Ryohei Kurosawa predicts which round he plans to complete Bokang Masunyane at ONE Fight Night 39

Ryohei Kurosawa doesn’t see victory coming alone. He has already visualized exactly when it will arrive.

The Japanese striker meets Bokang Masunyane in strawweight MMA at A Fighting Night 39 on Friday, January 23 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. The 32-year-old brings a six-fight winning streak, including three knockouts, into his second promotional appearance. His confidence is at a career high after dominating Jayson Miralpez in his promotional debut last September.

The South African presents the toughest test yet. Masunyane maximizes every physical advantage despite being only five feet tall, using explosive speed and timing to neutralize taller opponents. Height means nothing when “Little Giant” drags you onto the canvas.

Kurosawa built his entire camp in The Blackbelt Japan around solving that puzzle. He dissected every frame of the fight film, looking for patterns and openings that most opponents miss.

“Bokang is very good at grappling and grappling, and he is very fast,” he said. “For this fight camp, I tried to find a similar sized body type built to Bokang Masunyane. That’s what my focus was.”

Ryohei Kurosawa sees opportunities in the late fight against Bokang Masunyane

Ryohei Kurosawa studied his opponent’s cardio patterns over three rounds and noticed a window that typically emerges as fights progress. The Japanese technician believes weathering the early storm creates clear paths to victory.

Masunyane explodes in the early rounds with a speed that overwhelms unprepared opponents. But Kurosawa plans to slow the pace initially, survive the blitz and then overwhelm the South African from round two. He has already mapped out how the fight ends.

“In all his fights that I’ve seen, he’s very fast. So I think I might have to slow down a little bit.” [in the first round]he said. ‘From the second round I can overwhelm him and maybe hit him to finish him. I have an image of me knocking him out. Maybe a knockout in the third round.”

That confidence has not led to complacency. Kurosawa studied Masunyane’s recent losses to Sanzhar Zakirov and Mansur Malachiev with the same intensity as his victories, looking for weaknesses and respecting the remaining dangers. Both defeats came by decision after competitive battles that proved Little Giant’s resilience.

This fight represents more than personal progress for the Japanese martial artist. He sees this as an opportunity to fly his country’s flag on the world stage.

“It will be important for me to keep winning and represent Japan in the best way possible,” he said. “I want to make my country proud, and the best way to do that is to win the next fight.”