ONE: “Unstoppable Dreams” is set for the Singapore Indoor Stadium on May 18th and the promotion has pulled out all the stops for this homecoming card.
In total there are three titles on the line, including a Muay Thai belt, with some of the promotion’s biggest stars on the card. Angela Lee, Martin Nguyen, Eduard Folayang and Shinya Aoki will all be in action this Friday.
There will also be an opportunity for ONE Championship fans to get a glimpse of Muay Thai royalty with Yodsaenklai Fairtex and Sam-A Gaiyanghadao both on the card. Then there’s the story of Singtongnoi Por Telakun who fights for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer.
Here’s my preview of the first six fights:
145lbs.: Roel Rosauro Vs Sunoto
Roel Rosauro (4-2) lasted less than 45 seconds on his ONE Championship debut and his second fight looks even tougher. The Filipino has been matched with Indonesian submission specialist Sunoto (8-2).
The Indonesian southpaw is a ONE Championship veteran, he’s fought nine times for the promotion and has won his last three. He is primarily a grappler and looks odds on to win this one with a first round submission.
145lbs.: Huang Shi Hao Vs Xie Bin
Xie Bin (3-1) will be looking for a fourth straight win in the ONE Championship cage. He is tall for a bantamweight but striking is definitely not his strength and the Chinese fighter will want to take this fight down.
Stylistically that makes this a tough matchup for the Chinese fighter who is going in with BJJ brown belt Huang Shi Hao. He’s a Singaporean with a 3-0 amateur record, but if his grappling credentials give him the edge on the ground it’s hard to see how Xie will win this.
155lbs.: Meas Meu Vs Xie Chao
Meas Meu (6-1) was on the receiving end of a highlight reel KO in January when Edward Kelly finished him with a head kick. The Cambodian dropped face first on the floor and was motionless for a long time.
It probably wasn’t quite as bad as it looked, but it will be interesting to see what effect that fight has had on him psychologically. Xie Chao (8-3) has been the distance with some tough Russian fighters and will be a favourite here.
135lbs.: Singtongnoi Por Telakun vs Joseph Lasiri
Singtongnoi Por Telekaun was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. He described the treatment as the toughest thing he had ever been through in his life, which takes on added meaning when you consider he’s a veteran of nearly 300 Muay Thai fights.
In terms of experience there’s a gulf between the Thai and Joseph Lasiri. Singtongnoi has fought the biggest names in the business while the Italian is not a big name and, assuming the Thai is healthy, he should win this comfortably.
170lbs.: Amir Khan Vs Sung Jong Lee
It’s too soon to write off the title prospects of Amir Khan (9-3). His gameplan and strategy worked perfectly against Adrian Pang but was ineffective against Timofey Nastyukhin and he’s coming off a decision loss.
Khan is a very patient and obedient fighter who will execute the exact instructions he is given by his team. Sung Jong Lee (4-1) is coming off three wins in a row by leg lock so it’s clear where the threat lies, the Singaporean will probably try to maintain distance and control the contest with his striking.
170lbs.: Eduard Folayang vs Kharun Atlangeriev
This fight is slightly reminiscent of the matchup between Eduard Folayang (18-6) and Timofey Nastyukhin. The Filipino had been expected to beat a Russian newcomer without any big names on his resume but ended up getting knocked out cold.
Kharun Atlangeriev (11-0) looks quite limited and the standard of his previous opposition is low. He throws the odd leg kick but Folayang won’t be worried about his striking, the Russian will try to smother his opponent with wrestling but he faces a massive step up in competition here.
The entire ONE: “Unstoppable Dreams” card will be available to view live and free using the newly launched app which you can download here. The first four fights will also be live on facebook and twitter.