ONE: “Clash of Legends” is set for the Impact Arena on Saturday (Feb. 16, 2019) and will feature no fewer than five Muay Thai fights. There are also some very interesting MMA matchups in the bantamweight and atomweight divisions.
Mark Abelardo’s match with Daichi Takenaka is a potential bantamweight title eliminator but the same could be said for the fight between Dae Hwan Kim and Shuya Kamikubo. Meanwhile the winner of the atomweight bout between Gina Iniong and Jihin Radzuan could well be set to challenge for the soon to be vacated title.
Here’s my preview of the first six fights:
125 lbs.: Elipitua Siregar vs. Liu Peng Shuai
Elipitua Siregar (3-0) has finished three fights out of three for ONE Championship, and has won every single bout inside the first round or two. The Indonesian is primarily a grappler
Liu Peng Shuai (5-4) returns to ONE Championship after a two year absence and appears to have spent time training in the US, he fought in Albuquerque last year. However he is coming off an underwhelming result, a decision loss to a novice opponent in China.
115 lbs.: Rika Ishige vs. Nou Srey Pov
Rika Ishige (4-2) has brought tremendous entertainment to the Thai fans. She’s always smiling but her fights tend to be dramatic back and forth affairs with her ground game much stronger than her striking.
Debutant Nou Srey Pov comes from a Kun Khmer background. She will definitely have an advantage in striking terms so Ishige should be in a hurry to get this fight to the floor.
155 lbs.: Emilio Urrutia vs. Yoshiki Nakahara
Emilio Urrutia (11-6) has been based at Tiger Muay Thai on and off since 2003 so you would expect his striking skills to be on point. But the American is coming off back to back defeats and has been matched with an elite opponent.
Yoshiki Nakahara (12-4) is riding a seven fight win streak that includes two wins over ONE Championship alumni. The featherweight division is crying out for a new contender and he will be looking to establish his credentials in Bangkok.
149 lbs.: Chamuaktong Fightermuaythai vs Charlie Peters (Muay Thai)
Charlie Peters recently beat Liam Harrison in a battle for British Muay Thai supremacy. He’s at the top of his game but faces an opponent who has consistently been competing at an even higher level.
Chamuaktong Fightermuaythai has been in with the best in the Muay Thai business. He’s normally a walk forward, clinch fighter but in the ONE Super Series he has been keeping his distance and attacking with kicks.
135 lbs.: Superlek Kiatmoo9 vs Lao Chetra (Muay Thai)
Superlek Kiatmoo9 has been one of the best fighters in Thailand for nearly a decade now. He started out as a clinch fighter but has become more diverse as his career has progressed.
Lao Chetra is one of the top pound for pound Kun Khmer fighters. But there’s a big difference between competing in Bangkok, where multimillion baht bets are commonplace, and fighting in Phnom Penh and I expect it to show.
115 lbs.: Gina Iniong vs. Jihin Radzuan
Gina Iniong (7-4) fights out of Team Lakay and holds a split decision win over Mei Yamaguchi from her PXC days. She’s been a pro for nearly a decade and tends to go the distance.
Jihin Radzuan (4-0) only turned pro in 2017 but already had substantial amateur experience. She holds a blue belt in BJJ and has some Muay Thai experience, but might want to avoid getting into a striking exchange with the Filipina wushu specialist.
The entire ONE: “Clash of Legends” card will be available to view live and free in some territories using the newly launched app which you can download here. In the US it will be streamed on B/R Live.