Danial “Mini T” Williams is under no illusion that he’ll come in as the favorite when he steps in on short notice to challenge Superlek “The Kicking Machine” Kiatmoo9 for the latter’s ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title.
That is why he’s coming in pressure-free, looking to try some new things when they collide in the main event of ONE Fight Night 8 this Saturday morning at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Williams replaces the injured Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon in this clash, and given that he’s got nothing to lose, this frees himself to make the fight more exciting.
“Because I’m not going to be the favorite, I feel like I can go in there with a bit more confidence and try a few different things. This is new territory now, so there are things that I want to do to make it an exciting fight,” he said.
Not wanting to go into specifics, “Mini T” mentioned that those tools could come out if he gets pushed onto the wall by Superlek. After all, there’s no sense in using a game plan that isn’t working.
“Maybe some flying knees, I don’t know. I just don’t want to be too regimented. Now I can try a few different things, and I feel like the pressure just makes it easier to experience and embrace the fight week. I just want to go in there with an open mindset to do whatever I want to do,” he said.
“If something doesn’t work when I’m in there with Superlek, it’s just using everything that I know about martial arts and trying different things, rather than beating myself up if the game plan wasn’t working.”
The 29-year-old also noted the difference between the time where he stepped up to face Rodtang to now, saying that the contrast is like night and day.
“When I fought Rodtang, [it was] really short notice. [I had] a layoff of two years without properly training. That fight 100 percent improved me. [I took the bout] although it was on a super short notice,” he said.
“I hadn’t been fighting for a couple of years, not training properly, abusing the body a bit, and being unhealthy. Then getting that moment and doing okay, I knew that I’m on the right path and I can do this. So yeah, that fight certainly helped.
“[Right now] I just feel like I’m in a much better mindset and condition for this fight and my cardio’s really good.”
And if there’s one thing that Williams is banking on in this match, it’s that Superlek could also be adjusting, especially when it comes to movement. After all, Rodtang is more of a stationary, exchange-in-the-pocket type of guy, compared to Williams, who’ll be relying on his speed.
“I just know that I can be quicker. I can move a lot quicker. It’s different to what he would’ve been preparing for with Rodtang, which is fighting another traditional Thai dude,” he said.
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