Iraq’s Ayad AlBadr will take to the ring this week with potentially his toughest task to date at ONE Friday Fights 33. 

Having made his ONE Championship debut earlier this year, AlBadr is facing Teeyai PK Saenchai looking to establish himself in both the win column and wider organisation.

The Iraqi athlete, who trains under retired Algerian fighter Mehdi Zatout, hopes to recover from his narrow debut defeat in which he lost via a controversial unanimous decision against his Malaysian counterpart Elias Ghazali at ONE Friday Fights 2 on January 27.  

Taking place at a 129lbs catchweight, this bout is a tough one for the Iraqi, with Teeyai having three wins under his belt from three contests in ONE – two of those have come by impressive stoppages.

AlBadr is a two-time IFMA gold medal winner, and was their fighter of the year back in 2018, so comes with an impressive pedigree, which he will now be keen to translate into one of the biggest stages in the sport.

The Venum Training Camp athlete has been working intensely since his January loss, and looks particularly sharp – and ready to cause what many would consider an upset on Friday.

Teeyai holds an overall record of 58-20 while Albadr’s professional record stands at 12-5. 

Albadr is the first Iraqi fighter to participate in ONE Championship’s weekly fight series ONE Friday Fights while his compatriot Mustafa Al Tekreeti featured on the ONE Friday Fights 3 card.

ONE Friday Fights 33 comes live from the famous Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Bangkok on Friday September 15. Fight fans in the MENA region can watch the first half of the card (including AlBadr) on BeINSPORTS from 3.30pm MECCA. The other half of the card is broadcast on ONE Championship’s official YouTube channel and on watch.onefc.com