Championship experience breeds confidence, and WBC Muay Thai World Champion Selina Flores carries supreme belief into martial arts’ biggest stage. The American striker refuses to accept anything less than complete dominance against former title challenger Marie McManamon.
Flores faces McManamon in atomweight Muay Thai at ONE Fight Night 36: Prajanchai vs. Di Bella II on Prime Video on Friday, October 3, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. The 27-year-old San Diego native makes her promotional debut against the 35-year-old Irish-English veteran seeking redemption after her tough March setback.
She captured the WBC Super Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship last October. That victory made her only the third American athlete to achieve that distinction, cementing her status among elite strikers globally.
The “Teep Queen” studied McManamon’s promotional debut against reigning atomweight queen Allycia Hellen Rodrigues extensively. She identified strengths in her opponent’s range management and kick selection while spotting critical weaknesses to exploit during their battle.
McManamon’s long frame allows her to control distance effectively. But Flores believes those kicks lack damaging power necessary to deter aggressive opponents from pressing forward.
“I’m going to stick to the style that got me here, and I’m not going to change my style too much because I’ve been successful kicking, and I want to keep that. But I just want to add weapons now that I’m going to be in the smaller gloves,” she said.
“Whether it is a unanimous decision, whether it’s a TKO or a KO, those are the only three options that I have in my brain. I expect nothing less of myself than to absolutely dominate her in every situation.”
Marie McManamon returns with redemption mission
Marie McManamon’s promotional debut didn’t follow her script, but the setback fueled her return. The former Victory League Champion accepted her February clash against Rodrigues on short notice without proper preparation time.
A full fight camp changes everything for the Knowlesy Academy representative. Months of focused preparation addressing weaknesses from that title shot give her confidence she’ll land in the winner’s column.
The London-based technician studied Flores extensively. While the WBC Champion excels at controlling range with kicks, McManamon senses discomfort when action moves into close quarters where her clinch work shines brightest.
“My camp has been literally ongoing since April, and we’ve been working on stuff that I needed to improve on. I’m really excited to showcase what we’ve been working on,” she said.
“I do my best work in the clinch, and I think that will be the toughest area of this fight for her. I don’t hold anything back when we fight up close, and we’ll see if she can handle things in there.”
