‘I Want To Slay That Monster’ – How A Reborn Suablack Is Bringing The Fight To Shimon’s Backyard At ONE SAMURAI 3
· Yahoo Sports
Competing at the highest level of Muay Thai leaves an unforgivingly slim margin for error, a harsh reality Suablack Tor Pran49 has learned firsthand.
With that in mind, he enters ONE SAMURAI 3 as a completely reinvented martial artist, firmly rebuilt at flyweight and carrying a momentum that once felt entirely out of reach.
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On Saturday, September 12, the revitalized Thai veteran will face Japanese phenom Shimon Yoshinari in a high-stakes flyweight Muay Thai clash at Yokohama Buntai in Japan.
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Nothing about this moment came easily.
Successive defeats had pushed him to the edge. However, a stunning comeback knockout of Stephen “El Matador” Irvine at ONE Fight Night 45 last July reignited everything he had been building toward.
Before stepping onto Japanese soil, Suablack opened up about his career rebirth, a long-held dream, and the dangerous young fighter standing between him and everything he is chasing.
The Elbow That Changed Everything
The victory over Irvine arrived at the most critical juncture of Suablack’s career. Back-to-back losses had placed enormous pressure on his future, and his flyweight Muay Thai debut against the hard-hitting Scotsman offered absolutely no guarantees of relief.
After miraculously surviving a first-round knockdown, the 30-year-old tracked Irvine’s hook and drove an elbow home with devastating precision. Ultimately, that finishing sequence came straight from the playbook of reigning ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion “The Kicking Machine” Superlek.
Suablack said:
“I timed that elbow setup perfectly, waiting for him to step in with a punch before driving the elbow home. It connected flush with a loud crack!
“I studied them from Superlek. That elbow strike was something I specifically brought into the fight. It was my last resort. I couldn’t afford another loss, so I just had to slash with it.”
That dramatic comeback victory delivered a profound physical and financial boost.
The US$50,000 performance bonus went straight to the people who needed it most, funding a water well for his parents in the mountains and giving his wife the rest of the money to buy gold as savings.
With his life outside the ring secured, Suablack found his career simultaneously gifted a new lease and a fierce new fire.
He shared:
“My confidence is completely restored. I feel like my body can absorb strikes in this weight class now. I’m settling into the division, not getting tired or gassed, and my body can take shots to the midsection.”
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The Monster He Always Knew He’d Face
For years, Japan represented something Suablack could only admire from afar – a stage reserved for the elite, earned through the kind of performances that demand global attention. Now, finally, it’s his turn.
The price of admission will be steep, however.
Standing across the ring from him will be Shimon, who at just 21 years old is a former WBC Muay Thai World Champion, owns a 26-1 (1 NC) professional record, and possesses the kind of technical precision that has made him an overwhelming favorite.
The Thai said:
“It felt like an incredible opportunity. When it was announced, I was genuinely moved. It was always a dream of mine to fight in Japan under the ONE banner.
“I’ve been watching Shimon since he was young. I never thought we’d end up fighting because we used to compete in different promotions and circuits. But once he joined ONE and I dropped down to flyweight, I knew our paths would cross eventually.”
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Adding a deeply cinematic layer to this rivalry is a shared martial arts family tree.
Both men honed their craft under the watchful eye of legendary veteran Pakorn PK Sialaytentmungkorn, a man Suablack himself faced and lost to at ONE Friday Fights 137 last December.
Knowing they draw from the exact same well of knowledge, the Thai striker touches down in Yokohama determined to prove his mastery of those teachings runs deeper.
He added:
“Pakorn used to train him back then, and Pakorn trained me too. We’re both Pakorn’s students. We’ll just have to see in the ring whose application of Pakorn’s techniques proves superior.
“Everyone considers him the monster of the flyweight division. I want to slay that monster myself. If I can beat him, my future will look a lot brighter.”
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Silencing The Critics In Enemy Territory
Shimon carries extraordinary momentum into September 12.
Fresh off a stunning performance over Johan “Jojo” Ghazali at ONE SAMURAI 1 that secured a life-changing US$100,000 contract and global roster spot this past April, he steps onto home soil with a roaring partisan crowd firmly behind him.
For Suablack, though, the underdog tag changes nothing. Even through the most humbling setbacks of his career, he never once allowed outside noise to shape what he believed about himself. And he is certainly not about to start now.
The flyweight contender shared:
“The critics are tearing me apart! People are saying, ‘Suablack just recovered. Is he bringing a satin mattress to sleep on again?’
“Most people are giving me a 10 percent chance to win and him 90 percent. But I’m going to make that 10 percent a reality.”
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Turning that fierce defiance into a concrete game plan, Suablack has studied his opponent meticulously. He identified the exact moments when Shimon’s brilliance cracks and his composure slips.
Fully prepared to crash the homecoming party, the 30-year-old issued a final, chilling warning.
Suablack declared:
“He’s very agile and well-rounded. He’s virtually flawless, but I still see openings to win. He’s tough, but when he gets hit, he flinches. I saw several flaws that I can exploit.
“To young Shimon: don’t think you can use me as a stepping stone. I’ve fought plenty of young, hungry fighters like you. I’m going straight to your home turf to tame you.”
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