ONE: “Warriors of Light” is set for the Impact Arena in Bangkok this Friday night (May 10, 2019). The event will feature two title bouts involving Thai fighters with a kickboxing belt and a Muay Thai strap on the line.
MMA interest is provided by the presence of former Legend FC lightweight champion Adrian Pang, former Shooto bantamweight champion Shoko Sato and both men have tough fights booked.
But as you’d expect for a card in Thailand there is more emphasis on Muay Thai and kickboxing than MMA with the likes of Nong-O, Petchdam, Rodtang and Superlek all in action.
Here’s my preview of the last six bouts (click here for the first six):
145 lbs.: Shoko Sato vs. Mark Abelardo
Shoko Sato (31-16-3-1) earned a ONE Championship contract after successfully defending his Shooto belt last November. He has a background in karate and is more comfortable on his feet but tends to come up short against elite opponents.
Mark Abelardo ( 18-5) was less than three minutes away from a decision loss when his fight with Daichi Takenaka in this venue was stopped due to a cut. He’s on a five-fight winning streak and victory here would definitely take him into title contention.
125 lbs.: Pongsiri Mitsatit vs. Robin Catalan
Pongsiri Mitsatit (9-2) comes from a Muay Thai background although it’s not quite as prestigious as some of his compatriots on this card. He’s been an MMA fighter since 2014 and has been training at Tiger Muay Thai for this fight.
Robin Catalan (8-5) comes from a wushu background but is well rounded, just like his brothers. His striking style is very different from Mitsatit’s which could make for an exciting stand up battle, but a takedown orientated strategy would be less risky for the Filipino.
135 lbs.: Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Sok Thy (Muay Thai)
Rodtang Jitmuangnon loves to stand in the pocket and trade. He will drop his hands, taunt opponents and throw bombs although he hasn’t always been able to fight to his full potential in the ONE Super Series.
Sok Thy was a top level fighter in Thailand but will be giving away a fair bit of weight here. The Cambodian is experienced but will do well to go the distance with the hard hitting Rodtang.
145 lbs.: Zhang Chenglong vs. Panicos Yusuf (Kickboxing)
Zhang Chenglong has fought for Glory and holds a win over Singmanee Kaewsamrit. He didn’t impress in his ONE Super Series debut though, squeaking past a Cambodian with a split decision win.
Panicos Yusuf is also coming off a decision win although it wasn’t a fight that will live long in the memory. He caused Muangthai PKSaenchaigym a few problems with his punching power and looks particularly dangerous with the smaller glove.
135 lbs.: Petchdam Gaiyanghadao vs. Elias Mahmoudi (For Flyweight Kickboxing Title)
Even by Muay Thai standards Petchdam Gaiyanghadao is known as being a fighter who kicks hard. The southpaw has a very fast left kick which he can fire to the body or head.
Blocking that kick will be key for Elias Mahmoudi but Petchdam has demonstrated some real creativity in his ONE Super Series appearances to date. If he gets an opponent thinking about the kick he will capitalize by throwing a knee straight up the middle.
Mahmoudi is a traditional Muay Thai fighter who is good with his elbows and might struggle to adapt to kickboxing rules. Petchdam is not much of a clincher so should be in his element here.
145 lbs.: Nong-O Gaiyanghadao (c) vs. Hiroaki Suzuki (For Bantamweight Muay Thai Title)
Nong-O Gaiyanghadao is a tricky, technical fighter who is very good at working opponents out and adapting his strategy during the fights. He’s also got a devastating right kick and has beaten some of the best Muay Thai fighters of the century.
Hiroaki Suzuki was a champion with Japanese promotion Knockout before signing with ONE. He’s a southpaw with a kickboxing style who likes to put together combinations of kicks and punches.
Suzuki’s style might be more suited to the ONE Super Series scoring than Nong-Os. The Japanese fighter will need to be aggressive throughout the five rounds and really set the pace if he wants to score an upset win.
The entire ONE: “Warriors of Light” fight card will be available to view live and free in some territories using the newly launched app which you can download here. In the U.S. it will be streamed on B/R Live.