As ONE Championship featherweight, Keanu Subba (6-3) begins to taper off preparations for his upcoming matchup against Myanmar striking dynamo Phoe” Bushido” Thaw (6-0), the Malaysian mixed martial artist is acutely aware of the unique challenge presented in his upcoming bout at ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS in Yangon, Myanmar on Friday, 26 October.
A highly skilled stand-up specialist, Phoe Thaw has successfully blended his different martial art backgrounds of lethwei, aikido, and kyokushin karate, into a potent style all of his own making. Defeating the 33-year-old from Yangon remains a puzzle yet to solved.
Undeterred, Subba is not only aware of the challenge he faces but fully embraces the opportunity to test himself in an unfamiliar environment against an undefeated opponent.
“His style is a bit unorthodox as we don’t have many lethwei fighters in mixed martial arts, so that’s why most of his opponents have had problems figuring out his style,” Subba said recently in an interview in the build-up to next week’s clash.
“When I got offered this bout, I thought, ‘Whoa! That’s a cool challenge for me.’ It will be fun to go to this guy’s backyard, and I’m going to thrive on it.”
After 11 months away from the spotlight, Subba made a triumphant return to competition this past July with a first-round submission victory, in front of his home supporters over China’s Chao Xie at ONE: PURSUIT OF POWER.
Subba may have been out of the public eye for a moment, but that did not mean he was busy enjoying an extended period of rest and relaxation. Instead, the 24-year-old spent his time diligently training as he sought to improve upon all facets of his game.
“I learned a lot. Ever since then, I have been reading a lot of books, doing a lot of research, and fixing the things I needed to fix,” Subba said before his return bout with Xie.
For ONE fans, it was worth the wait to see a revamped Subba competing inside the cage once more. Subba’s history of consistently exciting performances now means his bouts are regarded by many as must-watch events whenever his name appears on an upcoming card.
Only recently, his barnstorming 2017 clash with Christian “The Warrior” Lee (9-3) was ranked fifth in ONE’s list of its top 100 bouts.
As good as his past performances were Subba’s immediate focus remains solely on the task at hand.
“Winning this will put me back in the mix with the top guys,” he said. “I need to validate myself as a contender so I can work my way up to the champion.”
However, as bright, as the competitive flame burns for Subba, it burns just as bright for Phoe Thaw.
The 33-year-old’s confidence will be sky-high coming off a superb first-round knockout victory over Cambodia’s Sor Sey back in February. If you factor in the support he will receive from the Myanmar faithful, who are earning the reputation as some of the most passionate fans in the world, then the scene is set for what promises to be an exciting, entertaining and perhaps even grueling encounter.
Subba needs only to watch Phoe Thaw’s bout with his fellow countrymen Saw Ba Oo last November at ONE: HERO’S DREAM to understand just how relentless and determined the Myanmar athlete is once the cage door closes.
Phoe Thaw and Saw Ba Oo fought themselves to a virtual standstill in a rollicking three-round encounter which pushed both athletes to their absolute limits and ended with Phoe Thaw being declared the winner via split decision. It remains the only professional bout of Phoe Thaw’s career to make it past the first round and stands as a powerful testament to the lengths he will go, to secure the victory.
At this level, all this is to be expected.
When the best compete with the best there are no easy bouts, no easy opponents or moments when an athlete can afford to drop their guard even for a minute, and as an athlete who seeks to test himself against the best in the world, one suspects that Subba would not want to have it any other way.
The post Keanu Subba Prepares For Trial By Fire In Myanmar appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.