Dedduanglek And Nakrob Share Thoughts On High-Stakes Rematch At ONE Fight Night 24
Dedduanglek Wankhongohm MBK and Nakrob Fairtex will duke it out in a fascinating flyweight Muay Thai rematch at ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart on Prime Video.
The pair first met at ONE Friday Fights 41 last November, but their second battle will air live in U.S. primetime this Friday, August 2 from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Both men have amassed solid records in ONE to date, with the only blemish on #4-ranked flyweight Dedduanglek’s 5-1 slate coming via third-round TKO to Nakrob – who stands at 8-1.
The Wankhongohm MBK athlete struggled psychologically after that defeat, but he managed to take the lessons from it and returned to his winning ways against Taiki Naito in April.
The Thai athlete told onefc.com:
“I only lost once in ONE and that was to Nakrob. I knew that fighting against him was going to be a tough job for me. He’s a very strong fighter. It was difficult.
“I had no pressure at all. I came out boldly. And I had confidence after I beat Kongsuk [Fairtex], so I got cocky. Then I got careless and I lost.
“After that, I came back to learn how I was defeated and used that information to improve myself. I learned that I had to practice more and be more diligent than before. The important thing was not to be careless.”
For his part, Nakrob was thrilled with the late stoppage over his compatriot, but that doesn’t mean he is taking Dedduanglek any less seriously before they exchange leather again in Bangkok.
Despite the victory, the Fairtex fighter saw some of his own weaknesses in their first contest and expects his old foe to be stronger and hungrier in the rematch.
“He fought really well in the first round. But in the second round, he made a mistake and got countered by my punch, which swung the momentum of the game to me. Then I knocked him out in the final round.
“Even though I won by knockout that day, when I looked back to the game, I found that I had to improve my defense I still lack. I can’t let my guard loose again in this fight because he will definitely be better than before.”
Dedduanglek And Nakrob Both Working Hard For Rematch Victory
Dedduanglek Wankhongohm MBK rebounded from his loss to Nakrob Fairtex with his biggest ONE win to date over Taiki Naito, earning himself the #4 spot in the flyweight Muay Thai rankings.
However, he still feels like he needs to avenge the lone blip on his record to prove that he is among the division’s elite, and he’s made the necessary changes to even the score on August 2.
“When I found out that ONE was giving me a chance to rematch Nakrob, I wanted to redeem myself. I really want to win this fight to restore faith in me.
“I have adjusted my fighting style for this fight to try to use more weapons, including fists and elbows.
“The elbow weapon I have been practicing is special. I want to use it on the big stage. I can’t just keep kicking. The opponent will read my game. I’d like to have more variety with my weapons and make my opponent guess.”
Nakrob has strung together another three wins since he finished his compatriot last November – earning a six-figure contract to compete on the global roster in the process – but the humble Surin native isn’t expecting to blitz through Dedduanglek for a second time.
He’s planning to bring the same intense, hard-hitting style to the ring against his old foe, but he knows he’ll be in for a tough battle when the bout gets underway.
He said:
“I’m sure he’ll be better than the first fight. I think his attacks will be heavier and faster than before. His defense will definitely be better because he’ll see all the mistakes he made. More importantly, he’ll have a chance to get his revenge on the ONE Fight Night stage, so I believe he’s in good shape.
“I will definitely not change my fighting style. I will prepare heavy weapons for every round, and I will use my power to fight like in every previous fight.
“If I have the opportunity, I will try to finish him. But I believe that he has learned his lesson from the first fight. I definitely can’t beat him easily like before.”
