ONE: “Tribe of Warriors” is set for the Istora Senayan Stadium in Jakarta this Saturday night (Feb. 20, 2016) and will be the promotion’s third mixed martial arts (MMA) card of the year. The main event sees Luis Santos return to the cage for the first time since the controversial cancellation of his title rematch with Ben Askren.
The Brazilian is taking on Rafael Silva in a welterweight fight while the card also features former lightweight champion Kotetsu Boku as well as the debut of a couple of heavyweight contenders. Please note that fighters will be competing at their walk-around weights.
Here is the second part of my preview, for part one click here.
265 lbs.: Alexandre Machado vs Marcin Prachnio
Alexandre Machado ( 7-2) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) black belt who hasn’t fought since 2013 but he did feature on TUF: “Brazil 2” when he was stopped by Richardson Moreira in the elimination round. He’s a southpaw and his greatest strength is his submission game.
Marcin Prachnio (9-2) comes from a Kyokushinkai Karate background and is surprisingly flexible and agile for a big man, he can throw up head kicks from either leg without switching stance. The Brazilian should have the advantage on the ground.
158 lbs.: Vincent Latoel vs Kotetsu Boku
This is a very interesting matchup between two experienced fighters who generally either win by stoppage or don’t win at all. Vincent Latoel (16-16-2) has a five cm height advantage and will either look to use his range in the striking exchanges or try to take Boku down.
Kotetsu Boku (23-10-2) has scored two impressive stoppage wins since dropping down to featherweight and has devastating power. He will want to keep it standing and use his footwork to get on the inside and hurt Latoel with his hands. This one could go either way.
158 lbs.: Anthony Engelen vs Rocky Batol Batol
Anthony Engelen (3-1) is primarily a grappler but was handed a tough assignment for his ONE Championship debut against decorated BJJ black belt Bruno Pucci. He showed some solid submission defense in that fight but couldn’t keep the Brazilian at bay for long enough to avoid being submitted.
Rocky Batol Batol (5-1) was also submitted on his ONE Championship debut but he came very close to finishing Martin Nguyen in that fight. Despite being from a boxing background he’s dangerous with head kicks and looks to be the superior striker although Engelen might have the edge on the ground.
155 lbs.: Yohan Legowo vs Mario Wirawan
Mario Wirawan (5-2) is coming off the fastest knockout in ONE Championship history having finished Chan Heng with a right hand after just six seconds. It’s a record that is unlikely to ever be broken and the Indonesian’s confidence should be sky high.
Yohan Legowo (7-4) is a BJJ purple belt but hasn’t won an MMA fight since 2010. He put in a very underwhelming performance last time out and didn’t seem to have the stamina for a 15 minute fight, hopefully the 35 year old will be in better shape this time around because he has the tools to win by submission.
185 lbs.: Luis Santos vs Rafael Silva
When this fight was announced as being in the welterweight division it raised some eyebrows as Luis Santos (61-9-1-1) looks as if his walking weight is a lot higher than 185. Rafael Silva (40-15) normally competes at middleweight so it will be very interesting to see how heavy these fighters officially are.
Santos has a black belt in BJJ but striking is his specialty and he has some of the most devastating standup in all of MMA. His kicks are lethal and “Sapo” knows exactly how to set them up and will bide his time waiting for the perfect opportunity.
Rafael Silva (40-15) has never fought an opponent of Silva’s caliber and will do well to make it out of the opening round. He’s a submission specialist but on paper the Portugese veteran is outmatched in every department and it wouldn’t be surprise to see “Sapo” score another highlight reel knockout.
ONE: “Tribe of Warriors” will be on pay-per-view (PPV) and is available to purchase for $9.99 from here.