Tomyamkoong Bhumjaithai, the 22-year-old phenom, is putting his red-hot four-fight winning streak on the line this Friday, October 30, against Moroccan striker Yassir “Salvador” Rassafi at The Inner Circle 36. This isn’t just another fight: Tomyamkoong is moving up to bantamweight for the first time in ONE, with a potential US$100,000 contract looming large. Talk about high stakes for his bantamweight debut.
From Skating on Thin Ice to a Four-Fight Tear
Remember when Tomyamkoong dropped his first two ONE outings? Back-to-back knockout losses to Suriyanlek Por Yenying and Rittidet Sor Sommai had him skating on thin ice. Seriously, he looked like he might wilt. But this isn’t that fighter anymore. The PK Saenchai Muaythaigym product absorbed those defeats with serious humility, and now he’s on fire. His four-fight winning streak includes finishes over Watcharaphon Singha Mawynn and Bejenuta “Gladiator” Maximus, showing off that namesake fiery soup burn. His last fight, though, was a true test. Hard-hitting Anar “Atilla” Mammadov gave him a genuine scare with a body shot in the first round at The Inner Circle 18 back in June. Tomyamkoong confessed, “I just got caught completely off guard. He landed a body shot before I could even brace my core, so it winded me immediately.” Instead of folding, he dug deep. “In rounds two and three, I just marched forward and put the pressure on. I had to get payback. I saw in the second round that he couldn’t handle the clinch, so I walked him down and took the fight inside.” He came back to snatch a satisfying unanimous decision. That kind of resilience? It’s a total game-changer for this guy.
Bantamweight Debut and the Rassafi Breakdown
Now, with 187 bouts under his belt, Tomyamkoong still sees himself as a student, but his confidence is through the roof. He said it himself, “Now that I’m on a four-fight win streak, my confidence is through the roof. I’d attribute it to my training and getting fully comfortable with the 4-ounce gloves. I lost my first two fights in ONE, but now I’ve completely adjusted.” For this camp, he’s been putting in the work, repping body shots and leg kicks, but the real kicker? He’s been sharpening his elbows, his signature weapon. He’s coming with a “complete arsenal,” ready for his move to bantamweight. He expects to feel right at home in this division, which is closer to his natural frame.
His opponent, Yassir “Salvador” Rassafi, is no slouch and is chasing something big too. Rassafi came agonizingly close in his promotional debut, losing a majority decision at The Inner Circle 29 after a late knockdown tipped the scales. Tomyamkoong, having been in those shoes, isn’t overlooking him. He’s already sized him up: “His main strength is his height, which makes him tricky to fight since he’s 12 centimeters taller than me. We’ll have to see on fight night what style he brings and how I’ll adjust.” But Tomyamkoong is confident he can handle that height difference. He knows Rassafi’s hands are his biggest weapon, but he sees a weakness too: “I think his main weakness is that he keeps a loose guard, leaving gaps for me to break through and land punches.”
This Friday, live in Asia primetime from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, everyone will be watching to see if Tomyamkoong’s new weight class and sharpened arsenal can push him closer to that life-changing US$100,000 contract. You can catch it exclusively for members at live.onefc.com. Don’t miss it!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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