WATCH: Jamal Yusupov's first headlining fight in ONE Championship to secure his spot in the featherweight rankings

For Christmas in 2020, Jamal Yusupov enjoyed the gift of a ferocious fist fight.

At ONE: Collision Course II on December 25, 2020, Yusupov fought French-Algerian striker Samy Sana in his first main event for ONE. While children opened gifts, Jamal threw kicks at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Watch the full fight, uploaded to ONE Championship’s YouTube channel, which turned into a three-round technical showcase battle:

The first round saw Jamal Yusupov gain an advantage with the judges early when swept the leg of Sana as Sana threw a high kick. The straight left of Yusupov became one of his go-to weapons throughout the fight, countering Sana and forcing him to retreat.

Throughout the second round, the speed discrepancy between Yusupov and Sana became more evident, as Sana whiffed on strikes and Yusupov chopped away at the lead leg. The end of round two saw Jamal Yusupov drop Samy Sana with another straight left hand, which likely sealed the round in his favor.

Knowing he was down in the scorecards, Samy Sana became more desperate to finish Jamal Yusupov in the third. However, the Russian remained the far more accurate and cleaner striker, racking up body shots and more straight lefts.

The judges unanimously scored the fight for Jamal Yusupov, earning him a spot in the ONE featherweight Muay Thai rankings. He’d go on to beat top contender Jo Nattawut in his next fight, setting up a world title clash with Tawanchai this Friday.

Feeling ready in all areas, Jamal Yusupov believes Tawanchai’s recent success will end in ONE Fight Night 7 co-main event

Many are hailing Tawanchai PK.Saenchai is a Muay Thai prodigy, but Jamal Yusupov isn’t buying the hype.

The 39-year-old Russian Muay Thai fighter believes he has seen it all going into a world title fight with Tawanchai, who is 16 years younger.

Speaking to ONE Championship ahead of the big fight, Yusupov had this to say about his opponent Tawanchai:

“I would not say that Tawanchai’s recent activity would play any role in our fight. I am preparing for this fight very seriously. The training camp went well. I am ready both mentally and physically. I am focused on this fight 100 percent now.”

Yusupov won six Muay Thai and kickboxing titles in Europe before signing with the ONE Championship, where he is undefeated in three fights. Some of his former foes include Marouan Toutouh, Alim Nabiev, and ONE lightweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion Regian Eersel. Now ranked at number two in the featherweight division, he’s looking to prove that age is an advantage when he takes on Tawanchai this Friday.

ONE Fight Night 7 goes down from Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Friday, February 24th. The event streams on Amazon Prime Video in US primetime for North American subscribers.