Superlek: Tagir Khalilov reacts to Rodtang’s 10M baht per fight: “I come not for money, I come for wins”

Russian striker Tagir Khalilov hopes to land a big payday at some point in his career but until then he vows to continue fighting and getting the wins.

‘Samingpri’ shared this to the South China Morning Post in reaction to reports that Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon is set to receive 10 million baht per fight in ONE Championship moving forward, making him the highest-paid Muay Thai fighter in the world.

Tagir Khalilov said considering the standing of Rodtang as a fighter in the promotion, he is not at all surprised at the development just as he shared his own goals for his journey.

The 30-year-old Samingpri Muay Thai Gym standout said:

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“You know he’s a big name now, he's a superstar now at ONE Championship but you know I come not for money, I come for wins, and I come to become number 1 in the world.”

Check out the interview below:

Tagir Khalilov’s campaign resumes on July 14 at ONE Fight Night 12 on Prime Video at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.

He will take on Superlek Kiatmoo9 in the headlining flyweight Muay Thai showdown of the event, which is available for free to Prime Video subscribers in North America.

The Yekaterinburg native is looking to make it three straight wins to pad his push for a shot at the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title long held by Rodtang.

Incidentally, Tagir Khalilov and Rodtang met in February 2021 in a kickboxing showdown where the Thai juggernaut narrowly won by split decision.

Superlek, for his part, is fighting on a short turnaround as he is just three weeks removed from his last outing.

Despite that ‘The Kicking Machine’ said he is in tiptop shape and ready for battle.

Superlek is concurrently the ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion and No. 1-ranked Muay Thai contender in the division.

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Edited by Taimoor Malik