‘I Want To Knock Him Out’ – Julio Lobo Looks To Prove His Place Among The Best Against Worapon At ONE Friday Fights 135
Brazilian Muay Thai dynamo Julio Lobo has taken on elite Thai strikers for years, but the veteran fighter believes his upcoming return at ONE Friday Fights 135 will show fans a version of him they haven’t seen in a long time.
On Friday, November 28, live in Asia primetime, the Phuket Fight Club standout will re-enter the global spotlight in a bantamweight Muay Thai main event against surging Thai star Worapon Lukjaoporongtom at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Lobo entered ONE Championship in 2023 with a reputation for world-class clinching skills and an all-action style. After a competitive debut loss to Superball TDed99 at ONE Friday Fights 36, he rebounded with a third-round knockout of Kaonar Sor Jor Thongprajin at ONE Friday Fights 42 later that year.
But momentum slipped away again at ONE Friday Fights 52 in February 2024, when he was stopped by Thai icon “Left Meteorite” Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai. This marked the beginning of a stretch where his body simply wouldn’t cooperate.
The Brazilian said:
“After I fought Kulabdam, I did one more fight, like one or two months later, but my body wasn’t feeling very well. It was hard for me to make weight. It was hard for me to recover and then I kept getting knocked out. So, I had to stop for a while. I stopped for like one year.”
The time away from competition forced him to rebuild from scratch.
Lobo reset himself, got some good rest, and eventually returned to grassroots-level fights in southern Thailand to test whether he was physically capable of continuing at the highest level. To his relief, everything felt right again.
The Brazilian added:
“Then, I stopped at this time and then [when I felt better], I came back. [I started] from the bottom. I went to the local fights to see how my body felt, to see if I could do it again. For one moment, I thought I could not do anymore. But then after the rest, I felt like I missed it so much. Now, I feel like my body is way better than before.”
With a healthy body and a renewed sense of purpose, the 31-year-old now enters ONE Friday Fights 135 to show the world what he’s truly capable of.
And this time, Lobo plans on leaving no doubt. The 92-fight veteran said:
“I want to knock him out because I feel like I need that. I need to show who Lobo Phuket Fight Club is in ONE Championship.”
Lobo Believes His Clinching Strength Will Overwhelm Worapon
Worapon Lukjaoporongtom has emerged as one of 2025’s most dangerous stars, pushing forward behind suffocating pressure, powerful kicks, and dominant clinch work.
His four-fight winning streak, which includes a first-round TKO of Kongkula Jitmuangnon this past October, has positioned the Thai fighter as a force to be reckoned with in ONE’s stacked bantamweight Muay Thai division.
But for Julio Lobo, Worapon’s all-action style offers the exact kind of fight he enjoys.
The Brazilian stated:
“I have been watching him, and I think it’s going to be a good fight. He has the fighting style I like to fight against – the guys who always come forward, clinch, and then always pressure the opponent.
“We both try to pressure each other, so it’s going to be a really good fight.”
Lobo is among the rare foreign fighters in Muay Thai who can truly dominate in the clinch. It’s a skill developed through years of stadium fights against elite Thai opponents. Against Worapon, the Brazilian believes that experience will give him a critical edge when they touch gloves.
But he’s also aware of the perception that he is past his best, and he plans to flip that script the moment the bell rings.
Lobo said:
“People think I’m the underdog because I stopped for a while. I didn’t show a good performance in my last fight also, and I agree with them.
“I think Worapon is younger, and he’s coming up. So, of course, they’re going to think he’s going to beat me because I have been out for a while, but I’m ready to change their minds. When they see me in the ring, they’re going to change their minds.”
