Valerii Strungari arrives at The Inner Circle on June 5 with upgraded game plan

Valerii Strungari faces former Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai World Champion Kongchai Chanaidonmueang in the strawweight Muay Thai main event of The Inner Circle, streaming live for members at live.onefc.com from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, June 5.

The 24-year-old Moldovan from Team Mehdi Zatout carries a 1-1 ONE Championship record into the bout. His debut produced a third-round knockout of Sanit Aekmuangnon at ONE Friday Fights 133. This happened after two rounds where Sanit controlled the pace.

His second outing, a decision loss to Denkriangkrai Mavinn Muaythai in March, produced the lesson that now shapes everything about how he fights on Friday night.

Kongchai is on a three-fight winning streak and chasing the US$100,000 contract that has eluded him across 17 series appearances. Strungari has done his homework and found the openings. His left-side attacks are strong. His right side is underused. His elbows have been more prominent lately. Every detail is in the blueprint.

“In my last fight, I kind of made a mistake. I was searching for the knockout throughout the fight as opposed to following the tactics that I prepared for in camp,” he said.

“So, I kind of threw all that away in the moment. But now, I’m focused and ready to make sure I stick to the plan to get the job done.”

Valerii Strungari has plans B and C ready if Kongchai switches things up at The Inner Circle

Valerii Strungari is not arriving on Friday night with a single gear. He has mapped the fight round by round, assigned specific objectives to each, and prepared for the scenario where Kongchai adjusts mid-fight and comes at him with more aggression in the later rounds.

The plan is patient in the early exchanges and decisive when the window opens. Strungari has also studied Kongchai’s tendency to start slower and build into the second and third rounds, and intends to stay a step ahead of that rhythm the entire time.

“I think he’s going to start a bit slower. But I’m going to watch what he brings, assess the situation, and try to find a way to break him down,” he said.

“Once I gauge him, I’ll go at him with more aggression. If it doesn’t go to plan, though, I’ve got plan B and plan C — depending on the situation. I’m not going to back down from Kongchai. I’m going to fight with him if he wants to fight me. But if I work smartly against him, it’s easy for me to beat him technically.”