‘The Fight Is Going To Be Crazy’ – Olivia Bahsous, Malia Weaver Ready To Settle Heated Rivalry At The Inner Circle 35
Olivia “Diamond” Bahsous and Malia Weaver have spent weeks trading aggressive challenges and sharp words online. Now, the two 16-year-old striking sensations are ready to settle their rivalry inside the ring, with much more than simply bragging rights at stake.
The teenagers will collide in a three-round women’s atomweight Muay Thai bout at The Inner Circle 35 on Friday, October 16, broadcasting live in Asia primetime exclusively for subscribers at live.onefc.com from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.
Bahsous has already made a spectacular impression in ONE Championship, scoring back-to-back knockouts in her first two promotional appearances. Another emphatic victory would significantly strengthen her push toward a coveted main-roster contract.
Meanwhile, Weaver enters her highly anticipated promotional debut boasting an undefeated professional record. Defeating a fellow striking phenom would immediately announce her arrival on the global stage.
Both prodigies have plenty to prove, and neither has been shy about expressing her confidence. With their viral online exchanges fueling anticipation and their hyper-aggressive fighting styles promising absolute fireworks, this showdown has all the ingredients for an unforgettable battle.
Bahsous Promises To Punish Weaver
Olivia Bahsous has absolutely zero interest in dismissing their social-media exchanges as harmless fun.
The Canadian prodigy has spent years meticulously establishing her striking credentials, winning three consecutive IFMA Junior World Championships before making an explosive transition to the world’s largest martial arts organization. She firmly believes Weaver’s bold challenge suggests that a newcomer can easily bypass the grueling work required to reach her elite level.
Bahsous told onefc.com:
“Beef? What beef? That’s just me. She called me out, and I take that very personally because she thinks that she could skip steps to be where I am.
“And because of that, she’s letting other people know that you can just call me out and be able to get onto this stage, ONE Championship, when they haven’t put the same hours in that I have.”
Bahsous has given her critics absolutely no reason to doubt her devastating abilities since joining ONE. At The Inner Circle 19 in June, the Canadian overwhelmed Phontip Khlongtoeiyouthcenter with blistering elbows and heavy punches to earn a first-round TKO in just 89 seconds.
She followed that flawless performance with another emphatic victory at ONE Friday Fights 164 in July, stopping Nonglek Krudamgym just 48 seconds into the second round.
Those consecutive finishes have firmly established Bahsous as a highly dangerous young knockout artist, and the added attention surrounding her bitter rivalry with Weaver has only strengthened her burning desire to produce another statement performance.
The Canadian said:
“Pressure makes diamonds. Whenever there’s more pressure on me, whenever there are more eyes watching me, I’m able to shine brighter.”
While Weaver will be making her very first promotional appearance, Bahsous already possesses crucial experience handling the intense atmosphere at Lumpinee Stadium under ONE’s bright lights.
Her relentlessly aggressive approach has brought her considerable success, but she believes her greatest advantage is the deep variety of weapons at her disposal. Rather than relying exclusively on her heavy punches, the Canadian is supremely confident she can capitalize on any microscopic opening that Weaver presents.
She said:
“Whenever I enter the ring, I plan on knocking out all of my opponents. Because when I don’t do that, I don’t feel like I have won.
“Whenever I see an opening, whether it’s with a kick, with my hands, with elbows, I love all my weapons. I’m equally good at all of them, and I know that any weapon I use will knock her out. It’s just a matter of time.”
Weaver Plans To Answer Bahsous With Relentless Pressure
Malia Weaver sees her heated rivalry with Olivia Bahsous from an entirely different perspective.
The American states the “Olivia Slayer” nickname originally came from a fan, and she simply reposted it. But the viral nickname quickly became another inflammatory talking point in their increasingly hostile online rivalry, with both fighters relentlessly exchanging videos and challenges ahead of their showdown.
She said:
“We have been making videos back and forth, but at the end of the day, I don’t know how she feels on her part.
“None of the videos I make are to put her down. If you look at my videos, none of them are rude or disrespectful toward her. They’re more just funny.”
Behind those supposedly lighthearted exchanges, Weaver has been ruthlessly preparing for the biggest opportunity of her young career.
The American captured a prestigious title at the 2024 TBA Classic World Championships before building a flawless professional record in Thailand. She has since tightly sharpened her skills at the renowned Fairtex Training Center in Pattaya, where she trains directly alongside established ONE athletes.
Those grueling sessions have also helped her properly prepare for her first appearance in 4-ounce gloves — an unforgiving new experience that will severely test her defensive awareness against Bahsous’ highly dangerous striking arsenal.
Weaver said:
“We both have really good kicks, but we’re also both heavy boxers. If you look at both of our social media pages, a lot of hers is boxing, and it’s the same with mine. We both kick, but I just know it’s going to be a high-volume fight.
“But I do think we’re both very aggressive, so the fight is going to be crazy. I know everyone is looking forward to that.”
Weaver readily recognizes the massive challenge posed by an opponent who has finished in both of her ONE appearances, but she is absolutely determined to make her promotional debut on her own terms.
With months of online trash talk finally giving way to a real battle, Weaver is confident their similar fighting styles will produce a deeply memorable showdown.
She said:
“Obviously, I’m going for the knockout, like everyone would. I just know that I’m not going to back away. It’s going to be pressure, pressure, pressure the entire fight.
“That’s my plan. It’s just going to be pressure. There’s no going back.”
