Kulabdam ready to go all out against veteran Rodlek for ONE title

Kulabdam scored an emphatic first-round knockout over fans' favourite, Sangmanee Klong SuanPluResort, at ONE: No Surrender III, punching his ticket to the tournament final.

The two-time Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai world champion is now scheduled to face CH7 Muay Thai world champion Rodlek PK Saenchaimuaythaigym in the co-main event of ONE: A New Breed, a live, closed-door, audience-free broadcast scheduled for August 28 in Bangkok.

The winner will move on to challenge Nong-O Gaiyanghadao for the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship.

Looking back on his most recent outing, Kulabdam says fans shouldn’t be surprised, because he achieved exactly what he set out to do.

“I know many people were shocked with the outcome [in my last fight], but I prepared myself to knock Sangmanee out and that’s what happened. I trained hard and I was able to achieve victory,” Kulabdam said.

“It will be my dream come true if I win this fight. I want to face Nong-O [Gaiyanghadao] for the ONE World Title. That is my goal.”

If he wants to reach his dream of facing the legendary Nong-O, however, Kulabdam knows he has to not just claim victory over the more experienced veteran Rodlek, but he also has to make a statement.

At nearly 10 years Kulabdam’s senior, Rodlek owns a superior Muay Thai record overall and has seen it all inside the ring. Although Rodlek did lose to top-rated contender Saempetch Fairtex in the semi-final round, the 30-year-old believes he did just enough to earn the victory, and fully deserves being tapped to replace Saemapetch after the latter recently fell to injury.

For Kulabdam, facing Rodlek is something he just simply can’t overlook, despite his opponent not reaching the final round in the traditional manner. Kulabdam is fully aware of Rodlek’s strengths, and knows he has to put together a perfect fight in order to win.

“Rodlek is a very experienced fighter who cannot be underestimated. But if I want to fight for the world championship, I have to win. I’m going in there with every intention of winning at any cost,” said Kulabdam.

“His biggest strength is his combination punching, sharp elbows, and powerful kicks. There are definitely a few things I have to watch out for. Rodlek is not an easy opponent for me.”

ONE: A New Breed brings together the best in local and international martial arts talent. The headline bout features ONE Atomweight Muay Thai world champion Stamp Fairtex of Thailand, who defends her title against promotional newcomer Allycia Hellen Rodrigues of Brazil.