Tomyamkoong Bhumjaithai faces Azerbaijani striker Anar Mammadov in the flyweight Muay Thai main event of The Inner Circle 18, streaming live for members at live.onefc.com from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, June 12.
The 22-year-old PK Saenchai Muaythaigym product carries a three-fight winning streak into the bout. His last two wins came inside the distance. A one-punch knockout of Watcharaphon Singha Mawynn and a third-round TKO of Bejenuta Maximus earned back-to-back performance bonuses. Now a fourth straight win could put the US$100,000 contract within touching distance.
The turning point was not tactical. It was structural. Tomyamkoong identified a defensive weakness. He fixed it. The results followed.
“The main turning point for me was just putting in the work and fixing my defense. I locked down my guard and stopped taking unnecessary damage,” he said.
“Once my defense clicked, it gave me the ultimate confidence to just go out there and execute.”
Tomyamkoong spotted a pattern in Mammadov’s last fight and built his game plan around it
Tomyamkoong Bhumjaithai watched Mammadov’s recent loss to Yodlekpet Or Atchariya carefully. He found what he was looking for. Under sustained pressure, Mammadov fades. His guard loosens. The openings arrive.
Mammadov brings a 12-4 record and heavy hands. His punching output in the first round is his biggest weapon. Tomyamkoong respects it. He also has a clear answer for it.
“Looking at Anar, his hands are his biggest weapon. He throws heavy, fast punches, especially in the opening round when he’s still fresh. I definitely need to respect his power early on,” he said.
“In his last fight against Yodlekpet, he got dropped for a count and that completely threw off his rhythm. I noticed that when you push him hard and make it a dogfight, he starts to fade significantly, and his guard gets loose. If he leaves any openings like that against me, I’m going to make him pay.”