‘That’s The Fight To Have’ – Bokang Masunyane Eyes Joshua Pacio As World Title Quest Continues At ONE Fight Night 39
Bokang “Little Giant” Masunyane has the ONE World Title firmly in his sights.
The 31-year-old South African MMA star is ready to make a comeback against Japanese standout Ryohei Kurosawa, whom he will face in a strawweight MMA contest at ONE Fight Night 39: Rambolek vs. Dayakaev on Prime Video, live from Bangkok, Thailand’s legendary Lumpinee Stadium.
On Friday, January 23, in U.S. primetime, “Little Giant” will look to return to the win column, and move one step closer toward his long-time goal of challenging reigning ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio.
After grinding through one of the promotion’s most competitive divisions and coming up just short of World Title contention, Masunyane knows exactly what is at stake.
The opportunity never disappeared. It simply drifted out of reach, and he believes this is the moment to pull himself back into the fold:
“Honestly, ideally, I would like to fight Joshua Pacio even tomorrow if I had to. It’s a very good opportunity to fight for the title. I’ve been unlucky not to get that shot, but now I’m building myself right back up to get that title shot. I’m fighting a very good fighter next, so that opens up the conversation.
“Also, as a fighter, I’d like to fight as much as I can. Whoever wants to fight me on my way to the title. They are standing in my way, and my goal is to get that title shot, so I’m going through everyone in this division.”
After winning four of his first five bouts in the world’s largest martial arts organization, including a stunning 37-second head-kick knockout of former ONE Strawweight MMA World Title challenger Rene Catalan, the South African hit a roadblock with two narrow decision losses.
First, Masunyane went the full three rounds against Dagestani star Mansur Malachiev, showing composure and a grappling-heavy skill set at the highest level. He then moved up to flyweight to face Sanzhar “Tornado” Zakirov, dropping another hard-fought decision after a back-and-forth battle that tested his grit and endurance.
Those results slowed his climb. The destination, however, never changed. Masunyane will now return to his natural weight class with renewed focus.
Against a dangerous opponent who once ruled in both Pancrase and Shooto, Masunyane aims to deliver a performance that forces attention back in his direction — and back toward gold.
Standing atop the strawweight MMA mountain, Pacio is the most dominant king the division has ever seen, winning divisional gold a record seven times across a decade in the promotion.
With Pacio’s strong background in wushu and Masunyane’s deep wrestling prowess, the South African believes the clash is guaranteed to produce fireworks.
“Little Giant” added:
“I like Pacio. He’s got a very good personality, he’s got a good heart, he’s a fan’s favorite in the division. I feel like with the mutual respect that Joshua gives back when he fights, he gives everything, and I feel like it’s the same with me. Fights make styles, and between my style and Joshua Pacio’s style clashing, I think it’ll create a very explosive and very entertaining fight.
“To be honest, that’s the fight to have. Fighting for the title, two explosive fighters with their best styles against each other, I think it would create something special.”
Masunyane Ready To Carve His Way Through A Crowded Strawweight Division
Bokang Masunyane understands that his path to the ONE Strawweight MMA World Championship will not be straightforward. And he has never expected it to be.
The stacked 125-pound division continues to evolve, strengthened by the steady arrival of new talent. For Masunyane, however, that depth is the test.
In fact, his first challenge of the year at ONE Fight Night 39 on January 23 comes from Ryohei Kurosawa, who announced himself on the global stage by outworking Jayson Miralpez over three rounds at ONE Friday Fights 124 last September.
This surge of new contenders only sharpens Masunyane’s resolve:
“Look, with all the new fighters, it has opened up the division quite a lot more. That means there’s more competition and more top-level guys to fight against. I believe I’m the best fighter in the world, and for me to prove that, I need to fight every single fighter I can in this division.
“I feel like this will open an opportunity for a title fight if I take a win here.”
Masunyane knows that earning a World Title shot requires more than words. A statement performance, especially early in what is shaping up to be another pivotal year for ONE, can change momentum quickly.
A win over Kurosawa, who is riding a six-fight winning streak that includes four finishes, would push Masunyane back into contention in a division ruled by its most dominant king, Joshua Pacio.
Masunyane said:
“I’ve always set my goals around fighting for the title. I’ve fallen quite short a few times, but I think the fact that I haven’t given up opens up that conversation within ONE Championship to see if they can give me the title shot.”
