Thai striker Nontachai Jitmuangnon is ready to settle his rescheduled showdown with Russian destroyer Kiamran Nabati. The two will collide in the bantamweight Muay Thai main event of The Inner Circle 31 on Friday, September 18, broadcasting live on live.onefc.com.
The matchup was originally booked for ONE Fight Night 46, but the bout was postponed after Nontachai fell ill ahead of that event. Now fully recovered, the Thai striker enters the rescheduled contest riding a three-fight winning streak and holding a career record of 53-22 and a ONE mark of 6-1.
Reflecting on the delay, Nontachai revealed that the extra time actually worked in his favor, allowing him to fully recover and fine-tune his preparation ahead of fight night.
“Pushing it back a month ended up being a blessing in disguise. It gave me more time to train and get my body into peak shape. Sure, Kiamran got extra time too, but I don’t see that as an issue,” Nontachai said.
Standing across from him is the 31-year-old Nabati, a near-perfect competitor from Archangel Michael with a career record of 22-1 and a ONE slate of 4-1. Nabati suffered the first loss of his career in his most recent outing, falling to newly crowned champion Yod-IQ Or Pimolsri back in May.
Confident and direct, Nontachai sent a clear message to his Russian opponent, making it known that he has no intention of being overlooked heading into their high-profile clash.
“My message to him stays the same, don’t underestimate me. I’m giving it 100 percent. You’re definitely going to remember the name Nontachai. As for Kiamran, bring everything you’ve got. I’m not scared of you,” he said.
Nontachai already has his sights set on what a victory could mean for his standing within the division, expressing genuine interest in a potential title opportunity. Still, he remained open to other intriguing matchups should a title shot not immediately materialize.
“If I beat Kiamran, I’d love to ask for a title shot. But if the timing isn’t right, I’ll fight whoever the promotion puts in front of me. Abdulla wants a rematch, and I’d also love to test myself against Suakim since he’s on a great run right now,” Nontachai said.