Ben Askren’s next fight is booked for Manila. The former Bellator MMA champ will be defending his welterweight strap against Nikolay Aleksakhin at ONE: “Global Rivals” on April 15th.
The event is set for the SM Mall of Asia Arena and the Philippines will become the fifth different country to host a ONE Championship card in 2016.
ONE CEO Victor Cui says he is excited to be back in Manila.
“We’re always excited for Manila because Filipino fans are so passionate about mixed martial arts that everything just comes naturally! The atmosphere and the excitement in Manila on fight night is truly unparalleled and we anticipate the same when we arrive in April. We have an excellent matchup prepared for fight fans as Ben Askren meets Nikolay Aleksakhin, and we expect nothing less than the absolute best in world-class mixed martial arts action.”
Askren (14-0-0-1) is coming off a no-contest against Luis Santos. The rematch was cancelled at the last minute when the Brazilian missed weight, meaning that the reigning ONE welterweight champion has only fought once in the last 18 months.
His opponent has been much more active and Aleksakhin (16-3) is currently riding a six-fight winning streak that included a submission victory over Mongolian welterweight Burenzorig Batmunkh in his ONE Championship debut last November.
Under ONE Championship’s new regulations both fighters will be required to prove that they weigh 185 pounds or less over the course of a series of checks.
Ben Askren’s next fight is booked for Manila. The former Bellator MMA champ will be defending his welterweight strap against Nikolay Aleksakhin at ONE: “Global Rivals” on April 15th.
The event is set for the SM Mall of Asia Arena and the Philippines will become the fifth different country to host a ONE Championship card in 2016.
ONE CEO Victor Cui says he is excited to be back in Manila.
“We’re always excited for Manila because Filipino fans are so passionate about mixed martial arts that everything just comes naturally! The atmosphere and the excitement in Manila on fight night is truly unparalleled and we anticipate the same when we arrive in April. We have an excellent matchup prepared for fight fans as Ben Askren meets Nikolay Aleksakhin, and we expect nothing less than the absolute best in world-class mixed martial arts action.”
Askren (14-0-0-1) is coming off a no-contest against Luis Santos. The rematch was cancelled at the last minute when the Brazilian missed weight, meaning that the reigning ONE welterweight champion has only fought once in the last 18 months.
His opponent has been much more active and Aleksakhin (16-3) is currently riding a six-fight winning streak that included a submission victory over Mongolian welterweight Burenzorig Batmunkh in his ONE Championship debut last November.
Under ONE Championship’s new regulations both fighters will be required to prove that they weigh 185 pounds or less over the course of a series of checks.
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 …
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.
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 he cage for …
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 he 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. Here’s my preview of the first five fights, please note that fighters will be competing at their walk-around weights.
145 lbs.: Jerome Paye vs Li Hao Jie
Li Hao Jie will be making his pro debut but we’ve inexperienced Chinese fighters put in some impressive performances in the ONE cage. He comes from a kickboxing and Sanda background and is likely to be much more competent on the ground than in the grappling department.
Jerome Paye (2-1) is a Taekwondo black belt but more importantly he also holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) under Fransino Tirta. That means he’s likely to be at a significant advantage if-when the fight goes to the ground which makes him the favorite.
185 lbs.: Djatmiko Waluyo vs Trestle Tan
Djatmiko Waluyo (5-0) is half Mexican-half Indonesian and has spent his entire career competing in South America. He hasn’t fought in two years but is a well known MMA journalist who writes in Spanish for the UFC website and should have a good overall understanding of the sport.
Trestle Tan (3-5-0-1) demonstrated how dangerous he can be when he knocked out Jeff Huang in under 10 seconds last year and he’s been trainng very seriously in Vietnam for this fight. Anything could happen here but I would expect Waluyo to have an advantage on the ground.
157.6 lbs.: Jimmy Yabo vs Bashir Ahmad
Bashir Ahmad (3-2) is well rounded and put in a very good performance in his last fight when he accepted a bout with Amir Khan at two day’s notice and repeatedly rocked the Singaporean. The Pakistani had a rough weight cut ahead of that contest which won’t be an issue this time around.
Jimmy Yabo (4-2-0-1) comes from a Taekwondo background and there isn’t that much footage of him online. Expect Ahmed to be a little too good for him.
120 lbs.:Angela Lee vs Rebecca Heintzman
Angela Lee (4-0) is arguably ONE Championship’s most exciting young prospect and the teenager is likely to be challenging for the belt this year. First she will need to get past the challenge presented by Rebecca Heintzman (2-1) in what promises to be her hardest fight yet.
Heintzman’s only loss was to a top 10 ranked opponent who she went the distance with and the American has enjoyed success at some grappling tournaments. Lee holds a brown belt in BJJ and a black belt in Taekwondo and has won numerous competitions in both wrestling and Pankration but this will be a tough test for the teenager.
141 lbs.:Andrew Leone vs Koetsu Okazaki
This is a very interesting fight. Andrew Leone (7-2) hasn’t fought in nearly two years but is coming off hugely impressive wins against Geje Eustaquio and Shinichi Kojima. If the New Yorker could work out what weight division he should be in he’d be an immediate title contender.
Leone is primarily a wrestler and is very good on the ground. Koetsu Okazaki (10-4-1) probably has the better striking but he’s coming off a very underwhelming performance against Kevin Belingon and hasn’t fought in over a year either. With both having been away from the cage for an extender period this one’s impossible to call.
ONE: ‘Tribe of Warriors’ will be on PPV and is available to purchase for $9.99 from here.
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 he cage for …
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 he 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. Here’s my preview of the first five fights, please note that fighters will be competing at their walk-around weights.
145 lbs.: Jerome Paye vs Li Hao Jie
Li Hao Jie will be making his pro debut but we’ve inexperienced Chinese fighters put in some impressive performances in the ONE cage. He comes from a kickboxing and Sanda background and is likely to be much more competent on the ground than in the grappling department.
Jerome Paye (2-1) is a Taekwondo black belt but more importantly he also holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) under Fransino Tirta. That means he’s likely to be at a significant advantage if-when the fight goes to the ground which makes him the favorite.
185 lbs.: Djatmiko Waluyo vs Trestle Tan
Djatmiko Waluyo (5-0) is half Mexican-half Indonesian and has spent his entire career competing in South America. He hasn’t fought in two years but is a well known MMA journalist who writes in Spanish for the UFC website and should have a good overall understanding of the sport.
Trestle Tan (3-5-0-1) demonstrated how dangerous he can be when he knocked out Jeff Huang in under 10 seconds last year and he’s been trainng very seriously in Vietnam for this fight. Anything could happen here but I would expect Waluyo to have an advantage on the ground.
157.6 lbs.: Jimmy Yabo vs Bashir Ahmad
Bashir Ahmad (3-2) is well rounded and put in a very good performance in his last fight when he accepted a bout with Amir Khan at two day’s notice and repeatedly rocked the Singaporean. The Pakistani had a rough weight cut ahead of that contest which won’t be an issue this time around.
Jimmy Yabo (4-2-0-1) comes from a Taekwondo background and there isn’t that much footage of him online. Expect Ahmed to be a little too good for him.
120 lbs.:Angela Lee vs Rebecca Heintzman
Angela Lee (4-0) is arguably ONE Championship’s most exciting young prospect and the teenager is likely to be challenging for the belt this year. First she will need to get past the challenge presented by Rebecca Heintzman (2-1) in what promises to be her hardest fight yet.
Heintzman’s only loss was to a top 10 ranked opponent who she went the distance with and the American has enjoyed success at some grappling tournaments. Lee holds a brown belt in BJJ and a black belt in Taekwondo and has won numerous competitions in both wrestling and Pankration but this will be a tough test for the teenager.
141 lbs.:Andrew Leone vs Koetsu Okazaki
This is a very interesting fight. Andrew Leone (7-2) hasn’t fought in nearly two years but is coming off hugely impressive wins against Geje Eustaquio and Shinichi Kojima. If the New Yorker could work out what weight division he should be in he’d be an immediate title contender.
Leone is primarily a wrestler and is very good on the ground. Koetsu Okazaki (10-4-1) probably has the better striking but he’s coming off a very underwhelming performance against Kevin Belingon and hasn’t fought in over a year either. With both having been away from the cage for an extender period this one’s impossible to call.
ONE: ‘Tribe of Warriors’ will be on PPV and is available to purchase for $9.99 from here.
2016 is set to be the busiest year ever for mixed martial arts (MMA) in Thailand and the country’s premier promotion has confirmed that its upcoming card will be taking place next month in Bangkok.
Full Metal Dojo (FMD) 9 is set for the Insa…
2016 is set to be the busiest year ever for mixed martial arts (MMA) in Thailand and the country’s premier promotion has confirmed that its upcoming card will be taking place next month in Bangkok.
Full Metal Dojo (FMD) 9 is set for the Insanity Nightclub on March 19th and is just one of a number of MMA events booked to take place in Thailand this year. The big one is set for May 27th when ONE Championship puts on its first-ever card in Bangkok at the Impact Exhibition and Convention Centre.
There will also be more MMA action in Chiang Mai next weekend with Ring Wars 3 set for the Loi Kroh Boxing Stadium. Last month FMD 8 took place in Phuket while there was also a semi-pro event titled “Cage Wars 3” in Korat last boxing day.
The MMA scene in Thailand is thriving and fight fans in Bangkok will be able to catch reigning ONE strawweight champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke in action when he defends his title at the Impact Exhibition and Convention Centre on May 27th.
There is no word yet on who Dejdamrong will be facing, but ONE’s strawweight division is starting to get a little deeper and undefeated Thai 115-pounder Pongsiri Mitsatit is now on the roster. He’s likely to make his promotional debut in May while Shannon Wiratchai is also penciled in to appear on that card.
Mitsatit is an FMD veteran and fought four times with the promotion before signing with ONE Championship. There are plenty more up and coming Thai stars on the FMD roster and several of them are likely to be in action on March 19th.
ONE Championship’s new weight-cutting regulations are fairly straightforward. Everyone fights at their walking weight so the strawweight division is now 125 pounds, the flyweight division is now 135 pounds, the bantamweight division is now 145 pounds, etc.
The only question is what will happen to the light heavyweight division now that the middleweight limit has been moved to 205 pounds (walking weight). With six wins in his seven ONE Championship fights, Jake Butler was the most successful fighter in the division.
But he doesn’t plan to stay there.
As the Princeton graduate prepares for a catchweight contest with Tatsuya Mizuno at ONE: “Clash of Heroes” this Friday night (preview), he says that his future is likely to lie at middleweight.
“I guess it depends on what weight the light heavyweights and middleweights were walking around at prior to the new weight policy. It doesn’t have a big effect on me because 205 pounds is just about my walking weight when I follow my training camp diet.”
The fight will take place at a catchweight of 209 pounds but assuming Butler has no issues making weight, the next step will be a move down to middleweight. Given he already has six ONE wins to his name, the 33-year-old will be an immediate contender for a shot at the belt and he might be just one more win away.
“I think an impressive win over Mizuno should earn me the shot. I need to go out there and put on an impressive and exciting performance.”
In his last fight, Butler scored a clear cut decision win over Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) black belt Cristiano Kaminishi. At the Stadium Negara he’s facing a bona fide Asian MMA veteran and knows a tough test awaits against an opponent who has been in with the likes of Mirko Filipovic, Melvin Manhoef, Gegard Mousasi, Sergei Kharitonov, and Renato Sobral.
“He is pretty well rounded in all areas. I think his main strength is his experience in big fights. He has been in the cage with some of the best in the world.”
Last year Butler only fought once but he has his sights firmly set on a 2016 title shot and plans to be much more active in the coming months.
“2015 was a busy year for me personally. My first child was born in May so that tied up a good portion of the year but I would like to fight four times in 2016.”
Butler captained the wrestling team at Princeton but had no prior experience in striking when he joined Evolve MMA in 2012. He’s risen rapidly through the ranks in the last few years but has continued to work on his areas of comparative weakness.
“I am training with some of the best in the business. As well as all the BJJ Black Belts at Evolve we have an Iranian wrestler and a four-time U.S. Olympic Judoka called Brian Olson, so I have been working with him and Muay Thai champions Nonthachai Sit O and Chaowalith Jockey Gym help me with my striking. Former U.S. Olympian Heath Sims is my head coach, and he oversees all of my training.”
The journey from MMA novice to title contender has taken a few years. But for Butler it is almost complete and a win over Mizuno in Malaysia on Friday night could be enough to secure him a shot at reigning ONE middleweight champion Vitaly Bigdash.
ONE Championship’s new weight-cutting regulations are fairly straightforward. Everyone fights at their walking weight so the strawweight division is now 125 pounds, the flyweight division is now 135 pounds, the bantamweight division is now 145 pounds, etc.
The only question is what will happen to the light heavyweight division now that the middleweight limit has been moved to 205 pounds (walking weight). With six wins in his seven ONE Championship fights, Jake Butler was the most successful fighter in the division.
But he doesn’t plan to stay there.
As the Princeton graduate prepares for a catchweight contest with Tatsuya Mizuno at ONE: “Clash of Heroes” this Friday night (preview), he says that his future is likely to lie at middleweight.
“I guess it depends on what weight the light heavyweights and middleweights were walking around at prior to the new weight policy. It doesn’t have a big effect on me because 205 pounds is just about my walking weight when I follow my training camp diet.”
The fight will take place at a catchweight of 209 pounds but assuming Butler has no issues making weight, the next step will be a move down to middleweight. Given he already has six ONE wins to his name, the 33-year-old will be an immediate contender for a shot at the belt and he might be just one more win away.
“I think an impressive win over Mizuno should earn me the shot. I need to go out there and put on an impressive and exciting performance.”
In his last fight, Butler scored a clear cut decision win over Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) black belt Cristiano Kaminishi. At the Stadium Negara he’s facing a bona fide Asian MMA veteran and knows a tough test awaits against an opponent who has been in with the likes of Mirko Filipovic, Melvin Manhoef, Gegard Mousasi, Sergei Kharitonov, and Renato Sobral.
“He is pretty well rounded in all areas. I think his main strength is his experience in big fights. He has been in the cage with some of the best in the world.”
Last year Butler only fought once but he has his sights firmly set on a 2016 title shot and plans to be much more active in the coming months.
“2015 was a busy year for me personally. My first child was born in May so that tied up a good portion of the year but I would like to fight four times in 2016.”
Butler captained the wrestling team at Princeton but had no prior experience in striking when he joined Evolve MMA in 2012. He’s risen rapidly through the ranks in the last few years but has continued to work on his areas of comparative weakness.
“I am training with some of the best in the business. As well as all the BJJ Black Belts at Evolve we have an Iranian wrestler and a four-time U.S. Olympic Judoka called Brian Olson, so I have been working with him and Muay Thai champions Nonthachai Sit O and Chaowalith Jockey Gym help me with my striking. Former U.S. Olympian Heath Sims is my head coach, and he oversees all of my training.”
The journey from MMA novice to title contender has taken a few years. But for Butler it is almost complete and a win over Mizuno in Malaysia on Friday night could be enough to secure him a shot at reigning ONE middleweight champion Vitaly Bigdash.
