ONE on TNT III will be broadcast TONIGHT (Weds., April 21, 2021) at 10 p.m. ET on TNT, live from Singapore. The fight card was finalized this week with Troy Worthen stepping up to face John Lineker in the headliner.
Loman’s original opponent Stephen Loman had to withdraw after contracting COVID-19 so Worthen, who had been booked to face Yuya Wakamatsu, was bumped up to the main event at very late notice.
The card also features a blue-chip kickboxing bout between John Wayne Parr and Nieky Holzken. The winner of the lightweight bout between Marat Gafurov and Ok Rae Yoon will be fighting Eddie Alvarez next week.
Ryuto Sawada vs. Miao Li Tao (Strawweight)
Ryuto Sawada (14-5-1) scored numerous takedowns the first time they fought and the Chinese fighter spent the majority of the fight on his back. That will be the gameplan again for the Japanese grappler, although this time he will be hoping to find the finish.
Miao Li Tao (5-3) has some fast kicks but having already spent 15 minutes in the cage with Sawada he knows that takedown defence will be key here. In the first fight he was able to survive several submission attempts and reverse position on occasions but he needs to keep the fight standing if he wants to win.
Marat Gafurov vs. Ok Rae Yoon (Lightweight)
Marat Gafurov (18-3) is coming off a big decision win over Lowen Tynanes. He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) black belt who is very dangerous with chokes and also has some solid kicks which he fires to to the body and head.
Ok Rae Yoon (13-3) makes his ONE Championship debut. He is six feet tall and uses straight punches and low kicks, the Korean has a good straight right but it’s difficult to gauge just how good his grappling and takedown defense is.
Kickboxing: John Wayne Parr vs. Nieky Holzken (Lightweight)
Two kickboxing legends will finally collide with John Wayne Parr looking to prove he can still compete at the age of 44 with a replacement hip. The Australian is always aggressive and will look to throw hands right from the start.
While Parr is known for his wild style Nieky Holzken takes a slightly more surgical approach. He likes to throw combinations to the head and body and mixes up punches and kicks to good effect.
Reece McLaren vs. Yuka Wakamatsu (Flyweight)
Reece McLaren (14-7) is a BJJ black belt but he took a boxing match last year, so is obviously working on his weaknesses. The Australian finished his last fight with a right hand to the body and looked confident in his striking but will probably want to get this one to the ground.
Yuka Wakamatsu (13-4) has a devastating right hand and gave Demetrious Johnson a good run for his money. The Japanese fighter will want to keep this standing and to find a home for that straight right.
Troy Worthen vs. John Lineker (Bantamweight)
Troy Worthen (7-1) accepted this fight at very late notice having originally trained for wrestler Shuya Kamikubo. He comes from a wrestling background himself and is a southpaw who wins fights with takedowns
John Lineker (33-9) is arguably the hardest hitting fighter in the division and has huge experience. The Brazilian will want to keep this standing and let his hands go, the odds are stacked against his late notice opponent.
The entire ONE on TNT III 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 live on TNT.