Dmitrii Kovtun reveals why he returned to Russia to “reset” before biggest bout of his life

To become great in combat sports, you cannot sit in your comfort zone. It requires you to enter the most uncomfortable spaces possible, from pushing yourself to the limit in the gym to going as far to leave everything behind in search of success.

That’s exactly what Russian bantamweight Muay Thai star Dmitrii Kovtun has done in order to reach ONE Championship. But with his previous success in the bag, “The Silent Assassin” has headed home to prepare for the biggest bout of his life.

He meets #4-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai slugger Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon at ONE Fight Night 32. That takes place on Friday, June 6, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

In 2024, Kovtun left home and traveled to Sitsongpeenong Muay Thai Camp in Bangkok. His goal was to enhance his skill set at the Muay Thai monastery.

After going 1-1 in his first two bouts, his quest for evolution was successful. He looked at his best when he stormed through knockout artist Suablack Tor Pran49 this past January at ONE Fight Night 27. There, Kovtun showed huge improvements, going as far as to stumble the Thai favorite.

He then delivered another one-sided beating as he picked apart Myanmar star Soe Lin Oo to win the unanimous decision at ONE Fight Night 29.

Despite the success attained, the call of home was as loud as ever. So he traveled back to west-central Russia to be reunited with his formative team. He surrounded himself with family and friends, but as a bigger, better version of himself.

“I spent time with my family and went back to Chelyabinsk to change the scenery a bit. I’d been in Thailand for eight months straight, so I needed a reset,” he said.

“I started camp in Russia, working with my friend Alexander Shamsutdinov, who was the head boxing coach for the Russian national team from 2015 to 2019.

“As always, I’m putting a strong focus on boxing.”

Dark horse Dmitrii Kovtun looks to enter top-five with win over Rambolek

Dmitrii Kovtun is on the brink of the top-five rankings in ONE Championship’s bantamweight Muay Thai division. But if anything, he still seems to be the weight bracket’s dark horse.

“The Silent Assassin’s” moniker is more than just a namesake. It’s clear he prefers to do his talking in the ring rather than on the microphone. And he’s been doing pretty well moving in silence.

His most recent victory over the relentless Soe Lin Oo showed he’s ready for the biggest names he can get his hands on. And Rambolek is on a similar trajectory. So he’ll give him the toughest test of his tenure thus far.

The 22-year-old graduated from the Friday Fights series and has been on a tear to the top-five in his category. He also rides a three-fight winning streak, with his most recent win cementing him as a deadly name.

He knocked out striking star Parham Gheirati in the second round of their clash this past March at ONE Fight Night 29. And at such a young age, he’s making it clear he’s here for the long-term.

So, if Kovtun wants to put the division on notice, a huge performance against Rambolek would certainly do the trick. And it would allow him to jockey for the position of World Title challenger.