village that had a population of just over 1,000 people.
Despite its small size, there was a gym where Chuikov was able to start his training before he moved to a bigger city for university.
#2 He’s Won Gold At Different Levels
Chuikov has experienced success in Muay Thai as both an amateur and a professional.
As a teenager, he won regional and national titles in his native Kyrgyzstan, and after moving to Thailand to train full-time, he got his first taste of success in the pro ranks by winning a belt at Phuket’s Bangla Stadium, close to where he trains.
However, Chuikov now has much bigger ambitions, starting with his debut against Thongpoon in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
#3 He Earned A Scholarship At Tiger Muay Thai’s Famed Tryouts
Chuikov began training at Nova Uniao Phuket when he first decided to stay in Thailand to further his career, but in June 2023, he took his next big step.
The Kyrgyz striker earned his spot on one of the world’s most elite teams when he won a scholarship via the Tiger Muay Thai fight team tryouts.
Notoriously tough, only a select few make the cut from these grueling tests of physical and mental fortitude – and Chuikov was one of them.
#4 He Has Elite Training Partners
Fighting is a solo sport but a team effort, and Chuikov can count many world-class athletes among his day-to-day training partners.
Along with Felipe “Demolition Man” Lobo – who will challenge for the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title on the same card at ONE Fight Night 19 – Chuikov hones his craft alongside the likes of Mavlud Tupiev, Alexey Balyko, and Abdallah Ondash.
#5 His Coaches Have Produced ONE World Champions
Chuikov has access to coaches who have proven their ability to take their athletes to ONE gold.
The Ak-Beket native works closely with Tiger Muay Thai head boxing coach John Hutchinson, who rose to fame alongside two-division ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin.
As well as Malykhin, both Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade and Tang Kai have worked their way to ONE World Titles while training at the famous Phuket stable.
