Time will tell if Chingiz Allazov has the skills to dethrone Singha "Superbon" Mawynn, but he certainly has the confidence.
The Georgia-born Belarusian will challenge the Thai for the ONE Championship featherweight kickboxing title at ONE on Prime Video 2, slated for Oct 1 in Singapore.
He will enter the Circle as the underdog in the eyes of most experts, but he claims he has a surprise in store for the champion, just as he did for his last opponent Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong, whom he defeated by decision at ONE X in March.
"My last two or three fights, I have said I have a surprise for my opponents," he told ONE Championship's official website. "My last fight with Sitthichai, I said, 'I have a surprise for him.'
"Now, we have a good plan for Superbon."
Allazov did not go into the specifics of his game plan for the Thai, who is considered one of the top strikers in the world. He did, however, touch on the areas of the match-up where he believes he will have an advantage.
"He has good kicks, I have the same good kicks," Allazov said. "He has good boxing, but I have two-to-three times better boxing than him, and more power than him.
"In this sport, it comes down to who is clever, who is more powerful, who has more timing, and who has a good game plan."
Allazov earned his crack at Superbon by winning ONE's recent featherweight kickboxing Grand Prix. He defeated Samy Sana and Jo Nattawut by knockout and Sitthichai by decision to become the tournament champion.
Superbon won the featherweight kickboxing title with a stunning head-kick knockout of Giorgio Petrosyan, one of the greatest fighters in kickboxing history, in 2021. He has since defended the title once, dominating Armenia's Marat Grigorian to a decision at ONE X.
ONE on Prime Video 2 will be headlined by a strawweight MMA title fight, as reigning champion Xiong Jingnan of China attempts to defend her title against atomweight queen Angela Lee, who will look to become a two-division titleholder.
The card will also feature ONE's first submission grappling title fight, as rising star Mikey Musumeci takes on Cleber Souza for flyweight gold.