Mohamed Younes Rabah is heading into his sophomore appearance in ONE with a ton of confidence, given that he’s already conquered his opponent once before. 

This Friday, February 16, “The Eagle” will rematch Saemapetch Fairtex in a bantamweight Muay Thai bout at ONE Fight Night 19: Haggerty vs. Lobo inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. 

In his promotional debut at ONE Fight Night 17 last December, Rabah came in as a late replacement to face the Thai veteran, who was seeking back-to-back wins to continue his rise up the divisional rankings. 

Mohamed Younes Rabah is ready to win his rematch

Despite having all the odds against him, the Algerian striker found form fast and secured a stunning knockout win in the very first round. 

However, controversy has surrounded their matchup ever since, as it appeared Rabah connected with a late knee as his foe was falling to the canvas. The shot drew the ire of fans, and Saemapetch still protests the result. 

“The Eagle” is aware of what has been said about his debut victory, so, in an interview with ONE, he laid out how he is looking forward to showing that it was no fluke in their rematch.

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“What excites me most about this fight is the opportunity to prove myself, once again, to leave no stone unturned in silencing the doubters. That’s the real thrill for me in this one,” he said.  

“I’ve already apologized for that knee incident. It wasn’t intentional. It just happened in the heat of the moment. However, if you watch the entire fight, you’ll see that I had already dropped him once. Honestly, even if that knee incident hadn’t occurred, I don’t think it would have changed the outcome of the fight.” 

Rabah confident of finishing the fight in the first round

While his words may appear as brash confidence, Rabah has the chops to back them up. 

After all, the Algerian striker remains unbeaten in his career, with a blistering 14-0 record. He also stepped into his first fight with Saemapetch at the last minute and took control of proceedings impressively quickly. 

This time around, he’s had a full camp and has been able to prepare himself strategically and mentally. So, he has every right to believe he can score another win. 

“Everything’s different this time around. In my last fight, it was all about scrambling to get ready with just a week’s notice between game planning and making weight,” Rabah said. 

“But now, I’ve had a full camp to prepare properly. From securing the right sparring partners to ensuring I hit weight correctly. Everything’s been dialed in. Technically, physically, and tactically, I’ve made significant adjustments. And mentally, I’m in a much better place. I feel completely ready for this fight. 

“It won’t be any different from the last fight. I’ll just remove that last knee, but other than that, the KO is inevitable. It’s going to be a first-round KO.” 

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