ONE strawweight MMA mainstay Bokang Masunyane of South Africa believes he should be next in line for a world title shot.

At the moment, it appears Russian powerhouse Mansur Malachiev is the leading candidate to be the next challenger for undisputed strawweight MMA king Joshua ‘The Passion’ Pacio.

In an interview with Nick Atkin of The Bangkok Post, ‘Little Giant’ made his case for that long-awaited showdown with the Filipino superstar.

“So I believe I am next for the title shot. Respect to Mansur [Malachiev], but he’s on his way to fighting me. But obviously, he deserves his turn for a title fight, but I feel like I’m the official title fight contender.”

Masunyane also pointed out that Malachiev already lost to Pacio a few years back.

The 31-year-old insists it’s nothing personal against the Dagestani wrestling specialist, especially since they’re on good terms.

However, Masunyane thinks he has paid his dues and is ready for his big moment. He added:

“And respect, Mansur. Me and him, we have a very good relationship. From my belief, is that I’ve always been the guy knocking at Joshua Pacio’s door to fight for the title fight.”

Watch the full interview:

Bokang Masunyane wants to win a world title for South Africa

Bokang Masunyane proudly represents his roots on martial arts’ biggest stage.

That said, the strawweight MMA veteran wants to repay his supporters’ trust by bringing glory to his home country.

‘Little Giant’ told Nick Atkin:

“You know, I’ve got a very big backing in South Africa and just the level of friend group that I was able to build out throughout the year and had friends that I got to meet within the time. They’re all on the same goal towards me becoming a world champion, and they all 100 percent believe in it for me to reach my goals. So I’m very grateful for that.”