India's Rahul Raju ready to face Pakistan's Mujtaba in ONE: Unbreakable III

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Bengaluru, February 2: Rahul "The Kerala Krusher" Raju will return to mixed martial arts action in the finale of ONE Championship's UNBREAKABLE event series this Friday, 5 February.

That evening, the Indian native will face Pakistan's Ahmed "Wolverine" Mujtaba at the previously recorded ONE: UNBREAKABLE III, which took place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The pair were supposed to meet twice already, but their schedules never seemed to align, and the bout kept getting postponed. Now, the athletes will finally meet - and their matchup will carry extra meaning based on the countries involved.

"The India-Pakistan rivalry will always be there, and this bout will not be any different. But I am taking this in a positive way. I believe we can pull bigger crowds to the fights this way," Rahul Raju said.

"I represent a peaceful sport and there is no hate in my mind. We should only spread love and peace to everyone.

"For the Indian fans, I guarantee that I will always do my best. Even though this fight was on short notice, I want to tell them that I have put in lots of hard work. I will make you guys proud."

Raju is also trying to redeem himself after losing to Amir Khan late last year. Khan scored a first-round KO of "The Kerala Krusher" in October.

"To be honest, it was all going well but the last week before the bout was a tough one for me. I think I was a bit mentally weak for some reasons. I could not sleep properly at the hotel and I had some issues with the food too," Raju said.

"This time I am trying to make sure to make a few small changes, like taking my own pillows, drinking herbal teas, only ordering food from the places I know. I am going to keep my intake to a minimum. I will try my best to get better sleep and be calm.

"Talking about the performance against Amir Khan, I truly feel that I was not there 100 percent. I am well-aware of my technical mistakes. I learned it in a harsh way. I will never let my guard down ever again, especially while separating away from the clinches. I will never repeat this mistake again."

Raju may not have to worry so much about another knockout in this bout, though. That's because the Pakistani athlete is known for another set of dangerous skills.

"[Mujtaba] is a good fighter, and this will be his first lightweight fight. His strength is his timing - his timing is really impressive. I like how he mixes up things and pulls out takedowns so perfectly," Raju said.

When it comes to his own game plan, "The Kerala Krusher" won't reveal his secret sauce. Instead, he's just promising fans that they can expect the Raju of old.

"I feel really happy and blessed to get this opportunity, and I am ready for this," he said.

"I haven't 'planned' anything. This time I am just going to fight my way. I am quite confident and well-prepared for this bout."

Watch the previously recorded ONE: UNBREAKABLE III on Hotstar or Star Sports Select 2 at 6 PM India Standard Time (IST).

Source: Press Release