Dmitry Menshikov Sees Unlikely Chance of a Sinsamut Win at ONE Fight Night 22

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ONE Championship's lightweight Muay Thai division is packed with contenders on the brink of a World Title opportunity. But one man looking to beat the pack to the gold is Russian star Dmitry Menshikov.

To do that, he'll have to overcome divisional stalwart and Thai superstar Sinsamut Klinmee at ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova this Saturday, 4 May, inside Bangkok, Thailand's Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. And Menshikov thinks his devastating run places Sinsamut in pole position to be his next victim.

"I'm stronger, faster, tougher. All of that combined will cause a lot of problems for Sinsamut. If I close the distance, he won't be able to change anything, and it will end very badly for him," Menshikov said. "He has absolutely no advantages over me. If I catch him with my punch, the fight will end early."

When Menshikov arrived in the promotion prior to ONE Fight Night 11 in June 2023, he was riding an 11-fight winning streak with 18 knockouts in 27 outings. That instantly made him a threat to ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Champion Regian Eersel.

However, his World Title dreams ended before they even began. The Russian suffered a stunning knockout loss to Eersel in the opening minute, so Menshikov has had to put the work in to climb the ladder once more.

To his credit, he has returned to the drawing board and put two first-round finishes together to earn his way back. And if he can add the accomplished Sinsamut to that list, Menshikov believes a World Title rematch with Eersel will be waiting.

"I'm doing everything I can to fight for the title again. Two knockouts in two fights is proof of that," he said. "I think I'm already the #1 contender for the World Title, but a win over [Sinsamut] will be a 100 percent guarantee that I will fight for the belt again."