Diego Paez believes he has identified the key to stopping one of Thailand's surging stars when they meet at ONE Fight Night 40 on Saturday, 14 February.
The 32-year-old Colombian-American will face Black Panther in a flyweight Muay Thai clash that could solidify his position in the division.
Paez, who trains at Classic Fight Team in California, has already visualized exactly how this fight will unfold. The visualization process began the moment he watched Black Panther's most recent performance against Colombian sensation Johan Estupinan.
"I saw his last fight with the Colombian, and what's funny is when I saw the fight, every time I see someone in my weight class fight, I always visualize myself fighting him," Paez said.
That victory marked Black Panther's fourth consecutive win since losing his promotional debut. The 26-year-old Thai fighter secured a TKO finish over Estupinan, extending his winning streak and establishing himself as a dangerous contender.
Paez made his ONE Championship debut against Sean Climaco, falling short via close split decision. However, he bounced back in impressive fashion by defeating teenage phenom Johan Ghazali through another hard-fought split decision.
Now, the California-based striker looks to build momentum against an opponent riding high on confidence.
"I think he's young, he's hungry, he's on a good winning streak, and he's an amazing name for me to beat. And I'm all for it, and I'm ready for it," Paez explained.
Despite Black Panther's 4-1 ONE record and recent momentum, Paez has identified what he believes is a crucial weakness in the Thai fighter's approach.
"I think his biggest weakness is he's one dimensional. I think he has one style, one rhythm, and he's a come-forward fighter. I really want to finish. I need to start a lot quicker. The Thais aren't easy to finish, so I'm excited to go out there and perform," Paez said.
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