Danial ‘Mini T’ Williams predicts his upcoming ONE Championship fight is “not going to go the full distance” as he looks to apply heavy pressure against his next opponent.
The Thai-Australian striking sensation is scheduled to take on Banma ‘The Prince’ Duoji on Saturday, October 5 (AEST) under the bright lights of Bangkok’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium at ONE Fight Night 25: Nicolas vs. Eersel II.
Ahead of his flyweight MMA contest, Williams spoke exclusively to Fight News Australia about his match-up and revealed what he has in store for the up-and-coming Douji.
Having last fought in February 2024 against Lito Adiwang and losing by unanimous decision, Williams confirmed he is walking into the ring hungry for a win.
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“It’s been a while, so I need a win, I’m going to be hungry,” Williams told Fight News Australia.
“He’s got good hands, he’s got good takedowns, so I’ve always got to be vigilant, but overall I think I’m still one-up on him everywhere. I’m still working on the ground game, but that’s what I want, to see how much I’ve improved so far.
“I’m not worried by anything, I don’t find him too dangerous, I’ve just got to make sure he doesn’t land too many strikes and doesn’t get into rhythm with his takedowns.
“I think I’m going to outstrike him and stop his powerful takedowns, I’m not too worried about him, it’s a good evenly matched fight.”
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Outside of the octagon, life has not stopped for ‘Mini T’ as he discussed his decision to move further away from the bustling city of Perth which led to a change in gyms, and in turn, reignited the fire inside of him.
Williams said he remains on good terms with his former gym and coaches but revealed he was given the opportunity to help train a fellow Australian fighter from Perth’s Luistro Combat Academy. In the end, it made sense to make the switch due to the long distance from his new home.
“Cody Haddon, the guy who just got signed by the UFC, was fighting a more Muay Thai-based dude and they thought I’d be a perfect training partner for him, so the coaches approached me,” he said.
“At the time I was having a long break and didn’t have any fights on the horizon – I didn’t really want to jump in there straight away and it was good having the break.
“Ended up training with him and it’s been really good learning lots from them … and then obviously got the fight while I was training with them, so I was like I don’t want to change anything now, so I just continued what I’d been doing before I got the fight.”
Williams’ last few bouts have been MMA but after speaking to Fight News Australia, he made it clear he has a burning desire to return to his first love, Muay Thai, and hopes he can produce some new highlight-reel finishes which gave him his reputation as a must-see fighter.
“I haven’t had a Muay Thai fight since Rodtang. I’ve always wanted one since after that fight because in my mind I wanted to do Muay Thai first then I wanted to do MMA because I didn’t really want to jump between too much,” he said.
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‘Mini T’ has been fighting for quite some time now, shedding blood, sweat and tears for his fans, yet he continues to make the walk, entering both the cage and the ring simply because he “loves it so much”.
“I’m in a position where I don’t need to fight but I love it so much, I’m super hungry for it, so I just got to make things work and keep following my passion,” he said.
“I’m working on those weaknesses that have been exploited in a lot of my losses, which is the ground game, so putting a few more hours and focus into that.
“It was kind of interesting getting this fight, but I love fighting so I’m going to take it – I’m looking forward to the future and looking forward to the next couple of years.”
As he prepares to go to war yet again under the ONE Championship banner, Williams knows how tough his opponent is and shared some insights into what he and the fans can expect when he stands across the ring from Banma Douji.
“From what I’ve seen, he’s very technical, he’s a tall southpaw, they’re always the weirdest types for me to fight, so I’m looking forward to the challenge of gaining confidence in beating someone that I’ve had troubles with in the past with that sort of style,” he said.
“I’ve noticed in his past fights he doesn’t like the pressure, so I feel like that’s going to be my advantage and to be able to take his best shots and just keep coming at him, I’ll put on an entertaining fight and go for it.
“The fans can expect it to be action-packed, he’s exciting as well, so it’s just going to be one of those entertaining fights with a lot of highlights.
“I really need this so I’m going to take his best shots and then I’m going in there for the finish … it’s not going to go the full distance cause I’ll get that stoppage.”
Watch Danial ‘Mini T’ Williams return to ONE Championship on Saturday, October 5 (AEST) at ONE Fight Night 25 live through 7 Sport or the 7+ app.
