A pivotal MMA battle in ONE Championship’s featherweight division is set to go down this Friday, June 9, as “ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov” on Prime Video broadcasts live in U.S. primetime.
Third-ranked featherweight contender Ilya Freymanov (11-2) will put his spot in the rankings on the line when he meets Mongolian knockout artist Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg (6-3) on the star-studded card.
A lightweight world title may be on the line in the main event and co-main event, respectively, but this matchup could very easily steal the show, and it will undoubtedly offer up a future challenger to Tang Kai‘s featherweight gold. For that reason alone, U.S. and Canadian fans should tune-in live (and it’s free with an Amazon Prime membership).
Here’s what both fighters will need to focus on if they want the best chance of leaving the ring victorious this Friday night.
1. Zoltsetseg thrives in the chaos
Despite his Olympic boxing pedigree, Zoltsetseg is a fighter who thrives in a brawl.
As such, the Mongolian star will use quick head movement to defend himself and look to open up on his rival while exchanging in the pocket.
Zoltsetseg has reeled off four highlight-reel knockouts in his ONE career thus far, but his most recent victory – over China’s Ma Jia Wen – was possibly his most chaotic yet.
Less than a minute into their 2020 contest, the 26-year-old caught his onrushing foe with a hard right hand that sent him crashing to the canvas.
The dazed Ma was quick to grab a leglock once there, but in his detached state, he managed to secure the submission on referee Olivier Coste. The fight had already been waved off by then, though, handing Zoltsetseg his fourth straight win.
With three of his ONE Championship knockouts coming early in the first round, Zoltsetseg’s power and speed will pose a very real threat to Freymanov in the opening exchanges.
2. Freymanov brings a varied attack
While his foe will rely on heavy hands in the ring, Freymanov possesses a more diverse striking arsenal.
The former ISKA muay Thai world champion’s record is littered with knockouts via knees, kicks, and punches, and that diversity was on display in his one-round demolition of former two-division ONE world champion Martin Nguyen in his promotional debut last October.
Freymanov mixed in stance switches while peppering “The Situ-Asian” with leg and body kicks, before he ultimately closed the show with knees and punches.
If the Russian striker can utilize this array of skills on Friday, it will go a long way toward helping him secure victory.
3. Zoltsetseg can go all night
While Zoltsetseg has a series of early knockouts on his record, he has shown his ability to sustain a furious pace as well.
The Mongolian powerhouse outworked Chan Samart over three rounds when they faced off in 2019, and he maintained a relentless onslaught to score a second-round TKO win over Ali Motamed that same year.
Freymanov has only appeared in the world’s largest martial arts organization once so far, and he got the job done inside a single round on that occasion.
Therefore, the jury is still out on how his stamina will fare if their featherweight battle goes into the latter stages at ONE Fight Night 11 – but that’s something fans don’t have to worry about with Zoltsetseg.
4. Freymanov is physically imposing
Freymanov might only be one inch taller than his upcoming foe, but he is certainly an imposing figure.
The size difference was apparent in the ONE circle against Nguyen, drawing a number of comments from the commentary team that October night.
The Russian used his stature to his advantage whenever he and Nguyen engaged, and he’ll fancy his chances of using it again this time around.
Freymanov might choose to press Zoltsetseg against the ONE circle wall to slow him down early on. And if he can manage his strength and three-inch reach advantage wisely, he’ll be in a good position to claim the win.
