‘I Was Confident’ – Dzhamil Osmanov Reflects On His Life-Changing Knockout Win At The Inner Circle 33
Undefeated Russian phenom Dzhamil “Curly Ninja” Osmanov has never needed a second round to make his point on the global stage, and a life-changing US$100,000 main roster contract now serves as the ultimate proof of that.
The undefeated 21-year-old put on a statement performance against British veteran Ben “The Problem” Woolliss at The Inner Circle 33, which was broadcast live in Asia primetime, exclusively for subscribers at live.onefc.com, from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, October 2.
Osmanov was locked in right from the onset of this bantamweight kickboxing contest. The Venum Training Camp and Akhmat Kickboxing star uncorked shots to the head and body that floored “The Problem” twice inside the first minute. A heavy body blow then wrapped up his third promotional outing in style at the 1:24 mark.
Finishes this clean are built long before the walk to the ring. With his hard work paying off and a third straight highlight-reel win on his record, “Curly Ninja” had plenty to say about the tough weeks leading up to it.
Osmanov offered:
“The preparation for this fight [was done] very professionally. I took everything seriously – from my sleep, my nutrition, my training, everything.
“My team, my coach, my trainer, and my brother really came together to give me maximum effort. But most importantly, I was confident. So, it showed during the fight.”
As in his first two outings in ONE Championship — first-round finishes of Cho “Dynamite” Kyeong Jae and Guyasit Singha Mawynn — his finishing power proved the difference once again.
How the fight played out inside the mecca of Muay Thai, however, was not exactly how he had drawn it up.
The young gun, now 8-0 in his career, continued:
“Honestly, I thought that we were going to do the whole first round, and I would get him in the second round.
“I thought I was just going to feed him a few jabs in the first round, but it turns out he couldn’t handle it. From there, [it was just] instinctive for me to go for the k*ll.”
Osmanov Was Raised For This Moment
Dzhamil Osmanov’s instinct traces back to his roots. He was a kid when his father first brought him and his older brother, Elbrus “The Samurai” Osmanov, to train, and the two have grown up in the sport side by side ever since.
Being raised in the gym shaped far more than his technique. It shows in how he carries himself whenever the stakes rise, and his reaction after the win was as unfazed as the finish itself.
The 21-year-old added:
“There are levels to this game. This is our work. We do our work every day. I came out and did it with confidence. It’s just that it’s my time. I come from a place back home where you don’t come into things thinking with fear.”
That fearless mindset carried “Curly Ninja” through three first-round finishes in ONE, and it has now earned him the biggest reward of his young career – a life-changing US$100,000 main roster contract.
It is a milestone he gets to share with family, too. The deal puts him on ONE’s biggest stage alongside his older brother, Elbrus, who has already spoken about sharing a card with him at a future ONE SAMURAI event in Japan. For the younger Osmanov, the news itself arrived in a way he never saw coming.
He shared:
“When Mitch spoke, it sounded like he was going to tell me I need to keep building up [my streak]. So, I was like, ‘Okay, I guess I got to keep going.’ But when Mitch switched his comment, I was shocked.”
