MOHAMMED “Jordan Boy” bin Mahmoud has his heart set on another quick night.
He is scheduled to face Japan’s Hiroaki Suzuki in a ONE Super Series Muay Thai bantamweight contest at One: Hero’s Ascent, which takes place at the Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on Friday, Jan 25.
The Kedah-born Muay Thai athlete’s bout was just announced as part of the card’s initial lineup.
“This is a big match for me, and I’ve only fought about a month ago at ONE Championship’s [most recent show] in Kuala Lumpur,“ the 22-year-old says.
“I’ll pray hard to bring the victory back for Malaysia, and I’d want another knockout on my record, if possible.”
In December, Mohammed stunned the audience at Kuala Lumpur’s Axiata Arena with a jaw-dropping knockout in his promotional debut.
The Sampuri Muay Thai representative needed only two minutes and twenty seconds to defeat Stergos “Greek Dynamite” Mikkios in front of his home crowd.
He hopes to relive that experience on Jan 25.
“I really hope this would be another similar outing,“ he admits.
Suzuki, however, will provide the Malaysian with a much tougher task when their four-ounce gloves touch in Manila.
Like “Jordan Boy,“ the Japanese striker made a lasting impression in his debut at ONE: Conquest of Champions in November last year.
He threw timely attacks at his adversary, Deividas “The Lithuanian Savage” Danyla, and went on to win via unanimous decision after three rounds of non-stop action.
“Suzuki is a world-class athlete,“ Mohammed admits.
“He has good punches and records great victories via points. I’m thrilled to share the stage against someone of his class.
“I was really excited when they called me up and gave me another chance to put my skills to the test. This is my first ever fight in Manila, and I cannot wait to experience the city and meet more world-class martial artists as I make my way up the division.”
Not only is this a chance for Mohammed to gain more competition experience and elevate his career, but this is also an opportunity to pick the brains of some of his favorite martial artists.
The Malaysian constantly wants to improve, so he intends to seek advice from the veterans competing at the event and hopes to obtain a few pearls of wisdom.
“At ONE: Destiny of Champions, I had a chance to ask a lot of athletes how they trained to be where they are today,“ he explains.
“I want to meet more of them as my career starts to grow. The more I ask, the better I get.”
One: Hero’s Ascent will be headlined by Filipino hero Geje Eustaquio, who defends his ONE Flyweight World Title against Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes in a historic trilogy bout.
