Author: James Goyder

ONE: “Unbreakable” is set for the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday. The event features the return of Shinya Aoki as well as a kickboxing title fight.

Aoki faces former welterweight title challenger James Nakashima. There is also a debut for Deep strawweight champion Namiki Kawahara who has been matched with Lito Adiwang.

Here is my preview:

Lito Adiwang vs Namiki Kawahara (Strawweight)

Namiki Kawahara (7-3-2-1) is the reigning Deep strawweight champion. He submitted Haruo Ochi in the second round at Deep 96 to claim the belt.

Lito Adiwang (11-3) will be looking to bounce back from his first ever ONE Championship loss. The Filipino saw a seven fight winning streak snapped by Hiroshi Minowa at ONE: “Inside the Matrix” Part III and faces another Japanese champion on Friday.

Meng Bo vs Samara Santos (Atomweight)

Meng Bo (15-5) will be looking to secure a spot in the promotion’s upcoming atomweight Grand Prix. She is coming off an impressive first round KO of Priscilla Gaol at ONE: “Inside the Matrix” Part II with a laser light straight right doing the damage.

Samara Santos (11-7-1) has been stopped in both her ONE Championship fights to date but is dropping down a division here. Striking is not her specialty and the Brazilian doesn’t seem to have the wretling skills required to get fights to the ground.

Zebastian Kadestam vs Murad Abdulaev (Welterweight)

Former welterweight champion Zebaztian Kadestam (12-5) returns after missing all of 2020. He has some devastating kicks and knees and will want to keep this one standing.

Gadjimurad Abdulaev (5-0) utilized his wrestling to beat Brazilian Muay Thai specialist Carlos Prates at ONE Warrior Series 6. He will look to try and keep Kadestam on his back for the entire fight here.

Shinya Aoki vs. James Nakashima (Lightweight)

Shinya Aoki (45-9-0-1) will be looking for this third straight win. The Japanese southpaw has a solid left body kick but is, of course, one of the best grapplers in the game and always looks to utilize his submission skills.

James Nakashima (12-1) is dropping down a division after an unsuccessful shot at welterweight champion Kiamrian Abbasov at ONE: ‘Inside the Matrix’ Part II in November. He’s a wrestler who almost always goes the distance.

Kickboxing: Rade Opacic vs. Patrick Schmid (Heavyweight)

Rade Opacic finished Errol Zimmerman with a spinning back kick to the face at ONE: ‘Big Bang’ Part II. He will be looking for another highlight reel finish here.

Bruno Sosano stepped in to replace Patrick Schmid, who was withdrawn when one of his cornermen tested positive for Covid-19. He looks short of the quality required to compete at this level and probably won’t last a round.

Kickboxing: Alaverdi Ramazanov (c) vs. Captain Petchyindee (For bantamweight title)

Alaverdi Ramazanov faces his biggest test to date against arguably the best pound for pound Muay Thai fighter on the planet at present. The Russian has been in with some top Thais but this is a huge step up.

Captain Petchyindee is now a kickboxer. But he is very dangerous with punches and low kicks and looks set to thrive in the sport, be a big surprise if he didn’t capture a title here.

The entire ONE: “Unbreakable” 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.

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ONE: “Collision Course” is set for the Singapore Indoor Stadium this Friday. The main event pits Roman Kryklya against Murat Aygun in a light heavyweight kickboxing title fight that was originally scheduled to take place last month.

The co-main event features Muay Thai. Nong-O Gaiyanghadao will be defending his bantamweight belt against fellow Thai Rodlek Jaotalaytong.

In MMA action all eyes will be on Lowen Tynanes as he attempts to mount a comeback. The undefeated Hawaiian faces former featherweight champion Marat Gafurov.

Chan Rothana vs. Wei Xie (Flyweight)

Chan Rothana (7-3) has a background in Kun Khmer and taekwondo and is riding a very impressive three fight winning streak, with the victories coming at the expense of opponents boasting a cumulative record of 22-4. A clearcut decision win over wrestler Gustavo Balart last time out proved that the Cambodian has developed into a well rounded mixed martial artist.

Wei Xie (5-3) saw his five fight winning streak snapped by Danny Kingad in January. He is primarily a striker and will want to keep this fight standing.

Tatsumitsu Wada vs Yodkaikaew Fairtex (Bantamweight)

Yodkaikaew Fairtex (6-2-1) has had a very good 2020. He returned to competitive MMA after a three year absence and scored two devastating KOs in quick succession, the Muay Thai fighter faces a big step up here.

Tatsumitsu Wada (22-11-2) caused Demetrious Johnson all sorts of problems. He mixed up striking and wrestling, attacking in bursts and using his tall frame to good effect.

Yusup Saadulaev vs. Troy Worthen (Bantamweight)

Yusup Saadulaev (19-5-1) has won seven out of his last eight fights, moving up to featherweight to face Thanh Le was a mistake that the Russian probably won’t repeat. He holds a BJJ black belt but the southpaw has fairly solid striking too.

Troy Worthen (7-0) comes from a wrestling background and was handpicked to join the Evolve MMA fight team in Singapore after a tryout. Not having to spend two weeks in quarantine is a big advantage for the local fighters but he might find the Russian tougher to take down than his previous opponents have been.

Marat Gafurov vs. Lowen Tynanes (Lightweight)

It seems a long time ago that Marat Gafurov (17-3) dropped Robert Lisita with a head kick but the former featherweight champion’s striking should not be underestimated. He is a BJJ black belt who specializes in rear naked chokes but is 0-1 in his lightweight career.

Lowen Tynanes (10-0) has only fought once in the last four years but stylistically this could be a good matchup for the Hawaiian. He is a huge lightweight and a very effective wrestler who will look to impose himself on Gafurov by putting the Russsian on his back and keeping him there.

Muay Thai: Nong-O Gaiyanghadao (c) vs. Rodlek Jaotalaytong (For bantamweight title)

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao will work opponents out, find their weaknesses and exploit them with counter striking making him a strong favorite here. He has had a much more successful Muay Thai career than his opponent, but at some stage the 35 year old will surely start slowing down.

Rodlek Jaotalaytong is a former Channel 7 champion who is five years younger than Nong-O. He’s an aggressive, front foot fighter and might be hoping the veteran champion fades in the latter rounds.

Kickboxing: Roman Kryklya vs. Murat Aygun (for light heavyweight title)

Roman Kryklya won the Kunlun super heavyweight tournament before signing with ONE Championship. The Ukrainian tends to either knock opponents down or knock them out, he’s one of the tallest fighters in the division and likes to keep opponents at range but throws everything full power.

Murat Aygun has spent the majority of his career fighting for smaller promotions in Europe but holds wins over Errol Zimmerman and Tarik Khbabez. He will look to get on the inside, plant his feet and throw hard hooks.

The entire ONE: “Collision Course” 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.

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ONE: “Big Bang” Part II will be broadcast this Friday evening (local time). The card at the Singapore Indoor Stadium features legendary kickboxers Nieky Holzken and Errol Zimmerman.

There are also a couple of MMA fights on the card but most of the action is in the ONE Super Series.

Here is my quick preview:

Ali Motamed vs. Rui Chen (Bantamweight)

Rui Chen (8-1) has won four fights out of five for ONE Championship and will be looking to cement his status as one of the top a Chinese fighters on the roster with a win in Singapore. He was easily outwrestled by Troy Worthen in his last fight and future opponents will have taken note of that.

Ali Motamed (7-4) has been training for this fight in his native Iran after years at Tiger Muay Thai. He has a background in Muay Thai but has been working on his wrestling and will want to get this down.

Agilan Thani vs. Tyler McGuire (Welterweight)

Agilan Thani (10-4) had a solid 2019, scoring decision wins over Yoshihiro Akiyama and Dante Schiro and dropping a decision to Yushin Okami. The Malaysian is primarily a grappler and his confidence should be high after going the distance with two UFC veterans.

Tyler McGuire (11-1) did not compete at all in 2019. The previous year he earned a welterweight title shot but was stopped in the fifth round by Zebaztian Kadestam at ONE: “Warrior’s Dream” and, like his opponent, he generally relies on his wrestling to win fights.

Tetsuya Yamada vs. Jae Woong Kim (Featherweight)

The other MMA fight on the card sees veteran lightweight Tetsuya Yamada (26-7-2) competing in a new division. The experienced southpaw likes to counter and is comfortable attacking with either takedowns or strikes.

Jae Woong Kim (10-4) saw his four fight winning streak unceremoniously snapped by Koyomi Matsushima last time out. He is a former Top FC 145-pound champion but hasn’t beaten many opponents of Yamada’s calibre.

Kickboxing: Errol Zimmerman vs. Rade Opa?i? (Heavyweight)

Errol Zimmerman (111-82-27-1) is coming back after a two year lay off and the former K-1 and Glory star will be looking to make a strong statement in his ONE Championship debut. With all his injury problems behind him, he is coming into the fight on the back of two losses, which will make the Dutch legend even more determined to get the win on Friday in Singapore.

Rade Opa?i? (11-9-2) although relatively inexperienced compared to his opponent, the young Serbian warrior has been making waves with strong performances across Europe. At 200 cms tall he is one of the tallest of the athletes on ONE’s roster and likes to put his height to good use with some dangerous right high kicks. Like Zimmerman, Opacic is making his ONE debut and with both fighters having explosive walk forward styles, it should make for fireworks on Friday night.

Muay Thai: Taiki Naito vs. Jonathan Haggerty (Flyweight)

Jonathan Haggerty (20-16-4) the young English sensation will be looking to put on a strong showing on Friday night and put his recent stoppage loss to Flyweight World champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon behind him. With his eyes on regaining his belt, Haggerty will be hoping to draw the elusive Japanese fighter into a war and try to take him out with one of his trademark elbows.

Taiki Naito (40-32-8) currently on a four fight win streak on ONE Championship, the shoot boxing star will be looking to move and frustrate Haggerty and try to catch him out with some explosive counters. Like Haggerty the stakes are high for Naito, as he also dreams a win will push him up the Flyweight rankings and lead to a title shot against Rodtang.

Kickboxing: Nieky Holzken vs. Elliot Compton (Lightweight)

Nieky Holzken (109-92-16-1 NC) “The Natural” will be coming out all guns blazing on Friday night as he looks to return to winning ways. Holzken made a great start to his ONE career, knocking out the tough Brazilian Cosmo Alexandre, but has lost his last two fights to compatriot Regian Eersel. A decisive win on Friday night, would put him right back in contention for another crack at Eersel’s title.

Elliot Compton (46-34-11-1) will be looking to use his awkward style to frustrate and unsettle the Dutch Glory and K-1 legend on Friday night. Compton was the first Aussie fighter to register a win on ONE Super Series and will be looking to put his stoppage loss to Cosmo Alexandre in his last match on ONE firmly behind him with a win against Holzken.

The entire ONE: “Big Bang” Part II 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.

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ONE: “Big Bang” is set for the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday and there are currently five fights on the card. The main event should produce some fierce action with Roman Kryklya set to defend his light heavyweight kickboxing title against Murat Aygun.

Amir Aliakbari won’t feature on the card as his opponent couldn’t make it to Singapore and a last mintue replacement proved impossible to find. But there is a potential title eliminator in the featherweight division with undefeated grappler Garry Tonon facing former challenger Kyomi Matsushima.

Ritu Phogat vs. Jomary Torres (Atomweight)

Ritu Phogat (3-0) has won three fights in quick succession for ONE Championship. The Indian has been wrestling nearly all her life and will probably look to play to her strengths here.

Jomary Torres 4-4-0-1 is on an awful run of form. The Filipina is winless in her last five fights and will need to stave off the takedown attempts and use the wushu striking skills she has learned under Rene Catalan.

Bokang Masunyane vs. Rene Catalan (Strawweight)

Bokang Masunyane (6-3-0-1) has only fought twice in Asia but the South African has already made a reputation for himself. He uses his wrestling skills to rag doll opponents, picking them up and throwing them around with some highlight reel slams.

Rene Catalan (7-0) is a multiple time wushu world champion but has made some serious strides in terms of his wrestling and ground game. He has some devastating kicks but will need to keep the fight standing for long enough to use them.

Kickboxing: Marat Grigorian vs. Ivan Kondratiev (Featherweight)

Marat Grigorian will be looking to make history by becoming the first fighter to win titles or tournaments with K-1, Kunlun, Glory and ONE Championship. He has been in with the best in the business and will be a strong favourite here.

Ivan Kondratiev does not have the same sort of stellar credentials as his opponent. The Russian appears to have won some tournaments in his homeland but will be making his major league debut.

Koyomi Matsushima vs. Garry Tonon (Featherweight)

Koyomi Matsushima (12-4) has some powerful punches and low kicks. He can finish the fight in a split second but has never faced a grappler of Garry Tonon’s prowess before.

Garry Tonon (5-0) has taken to MMA like a duck to water. This fight is dangerous because he is going up against a proven striker but the BJJ black belt has had no issues controlling where the action takes place in his previous bouts and will be confident of getting this to the ground and utilizing those famous submission skills.

Kickboxing: Roman Kryklya vs. Murat Aygun (For light heavyweight title)

Roman Kryklya won the Kunlun super heavyweight tournament before signing with ONE Championship. The Ukrainian tends to either knock opponents down or knock them out, he’s one of the tallest fighters in the division and likes to keep opponents at range but throws everything full power.

Murat Aygun has spent the majority of his career fighting for smaller promotions in Europe but holds wins over Errol Zimmerman and Tarik Khbabez. He will look to get on the inside, plant his feet and throw hard hooks.

The entire ONE: “Big Bang” 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.

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ONE: “Inside the Matrix” Part IV will be broadcast this Friday evening (local time). There are three MMA fights on the card with two featherweight contenders going head-to-head inside Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Ryogo Takahashi and Yoon Chang Min will both be looking to move a step closer to securing a shot at newly-crowned featherweight champion Thanh Le. The latter is one of two undefeated Koreans on the card.

Here’s my preview:

Maira Mazar vs. Choi Jeong Yun (Catchweight)

This catchweight contest is set to take place a few pounds under the flyweight limit. Maira Mazar (6-3) was submitted by Ayaka Miura in her most recent fight and the Brazilian’s three losses have all come by way of submission.

Choi Jeong Yun (2-0) is an unknown quantity. The 22 year old’s two wins both came at the expense of debutants and she hasn’t fought since 2017.

Ryogo Takahashi vs. Yoon Chang Min (Featherweight)

Ryogo Takahashi (13-4) was stopped by Thanh Le last time out but everyone gets stopped by the newly crowned featherweight king. That win snapped an eight-fight winning streak for the Japanese fighter who is known for his low kicks, even if he hasn’t had a chance to use them much in his ONE Championship career.

Yoon Chang Min (4-0) has won four fights out of four for ONE Championship but has never been in with an opponent of Takahashi’s calibre. Three of his four wins have been by submission but he was able to pick apart an exhausted Trestle Tan with some sharp boxing.

Bruno Pucci vs Kwon Won Il (Bantamweight)

Bruno Pucci (7-4) holds a BJJ black belt and has been on the roster since 2013. He is particularly dangerous with chokes and will want to get this fight to the ground.

Kwon Won Il (8-3) has won three fights out of six for ONE Championship. His losses have all come at the hands of Japanese opponents and the Korean has been submitted twice.

Muay Thai: Rocky Ogden vs. Joseph Lasiri (Catchweight)

Rocky Ogden went the distance with reigning strawweight Muay Thai and kickboxing champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao in Febuary. That should give the Australian, who is a protegee of John Wayne Parr, a lot of confidence heading into this fight.

Joseph Lasiri’s ONE Super Series record stands at 1-4. He took Mongkolpetch Petchyindee to a majority decision last time out which was an achievement in itself but the Italian tends to come up short against top tier opposition.

Kickboxing: Aslanbek Zikreev vs. Wang Junguang (Strawweight)

Aslanbek Zikreev won gold medals at the European Muay Thai Championships in 2018 and 2019 and a bronze medal at the 2017 World Games. Beyond that there is very little information about the Russian who doesn’t appear to have much kickboxing experience.

Wang Junguang has been in with some Muay Thai and kickboxing royalty in Sam-A Gaiyanghadao and Takeru although he dropped a decision to both fighters. He has been competing in kickboxing since at least 2014 and is currently ranked No. 2 in the division.

The entire ONE: “Inside the Matrix” Part IV fight card will be available to view live and free in some territories using the newly launched app which you can download here.

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ONE

The third installment of last month’s ONE: “Inside the Matrix” card will be broadcast on Friday. The main event is a bantamweight fight that has been talked about for years with UFC veteran John Lineker facing former champion Kevin Belingon.

Belingon’s Team Lakay training partners Geje Eustaquio and Kevin Belingon will also be in action on a card that is sure to attract lots of interest in the Philippines. Both men have been handed tough fights against opponents from Korea and Japan respectively.

Here’s my preview of the five fight card:

Koha Minowa vs Lito Adiwang (Strawweight)

Koha Minowa (11-2) signed for ONE Championship as the reigning Shooto 115-pound champion and will be looking to make a big impression on his debut. He wins his fights on the floor, either through submission or ground and pound, and that will definitely be the strategy here.

Opponent Lito Adiwang (11-2) has an identical record. He has the classic Team Lakay wushu striking style but has never been tested against a submission specialist of Minowa’s calibre.

Murad Ramazanov vs. Hiroyuki Tetsuka (Welterweight)

Murad Ramazanov made a very impressive ONE Championship deut, finishing former Legend FC welterweight champion Bae Myung Ho in under a round. The Russian has five wins in a row over more experienced opponents and could earn a title shot with another impressive performance here.

Hiroyuki Tetsuka (9-3) is the reigning welterweight King of Pancrase. He has some impressive KOs on his record, is riding a five fight winning streak and will want to keep this standing.

Yuri Simoes vs. Fan Rong (Middleweight)

Yuri Simoes is a BJJ black belt who has won too many grappling and submission tournaments to list here. He makes his MMA debut here so it will be interesting to see how well-rounded the Brazilian is but on paper at least, he is the best grappler in the division.

Fan Rong (13-2) got submitted by Reinier de Ridder in under two minutes last year. That doesn’t bode too well for the Chinese fighter who will need to keep this standing long enough to test the chin of an opponent who has no MMA experience.

Song Min Jong vs. Geje Eustaquio (Catchweight)

Geej Eustaquio (13-8) has the Team Lakay striking style and likes a spinning strike. He is difficult to submit and has good stamina but tends to go the distance, his last fight being a notable exception.

Song Min Jong (11-7) likes to press forwards using punches and knees and make opponents back up before taking them down. He will have to look out for the spinning counters from Eustaquio, but will probably be on the front foot right from the start looking to get the fight down.

A former ONE Championship flyweight champion is facing a former Road FC flyweight champion in a catchweight contest in Singapore. Geje Eustaquio has been booked to take on Song Min Jong in an event that will be being broadcast next Friday.

Kevin Belingon vs. John Lineker (Bantamweight)

The main event pits the power of John Lineker (32-9) against the speed of Kevin Belingon (20-7). The Brazilian likes to plant his feet and throw heavy punches, he has knocked out some of the best flyweights in the world in this style.

Belingon likes to use his footwork to get in and out, attacking with kicks and overhand rights but tends to go the distance. The Filipino will need to fight the perfect fight here if he wants to win, getting in to land his strikes and out in time to avoid the counter whereas Lineker only needs to land once and it could all be over.

The entire ONE: “Inside the Matrix” III fight card will be available to view 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.

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