Sean Climaco Excited To Showcase ‘American Muay Thai’ Against Fellow Californian Diego Paez At ONE Fight Night 28
The iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok will soon play host to a battle for American Muay Thai supremacy, as California natives Sean “The One” Climaco and promotional newcomer Diego Paez are set to throw down in a flyweight scrap at ONE Fight Night 28: Prajanchai vs. Barboza on Prime Video.
That matchup will air live in U.S. primetime on Friday, February 7, and will mark the third encounter between the two strikers.
A veteran of two entertaining battles in the world’s largest martial arts organization, Climaco spoke to onefc.com about his previous fights against Paez.
Given their history, he said fans can expect a barnburner:
“The first fight, I won by TKO. The second fight, he fought a little bit differently. He actually caught me with a spinning elbow at the end of the first round, which I felt like should have been a flash knockdown because I got up really fast as the bell rang, and then the ref gave me an eight-count. If I didn’t get that eight-count, I would have won the fight. That second fight ended up being a draw.
“This [third fight] is something that him and I have been like itching for over the last five years. It’s something he wants, something I want, and it’s gonna be an exciting fight, especially for American Muay Thai.”
Climaco believes that his experience under ONE’s bright lights in small-gloved Muay Thai will be a key factor against Paez.
“The One” understands firsthand just how dangerous punches can be in 4-ounce gloves. He won his promotional debut by way of highlight-reel knockout but then suffered a knockout loss to undefeated Colombian phenom Johan “Panda Kick” Estupinan in his next appearance.
Climaco thinks he’ll surprise Paez with the power he carries in small gloves. Even if he can’t score the knockout, he plans to apply a torrid pace for nine minutes:
“I don’t think he’s gonna be ready to take the damage I’ll bring, especially with the small gloves. It’s a different ball game with the small gloves. I’ve experienced getting hit with them in my last fight.
“It could be a dominant decision or a knockout. It’s only gonna be three rounds, so he’s not gonna have any chance to breathe in those three rounds. It’s gonna be at fast-paced, three-round fight.”
While the 30-year-old is focused on defeating Paez at ONE Fight Night 28, he’s also thrilled to be sharing the ring with a fellow Californian.
Considering the horrific wildfires that have ripped through the state, Climaco hopes that he and Paez can put on a show for their community:
“We could say that this fight is for California. We’re showing that California is strong and we’re all gonna get through this together.”
Climaco Talks Lessons Learned From Last Loss
After a sensational ONE debut in which he hardly broke a sweat, Sean Climaco was disappointed to suffer a defeat in his sophomore appearance.
Looking back on his wild back-and-forth brawl with Johan Estupinan at ONE 168: Denver, he said he learned plenty from the loss.
Both athletes scored knockdowns, but “The One” believes his own refusal to back down from a brawl – even when he was dazed – ultimately cost him the fight:
“What I learned was I don’t have to go into a firefight like that. I mean, I’m still gonna try to make the fight exciting, but if you’re ever rocked or hurt, then you should try to slow things down, learn how to calm down, and take your time to recover.
“I’m learning to take my time. Not every minute of the fight needs to be a firefight. It doesn’t need to be chaos the whole time.”
Ultimately, the CSA Gym representative is confident that he’ll take the lessons learned against Estupinan and apply them against Diego Paez on February 7.
With that in mind, he said Paez will be caught off-guard by how much he’s evolved:
“I now know how to stay composed and I’ve been definitely working on my defense, too. It’s gonna be a different fight, especially from the last two fights we’ve had.”
