20 November 2019 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), recently held media day for Malaysian stars Agilan “Alligator” Thani and “Jungle Cat” Muhammad Aiman in Kuala Lumpur. Fans and media in attendance were able to meet-and-greet with the two ONE Championship athletes to discuss their upcoming bouts.
Both Thani and Aiman are scheduled to face tough opponents at ONE: MARK OF GREATNESS, set for the Axiata Arena on Friday, 6 December.
More information on ONE: MARK OF GREATNESS is available at www.onefc.com. Tickets, priced from MYR 30, are on sale now at https://redtix.com/onechampionship. Save 25% on Cat 2-4 tickets from now through 15 November.
Agilan Thani, former ONE Welterweight World Title Challenger, stated: “I’m really happy that I was given the opportunity to fight back at home again. It’s been a while since I have been back here. But more importantly, I get the chance to end the year on a high note in my home country. The last time that I fought in Kuala Lumpur, things really didn’t go my way as I lost to the eventual world champion, Kiamrian Abbasov. Of course, it’s always a good feeling to be fighting in front of the Malaysian fans. I haven’t had the crowd behind me in my last couple of fights, so it’s going to be refreshing to have the fans in the arena supporting me this time around. I’m really motivated to get this win and get back on track.”
Thani continued: “I really need to turn things around if I want to be considered as a world championship contender once again. I’ve learned from all my past experiences. I hope to be able to bring what I’ve learned into this fight against Mohammad Karaki. It’s going to be a tough fight for me, because obviously, he’s a talented competitor, having fought for the world title before. Like me, I know that he’s going to be hungry for a win. I know he’s going to be hungry to get his first win in ONE Championship. It’s going to be a battle of two former title contenders, so it’s surely going to be an exciting contest. Of course, it would be a big step back in the right direction for me to get this win, but I know that it’s going to take a lot more for me to get back into title contention, but surely, a win over Karaki would be a good start.”
Muhammad Aiman, former Malaysian featherweight champion, stated: “I’m really glad that I get to perform in Malaysia again, it’s been over a year since I was back here with ONE, so I’m definitely ready to put on a good show. Having my fellow Malaysians supporting me on fight night, it’s going to be really exciting. This is going to be a big test for me because I’m really hoping to be able to put a winning streak together and maybe finally get a shot at the World Championship. I’ve been competing in ONE for a while now, and I believe that next year will be my time to capture gold. If I can beat Chen Rui, I’ll be 4-1 in my last five fights. I believe I’ll be a win or two away from the title if I can get the win on fight night.”
Aiman continued: “I know it won’t be an easy night for me, Chen Rui was undefeated prior to his last fight, and I know that he’s going to come in with hunger and motivation to get back to the winner’s circle. However, I believe that I’m more hungry and more motivated to win because I really feel that I’m close to contender status. If I can end 2019 on a winning streak, it’s going to be a huge boost for me coming into the next year.”
Thani is scheduled to face fellow former ONE World Title challenger Mohammad “O Lutador” Karaki of Lebanon in a welterweight contest.
The 24-year-old Thani is one of the finest martial arts athletes ever produced by Malaysia. Ever since making his debut in the Circle, the man called “Alligator” has torn through the competition. Thani, who captured a Malaysian national championship as an amateur, won his first seven professional matches to earn a crack at the ONE Welterweight World Championship. He looks to break back into the World Title picture with a big win in his hometown.
Former MIMMA Featherweight Champion Aiman battles ONE Jakarta Bantamweight Tournament Champion Chen Rui of China in a bantamweight showdown.
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