ONE Fight Night 40: “An amazing name for me to beat”

ONE flyweight Muay Thai contender Diego Paez of Colombia and the United States knew his path would collide with Black Panther sooner or later.

The 32-year-old gets his wish this Friday at ONE Fight Night 40, where he’ll face the Thai slugger in a three-round war at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Feb. 13.

Paez has always had his sights on the best fighters in the division. That door opened when he defeated Johan Ghazali via split decision last year.

Now, the 32-year-old duels another hard-hitting adversary, who’s coming in with four straight victories.

Paez recently shared with ONE Championship how he watched Black Panther’s most recent knockout win over Johan Estupinan. The Classic Fight Team standout said:

“I saw his last fight with the Colombian, and what’s funny is when I saw the fight, every time I see someone in my weight class fight, I always visualize myself fighting him. So I saw the fight, I saw clips of it, and I already had mentally planted that seed.”

After witnessing the Thai’s handiwork, Paez already crafted a game plan long before he signed the contract to fight Black Panther. He added:

“So, when the name hit at the table, I was already prepared for it. And then after that, I did a little dive on his fights prior to that. I think he’s young, he’s hungry, he’s on a good winning streak, and he’s an amazing name for me to beat. And I’m all for it, and I’m ready for it.”

Black Panther not afraid of Diego Paez

Black Panther is the least bit worried about Diego Paez’s striking prowess.

The Team Mehdi Zatout remains calm and composed and is confident he’ll stretch his winning streak to five.

The Thai star said in his own ONE interview:

“I’m facing Diego this time, and I’m not worried. I’m never scared of fighting foreigners. I have total faith that our Muay Thai is world-class and can’t be beaten. Diego fights a bit like an MMA striker – good hands, fast footwork, and heavy low kicks.”

Prime Video subscribers in North America can watch ONE Fight Night 40 free live in U.S. primetime.