A highly anticipated catchweight Muay Thai battle between two stars of the famed Thai stadium circuit will headline ONE Lumpinee 36 on Friday.
Before Thailand's Superball TDed99 and Brazil's Julio Lobo lock horns, it's time to delve deeper into the backgrounds of the two remarkable fighters that will light up Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.
Superball, a battle-hardened veteran of the sport, has notched up an impressive 72-20-1 record, including a prestigious Thailand Muay Thai championship.
The 26-year-old has faced the who's who of Muay Thai before joining the ONE roster in 2023.
In fact, he had two memorable battles with ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Superball has since made a seamless transition into ONE.
The TDed99 Gym representative delivered an all-time war on debut at ONE Lumpinee 5, where he defeated Kongklai Annymuaythai by unanimous decision after a back-and-forth fight that saw both men rewarded with 350,000 baht performance bonuses.
Such was the fan reaction to the first fight, the pair were quickly pitted against each other in a rematch the very next month.
At ONE Lumpinee 11, however, Superball was the dominant fighter and took home another unanimous decision victory.
He will look to continue his winning ways against Lobo on Friday, as he hunts one of the 3.5 million contracts that are on offer on ONE's weekly platform at Lumpinee.
Lobo hails from Brazil but has made Thailand -- and Phuket Fight Club -- his home since 2016.
The 29-year-old is one of the rare non-Thai athletes with the ability to fight regularly in the Thai stadiums and win, as evidenced by his Omnoi Stadium and Toyota Marathon title victories.
Lobo is a genuine knockout artist, with 31 wins inside the distance from his 58 professional Muay Thai victories, proving that he poses a threat to anyone who steps into the ring with him.
While he is no stranger to facing elite competition -- he holds victories over ONE stars Pongsiri PK Saenchai and Rambo Mor Rattanabandit -- ONE Lumpinee 36 will be his promotional debut.
A win over a recognisable foe such as Superball would be the perfect introduction.
Superball has made a career out of breaking down his opponents in the clinch, so we can expect that to be part of his game plan against Lobo.
Lobo will likely be the stronger puncher of the two and could look to use that to his advantage.
While he is no slouch in the clinch, he could use his jab to maintain punching range as Superball tries to get inside and initiate a clinch and knee battle.
The kicking game of Superball is not one to sleep on, however. So, if Lobo can maintain his distance, this fight could become a fascinating chess match between two athletes with powerful kicking arsenals.
Either way, Superball v Lobo promises fireworks as two warriors battle to further their cases for a shot at the big time and a coveted contract with ONE Championship.
The programme will be broadcast live on Channel 7 from 8.30pm.