Author: James Goyder

ONE Championship is putting on two mixed martial arts (MMA) cards in the space of seven days at the start of 2016. The second of them is set for Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur this Friday night (Jan. 29, 2016) and will be headlined by a featherweight clash between Ev Ting and Eric Kelly.

ONE: “Clash of Heroes” will be the organization’s eighth event in Malaysia and features a number of local fighters as well as the return of Filipinos Eduard Folayang and Geje Eustaquio. As is now standard, all the mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters will be competing at their normal, walk-around weight.

Here is my preview of the last five fights on the card (preview the first five fights here):

155 lbs.: Sami Amin vs Samir Mrabet

Samir Mrabet (3-0) is a high-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) purple belt who owns the Monarchy chain of gyms in Malaysia. He’s an out-and-out grappler with limited striking skills but if he gets the fight to the ground it probably won’t take him too long to submit the Egyptian.

Amin (5-2-1) should have an advantage in terms of striking and is capable of finishing the fight with a head kick if the opportunity arises. He will need to catch Mrabet with something solid in the early exchanges, because the longer the fight goes on the more likely it is he will be taken down.

145 lbs.: Saiful Merican vs Geje Eustaquio

Geje Eustaquio (6-4) was desperately unlucky to drop a split decision to Anatpong Bunrad in his most recent fight. The Filipino has a Wushu style of striking which is very effective but has a tendency to take his foot off the gas when he should be punishing opponents.

Saiful Merican (4-2) comes from a Muay Thai background but has adapted to MMA very quickly. His time management is excellent and he’s good at winning grinding decisions by scoring just enough takedowns to steal the rounds. This fight will be close and competitive but Eustaquio will feel he should win.

209 lbs.: Jake Butler vs Tatsuya Mizuno

With 205 lbs set to become ONE Championship’s middleweight division both men will be looking to challenge for that title. Jake Butler (6-1) will be stepping inside the ONE cage for the eighth time and looking for a fourth straight win.

Tatsuya Mizuno (14-10-1) is 2-2 for ONE but has a decade of competitive MMA experience and has been in with some of the biggest names in the sport. He’s a patient southpaw with a hard left hand and excellent Judo, if Butler’s going to win he will need to take him down and keep him down.

170 lbs.: Eduard Folayang vs Tatsuya Yamada

Fan favorite Eduard Folayang (14-5) returns to the ONE Championship cage after a year-long absence and will be looking to erase memories of the brutal first round knockout he suffered at the hands of Timofey Nastyukhin. This will be his eighth fight for the organization and by now we know what to expect from the Filipino.

Yamada (15-3-2) has spent most of his career fighting for ZST and held the organization’s welterweight title but there isn’t much footage available. He a southpaw with a background in Judo and will probably try to take Folayang down while the Filipino will want to use his Wushu to do damage in the striking exchanges.

155 lbs.: Eric Kelly vs Ev Ting

This fight pits together two featherweights who are at very similar stages of their careers. Both have exactly 13 fights and Ev Ting (10-3) is 4-1 for ONE while Eric Kelly (12-1) is 5-1 for ONE. The Filipino is seven years the senior of the Malaysian but everything else is more or less equal.

Kelly is slightly flat footed and doesn’t use much lateral movement but he has hard kicks. He’s very adept at using trips and tosses to get opponents down and with nine submission wins on his record it’s pretty obvious where his greatest strength lies.

Whereas Kelly’s roots are in Wushu his opponent comes from a kickboxing background. Ting’s very dangerous with head kicks and has four KO/TKO and three submission wins on his record. He switches stance seamlessly and tends to stalk opponents (in the cage).

Kelly prefers to counterstrike and will let opponents come to him so expect most of the pressure to come from Ting. I would give the Malaysian a slight advantage in terms of power but he does leave himself a little open to counters when he’s trying to land shots of his own, particualrly punches.

Kelly is very adept at landing elbows from adverse positions, and can also slap on submissions from some unconventional angles which makes him an unpredictable fighter. Both fighters can sometimes be a bit too patient, but both have also been in some really exciting exchanges and scrambles.

It’s too close a fight to call, although one factor in Ting’s favor could be that he fought three times last year while Kelly only fought once. The winner could be in line for an immediate shot at reigning ONE featherweight champion Marat Gafurov.

ONE: “Clash of Heroes” is available to purchase on PPV for $9.99 right here.

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ONE Championship is putting on two cards in the space of seven days at the start of 2016. The second of them is set for Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur this Friday night (Jan. 29, 2016) and will be headlined by a featherweight clash between Ev Ting and Eric Kelly.

ONE: “Clash of Heroes” will be the organization’s eighth event in Malaysia and features a number of local fighters as well as the return of Filipinos Eduard Folayang and Geje Eustaquio. As is now standard, all the mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters will be competing at their normal, walk-around weight.

Here is my preview of the first five fights on the card:

108 lbs.: Amira Badr vs. Jenny Huang

This catchweight contest sees tough Taiwanese fighter Jenny Huang (2-0) return to the ONE Championship cage to face Egyptian newcomer Amira Badr. The former has been the distance in both her previous fights and was fortunate to come away with two wins.

Huang is a determined fighter who looks most comfortable on the ground. However taking Badr down will be no simple task as she’s a multiple time national wrestling champion. It could come down to how well rounded the Egyptian is, if her striking and submission skills are limited than she will struggle.

170 lbs.: Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev vs Mishal Alfad

Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev (1-0) hails from Dagestan but is based in Turkey. He started training Wushu when he was five years old and has been learning MMA since the age of 14. He’s 21 now and has won numerous tournaments in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and No-Gi Grappling in Europe.

He reportedly came to ONE Championship’s attention after traveling to Singapore for an open tryout and impressing Matt Hume. His opponent Mishal Alfad (1-1) hails from Indonesia and has a background in Kempo Karate. I know who my money is on.

205 lbs.: Agilan Thani vs James Kouame

This is an interesting matchup because Agilan Thani (3-0) has previously been competing at welterweight, so even with ONE’s new weight cutting regulations he’s still moving up 20+ lbs. James Kouame (3-6) has a background in karate and kickboxing and his striking is world class but there are question marks over the Canadian’s takedown defense and ground game.

Thani’s background is in BJJ and he recently returned from a training trip the the U.S.. He wouldn’t last long in a striking battle with Kouame but if the Malaysian gets a takedown I would expect him to finish the fight with a submission.

155 lbs.: Christian Lee vs Mahmoud Mohamed

Christian Lee (1-0) is an exciting prospect. He holds a purple belt in BJJ, a black belt in Taekwondo and is a former Pankration world champion. The 17 year old has been training in martial arts since he first started to walk and made quick work of an Australian opponent in his pro debut last year.

There’s limited footage of Mahmoud Mohamed (3-2-1) available but Egyptian Top Team fighters tend to have background in either kickboxing or Wushu. This will be an interesting test for Lee against an opponent 20 years his senior but the Singaporean should come through it comfortably.

ONE: “Clash of Heroes” is available to purchase on PPV for $9.99 right here.

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ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes retained his title with a first-round submission win over Team Lakay’s Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon in China. Fernandes nullified Belingon’s supposed striking advantage by going straight for the takedown. After passing Belingon’s guard and moving into side control, Fernandes worked an armbar attempt into a Kimura, forcing the tap.

In the Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Final bout, Ma Hao Bin quickly locked in a guillotine choke against the cage to put opponent Bu Huo You Ga to sleep a little over one minute into the first round. Ma wasted no time in looking for the submission, which he used to win in the semi-final bout, squeezing tightly until Bu Huo was out. With the victory, Ma Hao Bin was crowned Changsha Bantamweight Tournament champion.

Beijing Featherweight Tournament champions Li Kai Wen and Yang Sen showcased their complete martial arts arsenal in a high level three-round battle. Li stormed out of the gates full of aggression, but Yang defended well against the onslaught. When the fight hit the ground, Yang controlled a lot of the action, but Li was able to do some damage of his own. After three very close rounds, Li earned a hard-fought unanimous decision in an entertaining matchup of tournament champions.

A determined Muin Gafurov went three rounds in an intense back-and-forth battle against the extremely talented Toni “Dynamite” Tauru of Finland. Gafurov stayed on top of the action, beating Tauru to the punch on numerous occasions, while attempting various submissions on the ground. In the third round, Tauru used his toughness to hang in there with Gafurov, but Gafurov was able to gain mount position, raining down punches from the top to force the referee to call a halt to the contest.

Riku Shibuya of Tokyo, Japan dominated Roy “The Dominator” Doliguez of the Philippines over three rounds to win by unanimous decision. Shibuya completely outclassed Doliguez both on the feet and on the ground, where he did the most work. Although Doliguez tagged Shibuya with some crisp body punches, Shibuya took him down at will and did all his damage from top position, earning the unanimous decision verdict.

Sung Ming Yen of Hsinchu, Taiwan defeated Sunoto of Jakarta, Indonesia within a minute of round one by executing a single move to perfection. After a brief feeling out process, Sunoto lunged in looking to strike. Sung kept his distance and grabbed onto a standing guillotine choke, pulling guard and squeezing until Sunoto had no choice but to tap out.

Wu Ze raised his arms in celebration as he secured a sensational technical knockout win over Zhang You Liang in just one round. Wu, known for his athletic striking techniques, used his superior grappling to control Zhang on the ground. After attempting various submissions, Wu then opted to put his ferocious striking on full display, landing a plethora of technical ground kicks to claim the victory.

In the Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Alternate bout, Tang De Pan scored an explosive knockout victory via suplex over 19-year old Zhou Biao. Zhou attempted two standing guillotine chokes, both of which were nullified by Tang’s exceptional wrestling. Zhou was knocked out on the second suplex and referee Olivier Coste stopped the bout.

Freestyle wrestling champion Ma Hao Bin advanced to the Changsha Bantamweight Final bout with an easy victory over opponent Wu Ting Shen. Ma took the fight to the ground on the first opening and swiftly transitioned into a guillotine choke. With the hooks in deep, Ma left Wu with no option but to tap out.

Greco-Roman wrestling specialist Bu Huo You Ga made quick work of opponent Cai Chang Bo to kick off ONE WUJIE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS (CHANGSHA), winning the Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Semi-Final bout. Bu Huo shot in successfully for a takedown and abruptly took Cai’s back, before securing the choke in round one.

Official results for ONE WUJIE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS (CHANGSHA):

ONE Bantamweight World Championship bout: Bibiano Fernandes defeats Kevin Belingon by Submission (Kimura) at 4:04 minutes of round 1

Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Final bout: Ma Hao Bin defeats Bu Huo You Ga by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:08 minutes of round 1

Featherweight bout: Li Kai Wen defeats Yang Sen by Unanimous Decision

Bantamweight bout: Muin Gafurov defeats Toni Tauru by TKO (Strikes) at 1:17 minutes of round 3

Flyweight bout: Riku Shibuya defeats Roy Doliguez by Unanimous Decision

Bantamweight bout: Sung Ming Yen defeats Sunoto by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:31 minutes of round 1

Flyweight bout: Wu Ze defeats Zhang You Liang by TKO (Strikes) at 4:17 minutes of round 1

Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Alternate bout: Tang De Pan defeats Zhou Biao by Knockout at 0:59 minutes of round 1

Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Semi-Final bout: Ma Hao Bin defeats Wu Ting Shen by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:27 minutes of round 1

Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Semi-Final bout: Bu Huo You Ga defeats Cai Chang Bo by Submission (Reverse Head and Arm Choke) at 2:26 minutes of round 1

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ONE Championship returns to China this Saturday night (Jan. 23) for its first mixed martial arts (MMA) card of 2016 and it features one of the promotion’s biggest stars in the main event. Bantamweight king Bibiano Fernandes will be making the third defense of his title against Filipino contender Kevin Belingon at the Helong Stadium in Changsha.

There’s also an intriguing featherweight clash between two fighters who have moved up a division as former 135-pound title challenger Toni Tauru takes on up-and-coming prospect Muin Gafurov. Two more men who have challenged unsuccessfully for ONE belts will be back in action when Asuka Mikami faces Roy Doliguez in the flyweight division.

ONE Championship recently abolished weight cutting, requiring all fighters to compete at their normal weight. That means that from 2016 onward, strawweight will be 125, flyweight will be 135, bantamweight will be 145, featherweight will be 155, lightweight will be 170, welterweight will be 185, and middleweight will be 205.

I’m not going to preview any of the fights in the bantamweight tournament as I’m not familiar with any of those fighters.

145 lbs.: Min Yen Sung vs Su Noto

Su Noto (3-1) is one of Indonesia’s better fighters and is 1-1 for ONE Championship. He’s capable of fighting both southpaw and orthodox and switches stance seamlessly which makes him an awkward opponent to prepare for.

Min Yen Sung (4-1) is well rounded and has a background in kickboxing, Sanda, Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). He seems more comfortable striking than the Indonesian and is capable of getting the fight to the ground with trips and throws. The Taiwanese fighter has more ways to win, whereas Sunoto will probably need takedowns if he wants to come away with the victory.

135 lbs.: Asuka Mikami vs Roy Doliguez

Asuka Mikami (12-3-2) has emerged as a real fan favorite since signing with ONE Championship. He’s a colorful personality but has the skills to back it up and likes to take opponents down and keep them down while attacking with submissions.

Roy Doliguez (6-2) is moving up a division but has struggled against fighters with a wrestling based strategy in the past, as Jerome Wanawan was able to take him down repeatedly. He comes from a boxing background and will look to let his hands go but Mikami is bigger and better.

155 lbs.: Muin Gafurov vs Toni Tauru

This is an intriguing matchup that will be contested in ONE Championship’s featherweight (155-pound) division. Muin Gafurov (9-0) is only 19 and has the sort of smothering ground game you would expect from a Combat Sambo world champion but is also surprisingly good at striking, as he proved in his last ONE outing.

Toni Tauru (10-2-1) is an out-and-out grappler with limited striking. The Finnish fighter might be better on the ground than Gafurov but the Tajik teenager looks to have superior striking and wrestling and has already beaten better fighters during his two-year career. Tauru, however, will have an advantage in terms of height and reach.

155 lbs.: Li Kai Wen vs Yang Sen

Li Kai Wen (4-2) comes from a wrestling background but basically knocked Nathan Ng out with a single punch in his last fight. Yang Sen (2-0) has a base in Sanda but he likes to use hip tosses and takedowns to get the fight to the floor.

Both have been training MMA for a relatively short period of time but look surprisingly well rounded. In his last fight Wen was very patient and did next to nothing for the best part of a round whereas Sen likes to push the pace and use Sanda style side kicks and spinning kicks to close the distance.

145 lbs.: Bibiano Fernandes vs Kevin Belingon (for Fernandes’ ONE Bantamweight Title)

At this stage of his career Bibiano Fernandes (18-3) is basically a heavy favorite for any fight and this matchup is certainly no exception. The Brazilian is riding a 10-fight winning streak and hasn’t been beaten by a bantamweight since his third fight back in 2007.

Kevin Belingon (13-4) could be the most dangerous opponent Fernandes has faced in recent years because he has very good striking. He kicks as hard as anyone in the division and has beaten some high-level opponents like Nam Jin Jo, Yusup Saadulaev, and Koetsu Okazaki.

We haven’t seen Belingon in over a year so he might have evolved but there have always been question marks over his takedown defense and ground game. Dae Hwan Kim and Masakazu Imanari were both able to submit him in the opening round while Masakatsu Ueda and Soo Chul Kim dominated him with their wrestling.

Fernandes showcased some devastating striking to knockout Toni Tauru with a left hook in his last fight. However Taru’s stirking is limited and the Brazilian probably won’t want to go toe-to-toe with Belingon. Unless the Filipinos takedown defense is in point he won’t have to and I expect the champion to waste no time shooting for a takedown.

Belingon is fast, agile, and has tremendous power. He’s also known for his stamina and won’t fade from this five-round fight but the question will be how long the Filipino can survive on the ground if and when Fernandes succeeds in taking him down.

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Two of Muay Thai’s top fighters will be moving to Singapore to coach the athletes at Evolve MMA. Petboonchu FA Group and Sam-A Gaiyanghadaogym are two of the biggest names in the sport this century and have both held titles in multiple divisions at Lumpinee.

Petboonchu won an incredible 14 different titles in nine different divisions during the course of his career. He won his first major belt at 16, becoming the mini flyweight (105 pounds) Thailand champion and moved up all the way to 140 pounds winning the Toyota Marathon super lightweight tournament and claiming the Rajadamnern super lightweight title in 2014.

Sam-A won his first Lumpinee title in 2004 competing at super flyweight (115 pounds). He won the Thailand 115-pound title a few months later before moving up a division to win the vacant Thailand bantamweight title, coincidentally by beating Petchboonchu.

In 2011 he received the Lumpinee “Fighter of the Year” award and Sam-A has also held Lumpinee and Thailand titles at 122 pounds. His final fight was on December 25th last year when he beat two opponents in a single afternoon to win the Toyota Marathon 126-pound “Champion of Champions” tournament.

Petboonchu is known as a clinch fighter who is very dangerous with his knees while Sam-A is more of a patient technician. Both are veterans of over 300 Muay Thai fights and they will be giving tips to members of the Evolve MMA fight team like Rafael Dos Anjos, Ben Askren, and Shinya Aoki.

Some of the most successfull Muay Thai fighters of the era are already in Singapore and other trainers currently employed by Evolve MMA include Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn, Orono Wor Petchpun, Nong-O Kaiyanghadaogym, Pornsanae Sitmonchai, and Saketdao Petpayathai.

It means mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters in Singapore will be learning techniques from the best in the business and it will be interesting to see whether the likes of Askren and Aoki start to adopt more clinch or elbow techniques into their respective games.

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