Their first meeting at ONE Fight Night 33 in July ended in a no-contest after Shadow accidentally poked Rabah in the eye during the second round. The Algerian striker could not continue following examination by ringside physicians, leaving both competitors without a decisive result.
Up until that moment, Shadow controlled the opening round with leg kicks that tested Rabah’s mobility and movement. The 25-year-old Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai World Champion landed a right hand that produced the bout’s only knockdown seconds before the end of the first frame.
Rabah responded with combinations and leg kicks of his own throughout the round, demonstrating the competitive nature of the matchup before the second-round eye poke halted the contest less than a minute in.
Shadow has competed twice since the no-contest. He earned a $50,000 performance bonus for a spinning backfist knockout of No. 2-ranked contender Bampara Kouyate at ONE Fight Night 35 in September. The Singha Mawynn affiliate then absorbed a unanimous decision loss to Liu Mengyang in a short-notice promotional kickboxing debut at ONE Friday Fights 126.
The Kouyate victory demonstrated Shadow’s finishing ability against elite competition and strengthened his position in the featherweight Muay Thai rankings. The kickboxing loss came under different rules and on short notice, limiting its impact on his trajectory in the Muay Thai division.
Rabah has remained inactive since the July no-contest. But the 28-year-old Team Mehdi Zatout representative holds notable victories over former ONE World Title challenger Saemapetch Fairtex and Eddie Abasolo.
The rematch carries implications for both athletes’ standings in the featherweight Muay Thai division. Shadow seeks to confirm his first-round knockdown represented a legitimate advantage in their competitive matchup, while Rabah aims to prove the early knockdown does not reflect his ability to compete with the ranked contender.
