Gurdarshan Mangat reflects on win at ONE 158: I wanted to give Indians something to celebrate

Bengaluru, June 19: Gurdarshan Mangat didn't have an easy time before stepping into the Circle to face Yodkaikaew Fairtex at ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen. Aside from physical adversity, he also had to go through mental struggles.

But those hardships were all worth it as he claimed a split-decision victory over the hard-hitting Thai, which put him on a two-fight winning streak, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

He hopes the win helps lift up the spirits of his fellow Indians after the death of iconic rapper Sidhu Moose Wala.

"Of course, it feels amazing. I've put a lot of work into these fights, especially because I carry a lot on my shoulders representing my people. And this week was a heavy week for my community," the 35-year-old Indian-Canadian told ONEFC.com.

ONE 158 results and recap: Mangat edges Yodkaikaew, Tawanchai knocks out Larsen

"We had the passing of a very influential idol musician. Indians worldwide have been mourning all over North America and the world. I wanted to give them something to celebrate."

Despite his victory, he has nothing but praise for his formidable opponent, who gave him everything he could handle. But his instincts prevailed after he brought the bout to the canvas.

"Yodkaikaew is a power puncher, man. He has strong punches and strong kicks. I think there was a cross that he hit me with in the third round," the Xtreme Couture representative said.

"That was probably the hardest I've been hit in a long time. But I think I got to takedown right after that. That goes to show that I don't retreat. I come forward. You hit me hard, and I will come back twice as hard."

Now, Mangat would like to face former ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje Eustaquio to keep his momentum going. They had been scheduled to fight each other multiple times, but their matches didn't pull through for various reasons.

A win over "Gravity" could propel Mangat into the top-five contender rankings of the ONE flyweight division because Eustaquio has victories over #2-ranked Kairat Akhmetov and current ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano Moraes.

ONE Championship returns to action with ONE 159 on 22 July. Two-division ONE World Champion Reinier de Ridder will defend the ONE Middleweight World Championship against Vitaly Bigdash.

Also, ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion Janet Todd takes on WBC Muay Thai World Champion Lara Fernandez for the ONE Interim Women's Atomweight Muay Thai World Title. 

Source: Media Release