Stefan Korodi And Alexey Balyko Break Down Their Opening Matchup At ONE Fight Night 23

Stefan Korodi and Alexey Balyko are looking to open the show in style at ONE Fight Night 23: Ok vs. Rasulov on Prime Video.  

The exciting strikers will lock horns in U.S. primetime this Friday, July 5, and with the eyes of the combat sports world watching their Muay Thai showdown, they each know an impressive victory would be huge for their future. 

For Korodi, it’s a chance for redemption after his debut defeat against Suablack Tor Pran49 in January. The Romanian-born Irish athlete wanted to get straight back on the horse, but injuries forced him to watch from the sidelines.

Now back to full fitness and training out of the elite PK Saenchai Muay Thai Gym in Bangkok, he’s ready to go to war with Balyko at Lumpinee Stadium. 

Korodi told onefc.com: 

“I know Balyko has good boxing, good power behind his punches, and he has really good counter-boxing. But he’s not just ready to trade – he’s also evasive and doesn’t get hit clean that easy. But I have more than just boxing. I can kick, elbow, and knee as well.  

“I would say his weaknesses are in the way of his strengths. Because he relies so much on boxing, that’s the only thing that he is mainly doing.  So that can definitely be a weakness for this fight.”

Korodi was originally slated to face Shinji Suzuki at ONE Fight Night 23, but with an injury forcing the Japanese striker out of action, those plans were changed on late notice.

The 30-year-old thinks Balyko is a more difficult opponent, but no matter what his new rival brings to the ring, he expects to find a route to victory.

He said of the Russian:

“Balyko is super tough, super strong, but at the end of the day, he’s just another man like me. I know it’s a fight and anything is possible, but I am confident that I have a lot more to offer than he does. 

“It’s going to come down to who wants it more. And if anybody wants it more than I do, they deserve it. But I have never found a man who wants it more than I do yet, so I am confident I’m going to get the win.” 

Balyko Looking To Implement Lessons From His First ONE Defeat 

After securing back-to-back wins in his first two outings, Alexey Balyko suffered his first ONE defeat at the hands of Panrit Lukjaomaesaiwaree back in March.

Eager to resume his rise toward the top, the Russian has taken stock of his mistakes and aims to rectify them against Stefan Korodi this Friday.

Balyko said:

“In my last fight, I learned that you shouldn’t rush at the beginning of a fight, and that one mistake can cost the decision of the whole fight. In this battle, I will try not to make such mistakes.” 

The respect in this matchup goes both ways.

Balyko rates Korodi highly and knows he is in for a tough battle, but he also sees weaknesses that he wants to exploit.

The Russian added: 

“Korodi has good kicks, but he won’t surprise me with them. ⁠In the last fight, his opponent showed that his kicks were visible and could be grabbed or counter-attacked, after which he lost. 

“My main advantage in this fight will be my timing and speed.”