Felipe Lobo will press on with his ONE Fight Night 43 clash against Nontachai Jitmuangnon after the Thai rising star failed to make weight in Bangkok.
Nontachai was the only ONE Championship fighter to fail his checks during Thursday’s official three-hour testing window at the fighter hotel, passing hydration on both attempts but coming in heavy twice for their bantamweight Muay Thai bout.
The Jitmuangnon Gym prospect weighed 147.4lbs on his second attempt, while Lobo came in under the 145lbs limit at 143.8lbs.
Nontachai opted not to make another attempt despite still having over an hour remaining in the window, with Lobo accepting the bout at a catchweight.
“I had no problem accepting the catchweight,” Lobo told the Bangkok Post on Friday morning. “I want to fight. I’ve put in a lot of work to my camp and I’m ready, let’s go.”
The 33-year-old Brazilian has lost three of his last four fights and is looking to rebuild towards another crack at gold, after failed title bids against Nong-O Hama and Jonathan Haggerty.
He will now do so against a young Thai opponent who told the Bangkok Post on Wednesday that he wanted to put Jitmuangnon Gym back on the map.
Nontachai also smiled as he sent Lobo a pre-fight message at media day.
Felipe Lobo looks on as Kulabdam celebrates a unanimous decision
“You have been in ONE Championship for a long time,” he said. “I think it’s time to maybe step down and let the younger generation shine.”
Lobo’s reply was brief.
“We’re gonna show him on Saturday,” he said.
The Brazilian’s preparation has also carried a different edge, with Lobo becoming a father two months ago.
He said the birth of his son had made this the hardest camp of his career, with broken sleep and family responsibilities layered on top of a crucial fight.
“Yes, it’s very tough, very hard. Not much sleep,” Lobo, who is based in Phuket, said. “I was sleeping in a separate room, but my wife’s family is not here, neither is my family, so it’s very hard.
“It was so hard. I lost many nights, didn’t sleep. But I have prepared very well, training so hard. Even if I don’t sleep well, I was there in the gym giving 100 per cent. It was the hardest preparation ever, I would say.
“But when you look at your baby it gives you extra energy.”
Lobo joked that he had at least been able to get some sleep during fight week, with his son still too young to travel.
Felipe Lobo says he endured his toughest fight camp ever
Despite his recent run, Lobo insisted he still believes he can fight his way back to a title shot.
“I’m training very hard every day and I still believe that I can be the champion,” he said.
“My only focus is on this fight. I have no plan yet, but I want to fight anyone who comes my way.
“I have a son and I need to work. So I’m open to fight everybody. Rambolek, Haggerty – Nabil is in the line again.”
The rest of the ONE Fight Night 43 card will go ahead as scheduled, including the featherweight MMA title fight between champion Tang Kai and challenger Shamil Gasanov.
Both men passed hydration and made weight without issue for the Lumpinee Stadium headliner.
The co-main event between Petchtanong Petchfergus and Ben Woolliss was also cleared, though Woolliss’ Soma Fight Club team later accused the former ONE bantamweight kickboxing champion of having a foot off the scale.
Ben Woolliss (left) and Petchtanong step on the scales at the ONE Fight Night 43 weigh-ins
“Ben’s opponent does the ol’ floating foot,” Soma wrote on its official Instagram story. “Well played Petchtanong.”
The 40-year-old Thai weighed in naked behind the privacy curtain, with Soma’s zoomed-in clip appearing to show him lifting his left heel from the scale.
Thursday’s session was a rare occurrence for ONE Championship weigh-ins in Bangkok, with the process finishing before the end of the official three-hour window.
Nontachai was the only fighter to disrupt an otherwise clean card.
