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“I have to win this fight” – Youssef Assouik aims for the world title in his debut win against Sinsamut

The highly regarded Youssef Assouik is determined to make an immediate impact in ONE's lightweight Muay Thai ranks when he makes his promotional debut at ONE Fight Night 25: Nicolas vs. Eersel II on Prime Video.

The Danish-Moroccan striker will face Sinsamut “Aquaman” Klinmee live in US primetime on Friday, October 4, and he is confident that a win over the two-time ONE World Title challenger will put his name straight into the fold will catapult you to the upper echelons of the division.

Assouik is already a decorated world champion and comes into the fight on an impressive nine-fight winning streak, but a comfortable victory over his Thai rival would prove he is ready to take on the best of the best in ONE.

With his sights set on the throne of Regian “The Immortal” Eersel, the 29-year-old sees his next assignment as a must-win if he is to progress towards a gold medal.

He told onefc.com:

“Sinsamut is a big name in ONE. He won against Liam Nolan, who I also competed against and won against. He's fought a lot of big names. I am looking forward to it.

“Sinsamut is in my way. I have to win this fight to have a great chance of winning the world title in the future. I want to become world champion in ONE.”

Sinsamut has an impressive record of victories in the largest combat sports organization in the world, including knockouts over Nolan, Nieky “The Natural” Holzken and Victor “The Lumberjack” Texieira.

With Aquaman's impressive resume, Assouik knows it will be a tough fight, but he's prepared to face the tough Thai head-on to claim victory:

“I can barely wait for it. It's a very exciting fight. It will be a tough battle from round to round. He will kick and I will kick too. He will hit and I will hit him too.

“It won’t be a slow fight. It will be an impressive fight with a lot of action.”

Assouik makes adjustments to defeat Sinsamut in ONE debut

Even though he already has experience competing against elite fighters at the international level, Youssef Assouik's ONE debut will still be a new challenge.

As the Copenhagen native puts on the 4-ounce gloves for the first time, he knows he must prepare for the changing demands of a fight of this magnitude:

“I'm training differently because it's the first time I'm fighting with small gloves. I'll just stick with my style and learn the different ranges.

“I train with MMA fighters because they have small gloves. I practice defense because I don't have big gloves. You have to catch the blow with your hands.”

This difference could be even greater due to Sinsamut's devastating right hand.

Assouik recognizes this danger and is preparing for it, but he believes he can weather an early storm and use his style to take the lead en route to victory.

He said:

“Sinsamut kicks and punches with her right side. He has a good right hand. He keeps his distance. He will like my style, I am an aggressive fighter. He will look good on me. I also like his style.

“He invests a lot of energy at the beginning, but it quickly wears off. He is weak in the stomach. But I never look at things as weaknesses.

“I’m going to keep my style, keep going, and if it comes, it comes.”

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