‘I’m Absolutely Thrilled’ – Julio Lobo Reflects On Career-Best Win Over PTT At The Inner Circle 20
Julio Lobo got knocked down, dug deep, and delivered the biggest win of his career.
The Brazilian striker stopped Thai veteran PTT Apichart Farm via TKO in a bantamweight Muay Thai contest at The Inner Circle 20 this past Friday, June 26, broadcasting live from Bangkok’s historic Lumpinee Stadium.
The fight started in dramatic fashion as PTT came out firing on all cylinders, dropping Lobo with a powerful right hand in the final minute of the first round. Many fighters might have folded under that kind of pressure against an experienced striker, but Lobo answered the only way he knows how.
He came out for the second round and tested PTT’s chin with a relentless barrage of punches, continuing to let his hands go until the referee had no choice but to step in and wave off the contest at 2:01 of round two. The TKO victory marked the 32-year-old’s third consecutive win in ONE Championship and earned him a performance bonus on top of the most significant result of his career.
He said:
“Honestly, I’m overwhelmed and so fulfilled right now. I’m overjoyed. I’ve been waiting a long time for this fight, waiting for the chance to taste victory on this stage and take home the bonus. So right now, I can say in one word — I’m absolutely thrilled.”
The knockdown in round one threatened to derail everything Lobo had worked toward. Falling behind early against a battle-tested rival is the kind of moment that has finished plenty of careers and, for a brief stretch, it looked as though Lobo might be on the wrong end of another tough Lumpinee Stadium result.
But the message delivered between rounds left no room for hesitation. His corner demanded a response, and Lobo answered without flinching.
He said:
“When I got back to the corner, my coach and the team in my corner immediately said, ‘Okay, you have to take this round back, or we’re going to lose.’ At that point we had nothing left to lose. My coach said, ‘Now you’ve got to go out there and fight with heart.’ And honestly, I already have a strong fighter’s heart, so I just did exactly that — went out and fought with everything I had and got the win.”
Stopping a veteran fighter with over 100 career victories is no small feat, and few in the bantamweight Muay Thai division can claim a finish of that magnitude. Yet for Lobo, the result was less a surprise and more a confirmation of everything he has built behind closed doors at Phuket Fight Club.
With 67 career wins of his own, the Brazilian striker has put in the work daily under a coach who demands nothing less than his best. And that daily grind is precisely why the finish, however dramatic, did not catch him off guard.
He explained:
“[I’m] not surprised at all, because I’ve trained for this exact moment all along. I train hard every day with my coach, who pushes and challenges me hard every single day. So for us, it wasn’t surprising at all. Of course I knew it would be a tough fight, but I also knew I could do it — and I did.”
Lobo Stays Grounded As He Eyes A Life-Changing ONE Contract
Julio Lobo is not getting ahead of himself, even with three straight wins now on his ONE record.
The Brazilian striker has his sights set on the life-changing US$100,000 contract with the world’s largest martial arts organization, a prize that would validate everything his career has built toward. But rather than fixate on ONE World Titles or future matchups, Lobo is choosing to take each opportunity as it comes.
That patience does not come from a lack of ambition. It comes from a fighter who understands that consistent performances, not premature talk, are what ultimately earn the recognition he is chasing.
He said:
“I’m ready to face anyone. I’m not putting pressure on myself. I’m thinking step by step, fight by fight. Whenever ONE feels I deserve it and offers me a contract, I’ll start thinking about a World Title shot or whatever comes with it. But for now, I just want to enjoy doing what I do here.”
For all the ambition driving him forward, Lobo’s appreciation for ONE itself remains front and center.
Fighting on the world’s biggest stage is not lost on him, and neither is the responsibility that comes with representing himself, his team, and his country every time he steps into the ring.
He offered:
“I love fighting at ONE Championship because this is the biggest promotion in the world. I love coming here and putting on performances like tonight — fights that leave everyone amazed and shocked.”
