ONE: “King of the Jungle” is set for the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday. It will take place behind closed doors due to concerns over the coronavirus.
A few fights have fallen through for the same reason but there will still be 11 bouts on the card which will be broadcast as per normal. The main event sees Stamp Fairtex defend her atomweight kickboxing title against Janet Todd in a rematch.
Perhaps the most recognizable name on the card is Yoshihiro Akiyama who has been matched with Sherif Mohamed in what looks to be a very winnable fight for the UFC veteran.
Here is my preview of the first six fights:
Radeem Rahman vs. Jeff Chan (Bantamweight)
Redeem Rahman (3-2) fought on the first ever ONE Championship event in this venue in 2011. The Singaporean’s career has been interrupted by injury and he has only fought twice in the last five years.
Jeff Chan (3-1) is an internet star who is known for his instructional videos. He made his pro MMA debut in 2012 but has not faced a high level of opposition so far.
Bae Myung Ho vs. Murad Ramazanov (Welterweight)
In 2012 Bae Myung Ho (17-6-1) was one of the most sought after properties in Asian MMA. The UFC and ONE Championship both wanted the Korean but Legend FC had their welterweight champion tied down to an exclusive contract.
Military service robbed the Korean of three years and he has been handed a tricky looking encounter here. Ramazanov (5-0) returned in 2019 after a five year break and brings an undefeated record into this battle between two promotional newcomers.
Ritu Phogat vs. Wu Chiao Chen (Atomweight)
Ritu Phogat (1-0) is a decorated wrestler who made short work of Nam Hee Kim on her MMA debut last year.
Chiao Chen Wu (2-1) is slightly more experienced in MMA terms but the opponents she has beaten do not have good records.
Honorio Banario vs. Shannon Wiratchai (Featherweight)
Honorio Banario (14-10) is back in the division where he became a champion in 2012. The Filipino has solid kicks and likes to fight of the back foot.
Shannon Wiratchai (9-5-0-1) will probably come forwards and look to land his left hook. The Thai southpaw needs a win to turn his career around but his opponent might look to nullify him with takedowns.
Troy Worthen vs. Mark Abelardo (Bantamweight)
Troy Worthen (6-0) comes from a wrestling background and has got his ONE Championship career off to a very impressive start. He’s stopped two Chinese opponents in the second round but was able to take both down relatively easily.
The question is what will happen when Worthen meets an opponent he can’t take down? Abelardo (19-6) might not come from a wrestling background but he has been an active fighter for over a decade and has a significant advantage in terms of experience.
Mei Yamaguchi vs. Denice Zamboanga (Atomweight)
Mei Yamaguchi (21-11-1) is on a four fight winning streak but was very fortunate to get the decision against Jenny Huang last time out. The Japanese fighter holds a black belt in BJJ and has a good overhand right.
Denice Zamboanga (6-0) scored an upset win over Jihin Radzuan on her ONE Championship debut. She’s based at the Fairtex camp, as are three other fighters on this card, but used her wrestling to good effect against the Malaysian.
The entire ONE: “King of the Jungle” fight card will be available to view live and free in some territories using the newly launched app which you can download here.