{"id":472284,"date":"2026-02-13T11:45:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T11:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/472284\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T11:45:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T11:45:15","slug":"black-panther-unfazed-before-exciting-feb-13-clash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/472284\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Panther Unfazed Before Exciting Feb. 13 Clash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thai star Black Panther expressed unwavering confidence in his traditional Muay Thai approach ahead of his flyweight contest against Colombian-American striker Diego Paez at ONE Fight Night 40: Buntan vs. Hemetsberger II<\/a>, which goes down live in U.S. primetime on Friday, February 13.<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old strongly believes that Thailand\u2019s Muay Thai ways remain unbeatable against foreign strikers. He analyzed Paez\u2019s MMA-influenced style and dismissed concerns about the California-based fighter\u2019s defensive capabilities.<\/p>\n

Black Panther brings an 80-17 career record and a four-bout winning streak into the battle at Bangkok\u2019s Lumpinee Stadium. Following a tough promotional debut, he has been unstoppable in ONE Championship.<\/p>\n

Thai Striker Black Panther Puts Trust in Traditional Muay Thai Approach<\/p>\n

Black Panther stressed his complete confidence when facing international opponents. He described Paez\u2019s style as resembling an MMA striker with effective boxing, quick footwork, and powerful low kicks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m facing Diego this time, and I\u2019m not worried. I\u2019m never scared of fighting foreigners. I have total faith that our Muay Thai is world-class and can\u2019t be beaten. Diego fights a bit like an MMA striker \u2013 good hands, fast footwork, and heavy low kicks,\u201d the Thai stated.<\/p>\n

Paez, who is very close with his 9-year-old son<\/a>, carries a 1-1 promotional record into this matchup, both of which were split-decision verdicts. The 32-year-old, who trains at California\u2019s famed Classic Fight Team, fell to Sean Climaco in his February 2025 debut, but he rebounded with a close victory over teenage sensation Johan Ghazali.<\/p>\n

Black Panther Dismisses Defensive Concerns
\n\"Muay<\/a>Image Courtesy of ONE Championship.<\/p>\n

Discussing Paez\u2019s defensive capabilities displayed in his victory over Ghazali, Black Panther expressed confidence that his versatility will overcome any technical challenges the Colombian-American may present. The Thai striker highlighted his ability to fight effectively both as an aggressor and counter-striker.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe looked solid defensively when he beat Johan [Ghazali], but his defense won\u2019t be a problem for me. I can fight going forward or off the back foot. I\u2019m not scared of that style \u2013 I\u2019ve got elite sparring partners at my gym who fight exactly like that,\u201d Black Panther explained.<\/p>\n

The Thai\u2019s four-fight winning streak proves his ability to adapt and overcome diverse striking styles. His training with Team Mehdi Zatout provides world-class preparation that has produced numerous ONE Championship contenders and champions.<\/p>\n

Veteran Sees Career-Defining Opportunity<\/p>\n

Black Panther predicted an exciting battle<\/a> while promising to capitalize on any openings his rival presents. The Thai striker also framed this contest as the most important of his promotional career.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it doesn\u2019t end in a knockout, it\u2019s definitely going to be an exciting war. If he backs up, I\u2019ll press. If he comes forward, I\u2019ll counter. The moment I see an opening, I\u2019m closing the show. I think this is the most important fight of my ONE career,\u201d Black Panther said.<\/p>\n

The flyweight clash promises high-level striking as traditional Thai Muay Thai meets hybrid MMA-influenced striking. Both fighters bring finishing threats that create knockout potential throughout their epic showdown on ONE Championship\u2019s U.S. primetime broadcast.<\/p>\n

ONE Fight Night 40 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, February 13. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET\/5 p.m. PT. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers in the U.S. and Canada.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thai star Black Panther expressed unwavering confidence in his traditional Muay Thai approach ahead of his flyweight contest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":472285,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[49,48,641,638,82],"class_list":["post-472284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-fighting","tag-mma","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472284\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/472285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}