For part one of our preview click here.
ONE: “For Honor” is set for Istora Senayan in Jakarta this Friday (May 3, 2019) and is headlined by a Muay Thai title fight. The card also features former UFC and WSOF title challenger Yushin Okami and former ONE featherweight champion Marat Gafurov.
Local interest will be provided by the presence of Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol, Paul Lumihi and Sunoto with the latter being thrown together in a clash between the country’s two top bantamweights.
Here’s my preview of the top half of the card:
145 lbs.: Paul Lumihi vs. Sunoto
Paul Lumihi (7-1) has been out of action for nearly two years but was the reigning ONE Pride MMA featherweight champion and won seven out of seven for the Indonesian promotion. He has a wushu base and tends to bounce around a lot and attack with kicks.
Sunoto (10-5) is entitled to feel he’s been competing at a much higher level than his opponent. He’s a veteran of 13 ONE Championship fights and will be looking to take Lumihi down and submit him here.
155 lbs.: Thanh Le vs. Yusup Saadulaev (Featherweight)
Yusup Saadulaev (17-4-1) is a BJJ black belt with bags of experience. The Russian has won his last five bouts and recently moved up to featherweight after spending his entire career competing at 135 lbs.
Thanh Le (8-2) is a former LFA 145-pound champion who will have a significant advantage in terms of both height and reach. He has a Taekwondo based striking style and is very aggressive, the TUF veteran hangs his hands low and attacks constantly with spinning kicks and punches.
115 lbs.: Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol vs. Nou Srey Pov
Losing to Puja Tomar by decision last time out was not a good result for Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol (5-4). The Indonesian southpaw showed a real lack of aggression in that contest and will hope to showcase her wushu more effectively here.
Nou Srey Pov (1-0) put in a very composed performance to defeat Rika Ishige in her ONE Championship debut. She’s good enough to stand with just about anyone in the division, but we still don’t know how comfortable the Cambodian is on the ground.
145 lbs.: Yodpanomrung Jitmuangnon vs. Tyler Hardcastle (Muay Thai)
Yodpanomrung Jitmuangnon is a southpaw with a solid left kick who is very strong in the clinch. He’s won Thailand titles and Channel 7 titles, establishing himself as one of the best fighters in Thailand at his weight.
Tyler Hardcastle is also a southpaw who likes the left kick and he holds a decision win over Saemapetch Fairtex. However, Yodpanomrung is on a completely different level, although the Thai might be handicapped by the restrictions on clinching in the ruleset.
155 lbs.: Tetsuya Yamada vs. Marat Gafurov (Featherweight)
Marat Gafurov (16-2) once dropped Rob Lisita with a head kick and was able to stand and strike with Jadambaa Naruntungalag. But the Russian is a decorated BJJ black belt so it’s clear where his strengths lie.
Gafurov hjas also suffered a couple of KO losses in recent fights which is sure to be something Tetsuya Yamada (26-6-2) is thinking about. The Japanese southpaw spends a lot of time at Tiger Muay Thai and is dropping down a division here.
185 lbs.: Yushin Okami vs. Kiamrian Abbasov
Yushin Okami (35-12) is 37 but doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. He’s a southpaw with a good straight left who holds a black belt in judo and is always looking to get the fight to the ground.
Kiamrian Abbasov (20-4) looked terrified of Luis Santos on his ONE Championship debut but bounced back to defeat Agilan Thani. The Malaysian is nowhere near Okami’s level though and it would be a massive upset if the Kyrgyz fighter got anything out of this.
135lbs.: (Muay Thai) Sam-A Gaiyanghadao (c) vs. Jonathan Haggerty (For Flyweight Title)
At his peak Sam-A Gaiyanghadao would have been an overwhelming favourite against any non Thai but he turns 36 this year. It’s very rare for fighters of his size to enjoy this type of longevity and sooner or later he surely has to lose a bit of speed.
A southpaw with a devastating body kick, Sam-A is a tricky, technical who been far too good for all the opponents he has been matched with so far. He also doesn’t seem to have had any issues adjusting to the unique rules and smaller gloves in the ONE Super Series.
Jonathan Haggerty started strongly against Joseph Lasiri on his ONE Super Series debut but probably lost rounds one and two. He will have a big size advantage here but that’s about the only factor in the Englishman’s favour.
Haggerty lasted less than two rounds against Superlek Kiatmoo9, which probably gives you an indication of how this fight will go. Sam-A is several years past his prime though and with the small gloves and a significant size advantage the Englishman might be able to pull off the upset.
The entire ONE: “For Honor” 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.