Yod-IQ Pimolsri earns life-changing contract after three-year journey through ONE Friday Fights

Three years feels like forever when you’re chasing a dream. Yod-IQ Pimolsri finally caught his.

The 23-year-old Thai striker earned a $100,000 contract with ONE Championship after knocking out Alexey Balyko at ONE Friday Fights 137 on December 19 inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. The first-round head kick didn’t just shut Balyko’s lights off. It erased the only loss on Yod-IQ’s ONE record and capped an 11-1 run through the promotion’s weekly series.

The PK Saenchai Muaythaigym product arrived at ONE Friday Fights in March 2023 carrying 115 professional victories. But credentials don’t guarantee anything. He needed to prove himself against the promotion’s featherweights month after month. He did exactly that.

Yod-IQ opened his campaign with a knockout of Belgian striker Samuel Bielen. Then he beat Uzbek veteran Mavlud Tifiyev by unanimous decision three months later. The wins kept stacking until Balyko caught him with a left hook in September 2023 that sent him crashing to the canvas. That loss stung. But the Thai phenom refused to let one bad night define three years of work.

Yod-IQ Pimolsri built momentum through elite competition

The response came quick. Yod-IQ Pimolsri bounced back two months later with a split decision over Ilyas Musaev. Then he went on a tear through the bantamweight Muay Thai ranks that put him in position for the contract.

He floored eight-time world champion Rafi Bohic twice with body shots in January 2024. The decorated French veteran couldn’t handle the Thai striker’s power. Yod-IQ finished Tifiyev in their rematch six months later with a knockout that showed his growth. He defeated dangerous Russian Abdulla Dayakaev by unanimous decision in October, handing him his first promotional loss.

The wins over Bohic and Dayakaev meant something special. Yod-IQ became the only fighter in ONE Championship to beat both men. That accomplishment separated him from everyone else chasing contracts.

He closed 2024 by outpointing Kirill Khomutov. Then he dominated Petru Morari and grizzled veteran Brice Delval in 2025. Italian powerhouse Alessio Malatesta couldn’t stop the momentum either. Eight straight victories put Yod-IQ right where he needed to be.

The rematch with Balyko meant everything. Yod-IQ moved up to featherweight specifically to avenge his lone defeat. The picture-perfect head kick landed flush. Balyko crumpled. The contract was his.

Yod-IQ Pimolsri now carries an 11-1 ONE Championship record and 126 career victories into the main roster with nine straight wins behind him.