Julio Lobo “Overwhelmed” After Career-Defining Victory Over PTT
Julio Lobo had every reason to fold when the canvas met his back in the final minute of round one. Instead, he delivered the most significant performance of his career.
The 32-year-old Brazilian stopped Thai veteran PTT Apichart Farm via TKO at 2:01 of round two in a bantamweight Muay Thai bout at The Inner Circle 20 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, June 26. The win extended his ONE Championship streak to three consecutive victories and earned a performance bonus alongside the most meaningful result of his 67-win career.
“Honestly, I’m overwhelmed and so fulfilled right now. I’m overjoyed. I’ve been waiting a long time for this fight, waiting for the chance to taste victory on this stage and take home the bonus. So right now, I can say in one word — I’m absolutely thrilled,” he said.
PTT had come out firing in round one, dropping Lobo with a powerful right hand that threatened to derail the entire performance. The response between rounds was immediate and unambiguous.
“When I got back to the corner, my coach and the team in my corner immediately said, ‘Okay, you have to take this round back, or we’re going to lose.’ At that point we had nothing left to lose. My coach said, ‘Now you’ve got to go out there and fight with heart.’ And honestly, I already have a strong fighter’s heart, so I just did exactly that — went out and fought with everything I had and got the win,” he said.
The finish came against an opponent with more than 100 career victories, a result that few in the division could claim. For Lobo, the magnitude of the win was less a surprise than a confirmation of the daily work he puts in at Phuket Fight Club.
“[I’m] not surprised at all, because I’ve trained for this exact moment all along. I train hard every day with my coach, who pushes and challenges me hard every single day. So for us, it wasn’t surprising at all. Of course I knew it would be a tough fight, but I also knew I could do it — and I did,” he said.
With three straight wins now behind him, Lobo’s focus is on the life-changing six-figure contract that comes with continued success, rather than getting ahead of himself with talk of titles.
“I’m ready to face anyone. I’m not putting pressure on myself. I’m thinking step by step, fight by fight. Whenever ONE feels I deserve it and offers me a contract, I’ll start thinking about a World Title shot or whatever comes with it. But for now, I just want to enjoy doing what I do here,” he said.
“I love fighting at ONE Championship because this is the biggest promotion in the world. I love coming here and putting on performances like tonight — fights that leave everyone amazed and shocked.”
READ MORE: Rambolek Gets First ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title Defence Against Yod-IQ
Recent posts
