{"id":429028,"date":"2026-01-22T02:40:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T02:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/429028\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T02:40:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T02:40:08","slug":"im-a-level-above-him-isi-fitikefu-promises-to-finish-undefeated-star-chase-mann-at-one-fight-night-39","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/429028\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019m A Level Above Him\u2019 \u2013 Isi Fitikefu Promises To Finish Undefeated Star Chase Mann At ONE Fight Night 39"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tongan-Australian star Isi \u201cDoxz\u201d Fitikefu<\/a> is supremely confident he operates on a different level than his next opponent, and he plans to prove it with a decisive finish.<\/p>\n

The 33-year-old will face undefeated American promotional newcomer Chase \u201cMannimal\u201d Mann<\/a> in a welterweight MMA showdown at ONE Fight Night 39: Rambolek vs. Dayakaev on Prime Video<\/a>, which airs live in U.S. primetime from Bangkok\u2019s iconic Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, January 23.<\/p>\n

Fitikefu enters this matchup riding a two-bout winning streak and looking to solidify his position as a serious contender in ONE Championship\u2019s stacked welterweight MMA division.<\/p>\n

The Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Smeaton Grange representative made his promotional debut with a pristine 7-0 slate in November 2022. However, he suffered a narrow split-decision loss to Ruslan Emilbek Uulu<\/a> in his first outing under the bright lights.<\/p>\n

After that, he bounced back in epic fashion, as he secured two impressive victories against tough competitors like Valmir \u201cJunior\u201d Da Silva<\/a> and Hiroyuki \u201cJapanese Beast\u201d Tetsuka<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now, Fitikefu plans to notch his third consecutive victory against Mann, a well-rounded 29-year-old American who carries a perfect 6-0 professional record into the contest at ONE Fight Night 39.<\/p>\n

Despite facing an undefeated opponent, Fitikefu has the utmost faith in his own abilities and believes the experience gap will be clear.<\/p>\n

Speaking to onefc.com<\/a>, the former rugby player<\/a> made his stance clear:<\/p>\n

\u201cI really just train in my own style. I don\u2019t train according to his style or someone else\u2019s style. I\u2019m doing what I can do within my control. No disrespect to the guy, but I believe there are levels to this game. I\u2019m not disrespecting him. I don\u2019t know what he\u2019s done, but I feel like I\u2019m a level above him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mann\u2019s inspirational journey to ONE Championship has resonated throughout the MMA community. The American overcame a difficult childhood marked by his parents\u2019 struggles with drug addiction<\/a> to forge a career in mixed martial arts.<\/p>\n

That toughness and determination have carried Mann to six professional victories without a single loss, each win bringing him closer to the global stage he\u2019ll now grace on Friday evening.<\/p>\n

However, Fitikefu has seen spotless records get shattered multiple times throughout his career, and Mann\u2019s flawless resume will not intimidate him when they enter the ring. The Tongan-Australian veteran approaches every battle with the same mentality regardless of circumstance or opponent.<\/p>\n

Fitikefu said:<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care if he\u2019s undefeated or if he has 1,000 or 600 fights. I prepare the same as I always prepare. It doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s a World Title fight or a normal fight. If you\u2019re in my way, I\u2019m getting past you. I always train like a maniac, and it\u2019s the same for this fight. I don\u2019t fear anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to his prediction for the fight, Fitikefu doesn\u2019t mince words.<\/p>\n

The Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Smeaton Grange product expects to add another finish to his resume, though he\u2019s uncertain exactly how or when that stoppage will arrive.<\/p>\n

Fitikefu offered:<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be going all out, hunting, attacking, and doing everything I can until I finish him. Could be round one, could be round three. I don\u2019t know which one it is, I don\u2019t know. Could be a knockout or a submission. But one thing\u2019s guaranteed: I\u2019m finishing him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fitikefu Plans To \u2018Bring The Heat\u2019 At ONE Fight Night 39<\/p>\n

Isi Fitikefu has built his reputation on applying constant pressure from the opening bell, overwhelming adversaries with a relentless pace that forces them to make mistakes. That approach has served him well throughout his career.<\/p>\n

Against Chase Mann at ONE Fight Night 39, the BJJ black belt plans to employ that same suffocating strategy, testing whether the unbeaten American can handle the intensity of ONE Championship\u2019s global stage.<\/p>\n

The Sydney-based MMA fighter said:<\/p>\n

\u201cI love to bring the heat. And if he doesn\u2019t like the heat, then get out of the kitchen. I\u2019m coming to bring the fight to him. I like my style because that\u2019s how I fight. If you don\u2019t want to be there, man, good luck. The only way you\u2019re going to get out of there is if I finish you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond his martial arts career, Fitikefu has become known for his love of pickleball<\/a>, often sharing his passion for the rapidly growing sport with fans and teammates. <\/p>\n

But when event night arrives and the bell rings, all distractions fade away. Fitikefu transforms into a focused, dangerous competitor who lives to test himself against the best MMA fighters in the world.<\/p>\n

When asked where a victory on Friday might position him in the divisional hierarchy, Fitikefu remained philosophical about his World Title aspirations:<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know where it puts me, but I believe in God\u2019s timing. He\u2019s got a plan for me, and it could be the next one, could be not the next one, but I\u2019m trusting in His plan. I\u2019m trusting God\u2019s plan.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tongan-Australian star Isi \u201cDoxz\u201d Fitikefu is supremely confident he operates on a different level than his next opponent,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":429029,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,786,785,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-429028","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-fighting","11":"tag-mma","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=429028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429028\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=429028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=429028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=429028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}