‘I’m Fighting For My Life’ – Mohamed Younes Rabah Desperate To Bounce Back Against Eddie Abasolo
Mohamed “The Eagle” Younes Rabah believes he’s heading into a must-win situation at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug.
On November 8 in U.S. primetime, the Algerian sensation will battle American standout Eddie “Silky Smooth” Abasolo in a featherweight Muay Thai contest that will air live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
That matchup will be Rabah’s third appearance in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
He stunned fans in his unforgettable promotional debut last December at ONE Fight Night 17, scoring a shocking first-round knockout over Thai superstar Saemapetch Fairtex. However, “The Eagle” would suffer a KO loss of his own in their rematch two months later.
While the defeat to Saemapetch is now firmly in his rear-view mirror, Rabah admits the pain has given him extra motivation while preparing for Abasolo.
He told onefc.com:
“That loss broke me, but I came back stronger. I trained very hard for this fight because I think, in this fight, I’m fighting for my life because this fight means a lot to me.
“This is the most important fight of my entire life. I have to win. I am hungrier than him. I trained very hard.”
Rabah knows he’ll have his hands full against “Silky Smooth.” The American is an unorthodox and creative striker, capable of fighting in different styles and at different ranges.
With that in mind, the Algerian and his team have done their homework on Abasolo and have carefully studied his battles against Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong and Luke “The Chef” Lessie.
“The Eagle” says that Abasolo showed some weaknesses in those bouts – and that he plans to exploit them at ONE 169:
“Eddie is doing well, and the good thing about him is that he can change styles. He can adapt his game plan with different opponents.
“He fought Sitthichai with a game plan and then fought Luke Lessei with another game plan. Still, he made some mistakes and left some openings. We can see it, and we worked on it. Let’s see what happens.”
Ultimately, Rabah has plenty of respect for his upcoming foe but is nonetheless confident that he’ll be able to find the knockout late in the fight.
He plans to drag Abasolo into deep waters before scoring another highlight-reel finish:
“He’s very clever, very smart. He has good technique. But I think he is slow and doesn’t have enough power, and he leaves a lot of openings in his guard”
“I think this fight will end in the third round via TKO. I will make him tired in the first and second rounds and finish him in the third round.”
Rabah Feeling Healthier And Stronger At Featherweight
Mohamed Younes Rabah says fans can expect a new and improved version of himself when he takes on Eddie Abasolo at ONE 169.
That’s because – unlike his recent clash with Saemapetch Fairtex – this fight will take place at featherweight rather than bantamweight, giving the Algerian 10 more pounds of weight to work with.
He says that moving up in weight has allowed him more freedom to eat what he wants and train as hard as he can:
“This camp is totally different for me. In my last fight, all my focus was on making weight. I was stressed and scared that I wouldn’t make weight. I wasn’t enjoying my camp last time. I was eating less and training hard. Then I lost all my power.
“This time, I really enjoyed my camp. I ate well, I am healthy, and I feel amazing. Every time, I am excited to go the gym, I train very hard, and I recover very well.”
Rabah is preparing for Abasolo at the famed Venum Training Camp in Thailand under the careful guidance of former ONE superstar Mehdi Zatout.
According to “The Eagle,” he’s gone through a practically perfect camp and is excited to show the fruits of his labor on November 8:
“I have very good sparring partners at Venum Training Camp. I think this is the best team in the world. I always see myself as one of the best in our gym. So, when you are one of the best in a gym like Venum Training Camp, you have everything spot on.
“This fight is very important to me. I prepared very well. I feel amazing. I could eat everything, I am happy, and I enjoyed it. So I still have the power, I have everything, and this is the time to show the world who I am.”
