Nontachai confident size advantage will benefit him against Abdulla Dayakaev

Nontachai Jitmuangnon believes he holds a clear advantage over his next opponent. The question is whether he can capitalize on it.

The Thai striker faces #5-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Abdulla Dayakaev in featherweight Muay Thai action at ONE Fight Night 33 on Friday, July 11, inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. For Nontachai, the bout represents a chance to extend his perfect ONE Championship record.

The 26-year-old acknowledges the threat posed by the Dagestani striker, who has bulldozed through the bantamweight division with devastating knockout power. Dayakaev brings five knockout victories and seven promotional wins into the contest.

But Nontachai sees a clear path to victory against an opponent moving up a weight class. The Jitmuangnon Gym product believes his natural size at featherweight will create problems for Dayakaev.

The technical striker from Chumphon province plans to use his well-rounded skill set to expose weaknesses in Dayakaev’s aggressive style. He’s particularly confident about controlling the distance with his kicking game.

“For this fight, I’m matched against Abdulla, and he’s definitely a formidable opponent. However, he’s moving up to fight at 155 pounds, which is my natural weight class, so I don’t expect any problems,” he said.

“The area where he’s not as strong is fighting at long range. I’ll need to jab and use my counter-kicks to prevent his punches from reaching me. Facing a kicker like me should be right up my alley.

“Abdulla has five knockout wins, but I think if I can block his punches, it shouldn’t be a problem. Personally, I believe his dangerous punches are his only real threat. My well-rounded Muay Thai skills should give me an edge because he has more of a Russian style, just punches and leg kicks.”

Nontachai applying lessons from US primetime debut

Nontachai Jitmuangnon’s last performance on the global stage provided valuable lessons. His highly anticipated U.S. primetime debut against Arian Esparza in March resulted in a unanimous decision victory, but he admits the magnitude initially affected his performance.

Despite studying Esparza’s style and preparing accordingly, Nontachai felt stiff early in the fight. The loud crowd and bright lights created an atmosphere unlike anything he’d experienced before.

He gave himself a modest assessment of that performance while acknowledging areas for improvement. His honest evaluation demonstrates the mindset that has fueled his eight-fight winning streak.

Now he plans to show the world his renewed mental state and improved skills against Dayakaev. He’s added new weapons to his arsenal specifically for this matchup.

“For my recent [U.S. primetime] debut at ONE Fight Night 29, I was super excited. When I walked into the ring, I felt a bit stiff and wasn’t sure how to throw my attacks. The crowd was really loud. I had to close my eyes and meditate for a moment before the fight to calm myself down,” he said.

“I’d give myself a seven or eight out of 10. My main weakness from that last fight was defending punches because I took quite a few hits from my opponent, but I’ve learned from those mistakes and improved a lot.

“For this fight, I’ve added elbows to my arsenal. If he comes in loosely, I’ll be ready to cut him up with elbows.”