Maksim Bakhtin carries the dangerous confidence of someone who has never tasted defeat, guaranteeing another spectacular knockout when he faces Thailand’s Tengnueng Fairtex in Friday’s main event.

The 22-year-old Russian headlines ONE Friday Fights 121 at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium with a simple message for his experienced opponent: prepare to join the growing list of fighters who couldn’t solve his puzzle.

Bakhtin’s perfect 10-0 record tells only part of his destructive story. His June promotional debut required just 77 seconds to obliterate veteran Javier Aparicio, dropping him with jaw-cracking hooks inside ten seconds before finishing with a spinning heel kick and crushing left elbow.

That debut destruction announced the arrival of a new knockout artist while proving his explosive reputation translates perfectly to ONE.

“It wasn’t my first time in small gloves, but I do prefer them because I can really feel my punches,” Bakhtin explained. “I feel I can understand my own strength better with them.”

The Thai veteran represents his biggest test yet, bringing 15 years of experience and 121 professional fights into their lightweight war. Tengnueng’s own spectacular knockout victory over Germain Kpoghomou proved his finishing ability remains intact.

But Bakhtin refuses to be intimidated by his opponent. The undefeated southpaw has studied Tengnueng’s weapons while keeping his strategy deliberately mysterious.

“I don’t want to give away too much of my game plan because I want it to be a surprise,” he revealed. “I know my opponent is very strong and experienced, with a powerful left kick I’ll have to watch out for.”

His ultimate prediction carries dangerous confidence: “The only thing I’ll tell you is that I want to knock my opponent out, and I think it’ll happen in the first, or at most, the second round. It will be a nice display, but I’m not telling exactly what that means.”

That cryptic promise suggests someone who has visualized exactly how this destruction will unfold.

But Bakhtin’s motivation extends beyond career advancement. The recent birth of his son has transformed his approach to fighting, adding emotional intensity to his already lethal skill set.

“I have a short and simple answer: I’ll spend it on my family. I’m a dad now, and I have a baby boy. That’s the biggest win of my life,” he said.

READ MORE: Tengnueng Promises “One or Two Clean Hits” Will End Bakhtin’s Perfect Record

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