‘I’ll Catch Him’ – Sean Climaco Believes Akif Guluzada Will Run Into A Knockout At ONE Fight Night 31

Sean “The One” Climaco knows that he possesses the show-stopping punching power to derail Akif “King” Guluzada’s hype train.

The pair are set to throw down in an explosive flyweight Muay Thai scrap on May 2 in U.S. primetime at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II on Prime Video, live from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

A veteran of three thrilling fights in ONE, Climaco is a proven knockout artist with absolute dynamite in his hands.

Guluzada, meanwhile, is a 19-year-old Azerbaijani phenom and a true buzzsaw of activity each and every time he steps into the ring.

While some athletes might be hesitant to take on a dangerous young talent, Climaco certainly isn’t one of them. He’s excited to go toe-to-toe with Guluzada precisely because the latter is so youthful, confident, and aggressive.

The hard-hitting Filipino-American told onefc.com:

“I see he’s an explosive fighter. He likes to go for the finish. He’s young and hungry, which excites me right there.

“I think it makes it more of an exciting fight for the fans. And, with fighting guys like that, I think getting a finish is easier and just more of an exciting fight for me and the fans.”

Given each man’s propensity for throwing heavy strikes and their ruthless finishing instincts, fans should buckle up for a firefight when Climaco and Guluzada share the ring.

After winning the Road to ONE: America tournament with a trio of knockouts, “The One” made his promotional debut with a sensational first-round knockout of Josue Cruz, showcasing his world-class punching power on the global stage.

With that in mind, Climaco said Guluzada might be in for a surprise on May 2:

“My main advantage, I feel like, is gonna be the power. I don’t think he’s tasted the power that I have in my hands.

“I always say in every fight, I’m a different fighter than everyone, that all my opponents face until they face me. A lot of times, I feel like guys can’t trade with me. They can’t really prepare for me unless they’ve been in there with me before.”

In his most recent outing, Climaco earned a hard-fought split decision over former foe Diego Paez. Despite getting the victory, he said that reaching the final bell didn’t feel right.

The 30-year-old is confident that he’ll get back to his finishing ways at ONE Fight Night 31. He thinks that Guluzada – emboldened with the confidence of youth – could very well rush into the knockout blow:

“I just feel like he’s gonna run into something he doesn’t see coming. He’ll dart in, and I’ll catch him.

“After my last fight, it’s been a while since I had won a decision, and I realized, like, ‘Dang.’ It felt kinda off to me. I’ve always been finishing all my opponents every time I get a win. But after that, I realized, ‘Oh, it’s okay to not get the knockout.’

“But, of course, for the fans and to get the bonuses, you wanna get the knockout. So I’m not necessarily gonna say I’m gonna be looking for it, but it will present itself when it’s there. And, of course, I’m gonna go for the finish still.”

Climaco Says Maturity Will Be Key Againt Guluzada

Sean Climaco is 11 years older than Akif Guluzada – and he sees that as a major advantage.

He believes that with age comes patience, and with patience, the knockout is more likely to come:

“I’m at this stage of my career now, I feel like guys who are young and hungry that come guns blazing – I’m more like the patient fighter. Because back then, I used to be that type of fighter that always wants to go forward and go guns blazing.

“I’m still that kind of fighter now, but I’m also a little bit more patient with that now and have more experience.”

On paper, the teenage Guluzada boasts a much more extensive amateur career than Climaco.

But the California native doesn’t put much stock into his opponent’s past. Instead, he said his own wealth of elite-level training experience and maturity will be the keys to victory at ONE Fight Night 31:

“I guess the advantage of age is I’ve been training with a lot of high-level guys here in the Bay Area, and I’ve been training a lot longer. I have experience and, yes, he’s young. I saw that he has, like, over 200 amateur fights, but those are probably against other young guys his age that he’s had all that experience against.

“So I feel like this is a step up for him to be facing a guy in his prime and more of a mature fighter.”