Capitan Petchyindee Academy to Mehdi Zatout: I don’t think he’s that dangerous
It’s a delicate line to walk between respecting an opponent and being confident of victory. But for reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Capitan Petchyindee Academy, that line is one he’s willing to tread against his next opponent.
Capitan makes the first defense of his World Title against former WBC Muay Thai World Champion Medhi “Diamond Heart” Zatout in the co-main event of ONE: REVOLUTION, scheduled to broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, 24 September.
The Thai superstar says that although he respects Zatout as a legitimate challenger to his throne, he doesn’t believe the Algerian striker is “that dangerous.”
“I’ve watched many of his fight videos. I think he’s a tough guy to deal with because he has [a lot of] experience in Muay Thai, and he’s also a good technical fighter,” Capitan told ONE Championship.
“[However], I don’t think I’m at a disadvantage. I know my weaknesses well from the last fight, and I know how to improve, so this shouldn’t be a problem.”
Capitan is fresh off a title-winning performance at ONE: UNBREAKABLE in January, where he defeated former champion Alaverdi Ramazanov to capture the coveted belt. Ramazanov is Zatout’s teammate at the prestigious Venum Training Camp in Pattaya, so Capitan is familiar with the style that camp employs.
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That being said, the 28-year-old titlist knows what to expect with Zatout when he meets him in the Circle.
“His strength is experience. I have to read his movements carefully and watch out for his punches, too. He has powerful and sharp punches. If I’m not careful enough, I might get knocked out,” Capitan said.
“But he also has a weakness. As for what I learned from his past fights, I noticed that he runs out of gas quickly. He always struggled at the end of the fight. He couldn’t fight for long. Maybe it’s because of his age. So, I’ll make good use of this point. I’m younger than him, so I can use my youth and strength to beat him.”
Now the king of kickboxing in the 65.8-kilogram division, Capitan knows he’s at the top of the food chain in a shark tank of competitors. Everyone he goes up against will be after his belt, and so the Thai warrior made sure he continues to upgrade his skills where necessary.
He plans to showcase his many improvements beginning with the Zatout bout.
“I don’t think he’s that dangerous, but I won’t underestimate his experiences. To fight with him, I should need more brain than brawn. I need to focus more on his game plan and counter wisely in order not to fall into his game,” Capitan said.
“I’ve undergone a special training program to improve my kicking force. We do the training to increase the muscles of both legs, which makes my kicks more functional and powerful. And we have special equipment that can measure my kicking speed and power. Now, I see that my leg muscles are stronger, and I can kick much harder.”
Any potential challengers, watch out.
ONE: REVOLUTION broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, 24 September.
In the main event, reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Christian “The Warrior” Lee defends his world title against #3-ranked lightweight contender Ok Rae Yoon.
