‘I’m On Another Level’ – Adam Sor Dechapan Eyes Statement Win Over Enzo Clarisse At The Inner Circle On May 8

Malaysian-Thai standout Adam Sor Dechapan arrives at his next assignment with the wind firmly at his back and the experience to know exactly what to do with it.

The 18-year-old collides with French dynamo Enzo Clarisse in a strawweight Muay Thai battle, which headlines The Inner Circle on Friday, May 8, live in Asia primetime from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.

He returns in search of the 54th win of his career and a third straight promotional victory. More importantly, he wants to take a massive step to the life-changing US$100,000 main roster contract.

Every detail of this camp has been built around that goal. The Sor Dechapan representative has pushed his strength and conditioning to a whole new level and done his homework on his 22-year-old foe. 

Clarisse’s knockout power is not something he’ll be sleeping on. That said, it is not something that has been keeping him awake ahead of fight night either:

“For this fight, physically, I’m even stronger than in my last fight. I’ve been hitting the weight training hard to add more power to my strikes for a potential finish.

“Enzo has very dangerous hands. He’s a straightforward brawler who comes forward without much complexity. I’m not worried about a puncher like Enzo. I’m confident I can handle him.”

Adam knows exactly where the gap between him and Clarisse lies, and he has spent this camp learning how to widen it. As such, the teenager believes he edges the Team Mehdi Zatout star across all departments. 

However, he is also under no illusions about what could happen if he gets careless against a striker who carries match-ending power.

He told said:

“In terms of pure Muay Thai skill, footwork, and versatility, I’m on another level. So, I plan to use my technique, keep a steady pace, and focus on those counter-openings. 

“Since he has knockout power, I can’t afford to be reckless or trade emotionally. I have to fight smart and stay precise.”

The path to a third straight win has been paved with another invaluable resource that few fighters his age have access to.

Adam’s older brother – Aliff Sor Dechapan – has been deeply involved in this camp. He has helped his younger sibling build a plan to expose every weakness in Clarisse’s game.

The collaboration has been one of the most rewarding parts of the preparation, and he already knows exactly which weapons he wants to put on display when the bell rings:

“Aliff has been teaching me a lot of Muay Thai moves, especially that head kick. If I see him drop his guard, you’ll definitely see me go for it again.

“I’m also really determined to land a double flying knee. I’ve tried it a few times. If the timing is right in this fight, I’ll give it another go and hopefully put him away with it.”

Finding The Blueprint

The wind at Adam Sor Dechapan’s back did not arrive by accident. That lesson came after defeat to “Petsam” Nahyan Mohammed in their July rematch last year, just two months after he eked out a split decision over the latter.

Adam was pulled into a brawl that was never his fight to win. Since then, however, he knew exactly what needed to change. The proof has been undeniable with two successive wins, including a head-kick knockout of Walid “The Joker” Snoussi at ONE Friday Fights 141 this past February.

The 18-year-old explained:

“The loss to ‘Petsam’ taught me a lot about emotional control and keeping my cool. I realized I can’t just stand there and trade based on pure emotion anymore.

“Once I adjusted that mindset, my performance in the last two fights improved significantly. I’m fighting much calmer now. I feel like I’ve finally found the blueprint for how I need to fight to win.”

That blueprint is about to be tested against an opponent whose recent loss has given Adam a roadmap of his own.

The Malaysian-Thai slugger has watched the tape of Clarisse’s defeat to Jurai Ishii closely. He has seen exactly where the Frenchman struggled.

So, the plan for May 8 is simple in design and ruthless in execution – bait Clarisse into the same mistakes and capitalize on everything he has been sharpening throughout this camp.

He said:

“In his last fight, I noticed he couldn’t keep up with his opponent’s speed, and his guard dropped frequently, which led to him getting tagged repeatedly.

“For this fight, I’m going to use movement and feints to bait him into dropping his guard again, then capitalize with the weapons I’ve prepared.”