"Didn't think I was going to make it to the fight" - Gurdarshan Mangat on his fractured rib pre-ONE 158

Gurdarshan Mangat’s last performance saw him engage in a blistering back-and-forth against Yodkaikaew Fairtex, yet he nearly failed to feature in that match.

Mangat fought to a split decision win over Yodkaikaew at ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen last Friday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. His performance was even more impressive than it might have seemed given what he went through in training camp.

In his post-fight interview, Mangat admitted that he wasn’t sure he was going to make it to ONE 158 after he fractured his rib almost a month before the fight.

Mangat said that a well-placed strike to his side would’ve been the end of him, luckily he was able to protect his midsection against Yodkaikaew.

Gurdarshan Mangat said:

“I was pleased with everything. A lot of things that people don't realize is that I fractured my rib actually, three weeks ago, and I didn't think I was going to make it to the fight. It was very painful. I was laying in bed for almost a week and a half. And so one kick or one punch in the wrong spot would have been a really bad situation.”

The Indian-Canadian grappler used his superior wrestling against Yodkaikaew, a natural Muay Thai artist, to control the pace of the first two rounds. The third round, however, became more of a striking matchup.

Mangat said that on top of preparing his body for the contest, the more pressing concern was getting himself mentally ready for a match against a seasoned striker.

“For me to mentally overcome that still make it to the next couple of weeks of training after that, and make it to the fight. I'm very happy with everything that I had to face during that time and still come up with a victory.”

---

Gurdarshan Mangat proud to have exchanged with Yodkaikaew

Gurdarshan Mangat is a seasoned mixed martial artist, having competed professionally since 2011. While he can handle himself comfortably on the feet, Mangat’s fight against Yodkaikaew might just have been his toughest yet in terms of striking.

Of Mangat’s 17 professional wins, seven were decision victories, while the other 10 are equally divided into submissions and knockouts. Yodkaikaew, though, presented a different threat on the feet.

Yodkaikaew holds a 60-25-2 Muay Thai and kickboxing record and was a Max Stadium Muay Thai champion. Nevertheless, Mangat was able to weather Yodkaikaew’s striking and he couldn’t be any happier.

"I was very happy with it. I shouldn't have probably done it as much as I did. I was happy with it. They go tit for tat, right. So you hit them, they hit you back. So when he would hit me, I would hit him back and the fact that I could stand in the pockets, that was my first time. So that was very cool to stand right there.”