Kulabdam and Felipe Lobo look to punch their way to World Title shot at ONE Friday Fights 114

Two of ONE Championship’s longest-tenured bantamweights in Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai and #3-ranked contender Felipe Lobo will throw down at ONE Friday Fights 114.

The knockout artists will duke it out on Friday, 27 June, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. And a victory could put either fighter on the path to a shot at bantamweight gold.

A member of ONE Championship since 2019, Kulabdam’s left hand has propelled him to stardom in ONE Championship. From the start of his tenure, he has fought the best strikers in the world in Muangthai PK Saenchai, Saemapetch Fairtex, and Rodlek PK Saenchai.

Fans can break down Kulabdam’s ONE Championship run into two chapters. In the first chapter, he learned several tough lessons while up against veteran opposition. In the second, it has become clear that he’s grown stronger with every passing performance.

That’s been more apparent throughout his recent run in ONE Friday Fights. The nuker has scored six knockouts in his last eight fights. He’s used the “Left Meteorite” against Tyson Harrison, Julio Lobo, and recently against Ferzan Cicek at ONE Friday Fights 103 in April.

Riding high on a destructive three-fight winning streak, Kulabdam knows his World Title aspirations aren’t out of reach. But Lobo is on a resurgence of his own. And he feels destined for a third shot at the bantamweight Muay Thai crown.

Looking into Felipe Lobo’s highlight-reel ONE World Title campaigns

Felipe Lobo might not have attained gold in ONE Championship just yet. But he has always delivered thrilling fights when putting it all on the line for greatness.

His first crack at gold came in 2022 at ONE X. He suffered a third-round knockout to former longtime king Nong-O Hama. After that, he fought tooth and nail to get back into the championship conversation.

Lobo’s second crack came against former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Jonathan Haggerty. ONE Fight Night 19 in February 2024 was undoubtedly Lobo’s best attempt yet. He stunned the world when he downed the British legend with a right hand midway through the first round.

Haggerty was on wobbly legs, and Lobo did everything he could to put him away. In doing so, he left himself exposed for too long and suffered defeat in the third round. However, that’s not what everyone remembers. In fact, the Brazilian earned the respect of fans worldwide for putting on one of the best fights of the year.

Once again though, Lobo has gone on to respond emphatically. The 32-year-old recently scored a second consecutive knockout win over Saemapetch to show he’s still got the goods to be a force in the division.

Now, these two strikers meet on very similar trajectories in a fight that both men need to win – and neither man can afford to lose.