Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang thinks that the newest Russian sensation Ilya Freymanov is someone who can rule the ONE featherweight MMA division for a long time.
In fact, he believes the #3-ranked contender is about to take the next step toward that vision when he takes on top-ranked Thanh Le for the ONE Interim Featherweight MMA World Title at ONE Fight Night 15 this Saturday inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
“I love Thanh Le. He’s a former champion. I love his fighting style, but Ilya has the edge here, especially if Thanh Le can’t knock out Ilya early,” Adiwang said.
The HIIT Studio representative believes that between the two, it’s the Russian who has more weapons in his arsenal.
“Judging from the previous fights of Ilya, I saw that he’s a complete fighter. He can strike, he can grapple, he can wrestle,” Adiwang said.
“He has this fire to dig down deep and chase for finishes, no matter where the fight goes.”
Adiwang’s fascination with Freymanov shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, it’s hard not to be a fan of the Russian.
In his debut, Freymanov smashed former two-division ONE MMA World Champion Martin Nguyen, stopping “The Situ-Asian” with knees and punches in the first round.
But the surging featherweight grabbed Adiwang’s attention most in his bout against heavy hitting Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg.
In that fight, Zoltsetseg hurt Freymanov early, but the Kuznya Fight Club representative dug down deep and turned the tides on the flashy Mongolian before the first round ended.
“I was really impressed with him in his victory over a fighter (Zoltsetseg) that I was with in ONE Warrior Series,” he said.
“In that fight he got groggy, he got rocked by ‘Shine’s’ punches, but still he showed his fighting spirit. He fought hard and turned the tide, and he ended up submitting the Mongolian.
“That fighting spirit will push him to victory in this fight. He’s also a more complete fighter. If Thanh Le is comfortable striking with him, then I expect him to pick his shots, wait out, and take the fight to the ground and look for a submission there.”
He’s not completely counting Le out, though, especially with the power that the Vietnamese-American packs in his hands. But with Freymanov’s skill and grit, Adiwang said it’s hard to bet against him.
“The only way I can see Thanh Le winning this fight is via knockout,” he said.
“If he can knock Ilya out early, or if he controls the distance and keeps Ilya at bay, then Thanh Le will have a chance. But for me, I believe this is Ilya’s time. His skill and fighting spirit are his edge in this fight.”