An intriguing lightweight kickboxing battle is sure to start “ONE Fight Night 12: Superlek vs. Khalilov” with a bang this Friday.
Moldovan contender Constantin Rusu will face rising Bulgarian star Bogdan Shumarov in the curtain-raiser of ONE Championship’s latest spectacle to air live and free on Amazon Prime Video for subscribers across North America.
ONE lightweight kickboxing world champion Regian Eersel is eagerly awaiting his next challenger, and Rusu could be the man to face him if he scores a win this weekend.
Here’s why we think that.
1. He’d be on a three-fight winning streak
Rusu has quietly compiled a strong body of work since joining the ONE Championship roster.
“Lioncrusher” has won his first two bouts in the promotion, first over Marouan Toutouh in June 2022 and then against former ONE kickboxing world title challenger Islam Murtazaev in October.
If Rusu can stop Shumarov, who was massively impressive in his debut win against Marwen Houli at ONE Friday Fights 6 in February, it would push his streak to three and announce him as an undeniable threat to the divisional throne.
2. He’s one of few yet to face Regian Eersel
Eersel has been utterly dominant in his ONE career so far.
“The Immortal” has won all 10 of his promotional appearances so far, taking his overall winning run to a staggering 22 fights.
The Surinamese superstar has racked up wins over a large portion of the lightweight striking roster, including against Murtazaev and Arian Sadikovic, as well as besting Sinsamut Klinmee and Dutch legend Nieky Holzken twice each.
But Eersel has yet to face Rusu, so the 29-year-old has a massive opportunity to set himself apart from the pack at ONE Fight Night 12.
3. The timelines match up
Eersel’s most recent appearance was a 46-second destruction of highly rated promotional newcomer Dmitry Menshikov last month.
The 30-year-old defended his ONE lightweight muay Thai world title in the process but indicated post-fight that he would like his next bout to be a fifth defense of his kickboxing strap.
If Rusu can leave the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium victorious and uninjured on Friday evening, the timeline for a showdown with Eersel could line up perfectly.
The pair would have fought only a month apart, and both men would be undefeated as ONE athletes, making for a potential blockbuster showdown for the ONE lightweight kickboxing world title in the latter months of 2023.
