‘He Is Not Ready’ – Guto Inocente Promises To Knock Out Rade Opacic Again At ONE Fight Night 11
Brazilian knockout artist Guto Inocente wants to move forward in his career, and he’ll do whatever is necessary to take that next step, even if it means fighting an old rival.
Just a year after extinguishing the meteoric rise of Rade Opacic, the 36-year-old slugger will run it back with the Serbian behemoth in a heavyweight kickboxing bout at ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov on Prime Video on Friday, June 9.
If history is any indication, fans can expect an awesome display of power when these two heavy hitters enter the ring at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
In their first meeting back in June 2022, Inocente shocked the global fan base when he stopped the Serbian phenom in the first round thanks to a soul-stealing liver shot. That knockout stands as Opacic’s only loss in ONE Championship to date.
While the Brazilian sees plenty of potential in his 25-year-old foe, he doesn’t think the Belgrade native will be prepared for what’s coming in their rematch.
Inocente said:
“Rade Opacic is a good fighter, young and strong. I believe he will evolve a lot. But for now, he is not ready for what I have to offer him.”
Since that fateful night at Singapore Indoor Stadium, Opacic returned to the win column by knocking out Giannis Stoforidis in epic fashion.
The Serbian is becoming a more powerful and dangerous force, but Inocente isn’t worried about his rival’s possible improvements. Instead, the Brazilian’s concentration has been solely on his own abilities and physicality.
Inocente said:
“I’m focused on my game. I believe that my evolution was in the physical part. I’m very strong, very well-conditioned, and eager to show my work.”
The Brasilia-based fighter is extra motivated because he wants to silence the doubters.
Inocente understands that, because he finished Opacic in under three minutes, some might think he won by a lucky punch. So when he enters the ring this time around, he expects to once again earn a quick knockout victory and leave no questions unanswered as to who the superior athlete truly is.
He said:
“The fact that I managed to knock him out in the first round surprised even myself. I was anticipating knocking him out in the second round. This left gaps for him to say that luck was involved in the result. But now, I’m going to knock him out again to confirm what happened in the first fight. And this time, I predict the knockout happening in the first round again.”
Guto Inocente Wants Rematch With Roman Kryklia
Guto Inocente isn’t disappointed that he’s facing Rade Opacic for the second time. Actually, it’s quite the opposite – he thinks another victory over the dangerous brawler will earn him the rematch that he’s really after.
After beating the Serbian phenom last June, the Brazilian would lose to light heavyweight kickboxing king Roman Kryklia in the ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix semifinal round three months later. However, there was some controversy at the end of the battle.
In that fight, Inocente was clearly dazed by a massive head kick, but he refused to go down. Nonetheless, the referee saw enough and waved off the action.
The Brazilian wants to run that one back with Kryklia and even the score, and he thinks Opacic could be the ticket to get him there.
He said:
“I was very happy this fight was offered to me. It will [lead] me to fight Roman Kryklia again. After I fought Rade Opacic, he won one more fight and I was defeated in a way that opens gaps to know if the referee’s interruption was fair or not. As Rade is a prospect of the organization, I see this fight as another opportunity to get a shot at [Roman].”
