Agilan 'Alligator Thani believes his welterweight clash in Kuala Lumpur at the Axiata Arena next Friday, 6 December, could be a career-defining moment.

The Malaysian phenom takes on American athlete Dante Schiro, a late replacement for Thani’s original opponent, Mohammad Karaki.

“This guy is slightly taller than me, and a bit lanky too,” the 24-year-old said ahead of their match-up at ONE: MARK OF GREATNESS.

“He is built more or less like Yushin Okami, and because of that, I think it will be a good match-up.”

The change of name forced Thani to revamp his training camp, but his desire to succeed remains unchanged.

Although the situation hurt him at the start, he could not turn down a chance to compete in front of his fans.

“Karaki pulling out was sad, because these days when I do a training camp, I spend quite a lot of money to bring in the best guys from around the world to train me,” the former MIMMA Welterweight Champion said.

“But I cannot change what happened, and I wish him nothing but the best.”

Thani is eager to secure another win after a split-decision loss to Yushin “Thunder” Okami in his last contest. He performed at his best, often catching Okami off-guard throughout the 15-minute contest.

The defeat in Japan left more positives than negatives. But for now, history is something he does not want to touch on. His mind is focused on Schiro, a wrestling specialist who is undefeated in his martial arts career.

“He’s a grappler and a striker. Based on the short videos I’ve watched, I can say he is very good technically – and very aggressive. He’s dangerous, and I’m looking forward to doing well against him,” Thani said.

A win for the “Alligator” in Kuala Lumpur will be a victory for the fans and the country.

“I feel good,” the former ONE Welterweight World Title contender said.

“I’m going there to do my best and putting on a show for the fans in Malaysia.”