Suriyanlek Refuses To Be A Stepping Stone For Unbeaten Rustam Yunusov
Suriyanlek Por Yenying has read the comments. Plenty of fans believe he is simply the next name on Rustam “Tomahawk” Yunusov’s way to a ONE contract, and the Thai veteran is determined to prove them wrong.
The 30-year-old faces Yunusov in the flyweight Muay Thai main event of The Inner Circle 34 on Friday, October 9, live from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. The event streams exclusively for members at live.onefc.com.
Suriyanlek returns from a hard-fought unanimous decision loss to Ramadan “The Scorpion” Ondash, a defeat that snapped his momentum toward a US$100,000 contract. He has been brutally honest about what went wrong.
“The fight against Ramadan was really entertaining, but I made a mistake and got dropped in the second round. I was too fixated on landing my left hook counter, which left me open and a bit sluggish,” Suriyanlek said.
“I was just slower than him, so I couldn’t get my punches off in time. His hands were both heavier and faster than mine.”
Yunusov presents a different kind of problem. The 19-year-old protege of Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin holds a perfect 17-0 record, including 8-0 in ONE since joining the promotion in 2024, and he sits on the brink of a six-figure deal of his own.
Suriyanlek, an 86-32 striker with 11 ONE wins and more performance bonuses than anyone on the weekly series, knows exactly what the matchup is supposed to represent. The Tor Sangtiennoi affiliate has nearly 120 professional fights behind him, and he still has not landed the contract he wants.
That makes the stepping-stone narrative personal. If Suriyanlek cannot have a contract yet, he sees no reason why Yunusov should get one at his expense.
“People view me as a stepping stone for him to secure a contract, but I don’t think it’s going to be that easy for him. Passing this fight won’t be a walk in the park. If I haven’t secured a contract yet, he shouldn’t get one either,” Suriyanlek said.
“I’m going to do everything I can to halt his momentum.”
Recent posts
