ONE: “Warrior Kingdom” is set for the Impact Arena in Bangkok this Saturday night (March 11, 2017) local time and sees two undefeated female fighters clash as reigning atomweight champion Angela Lee makes the first defense of her title against Jenny Huang.
The card is stacked with Thai fighters, there are seven of them in action, including former strawweight champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke and rising lightweight star Shannon Wiratchai. There’s also another chance to see undefeated strawweight prospect Pongsiri Mitsatit in action.
Here’s my preview of the first half of the card. As always with ONE Championship weights listed are walking weights.
125 lbs.: Pongsiri Mitsatit vs Rabin Catalan
The first fight of the night could see a future title contender crowned. If Pongsiri Mitsatit (7-0) can claim his second successive ONE Championship win then the 20 year old Muay Thai specialist will be within touching distance of a shot at the belt.
Rabin Catalan (4-2) represents the toughest test of Mitsatit’s career to date. The Filipino has world class Wushu and a decent ground game and his only two losses have come at the hands of Team Lakay fighters who would go on to challenge for ONE Championship belts. This could go either way.
125 lbs.: Kritsada Kongsrichai vs Adrian Matheis
Kritsada Kongsrichai (4-3) might hail from the home of Muay Thai but his background is in wrestling. The 25 year old loves a takedown and will be looking to pick the Indonesian up, slam him to the canvass and then attack with either ground and pound or submissions.
Adrian Matheis (2-1) has fought three times for ONE Championship but unfortunately none of his bouts have been televised. He was submitted by Rene Catalan last time out which suggests that the ground game isn’t his strength, a potential weakness Kongsrichai will undoubtedly look to exploit.
155 lbs.: Ma Jia Wen vs Yohan Mulia Legowo
M Jia Wen (3-2) has fought five times for ONE Championship but only turned 20 a few months ago. He comes from a wrestling background. He’s very patient and sometimes seems a bit too reluctant to pull the trigger in the striking exchanges but has shown he only needs one takedown to win a fight.
Yohan Mulia Legowo (8-5) holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and made his pro MMA debut way back in 2002 although his performances in the ONE Championship cage have been somewhat mixed. He’s 16 years the senior of Wen and doesn’t throw too many strikes either, so will probably feel his best chance to win is with a submission.
155 lbs.: Saketdao Petpayathai vs Kelvin Ong
Saketdao Petpayathai is a former Lumpinee and Rajadamnern champion whose striking credentials are among the very best in the sport. During his Muay Thai days he used to walk forwards and throw a lot of knees from long range, tactics which the 30 year old will need to tweak for his MMA debut.
Kelvin Ong (1-0) trains out of Borneo Tribal Squad and the Malaysian will be desperate to get this one to the ground. If he doesn’t it’s just a question of when and how Saketdao decides to knock him out.
115 lbs.: Rika Ishige vs Audreylaura Boniface
I believe I was cageside the first and only time Audreylaura Boniface (0-1) competed in MMA but I can’t honestly remember it. Judging from the footage I’ve seen of her competing in other combat sports she is primarily a grappler and the Malaysian fights out of Borneo Tribal Squad, whose fighters tend to be better on the ground.
Rika Ishige fought once in amateur MMA but there isn’t any footage of that bout available. She holds a blue belt in BJJ and trains alongside ONE Championship lightweight Shannon Wiratchai (who also happens to be her boyfriend) so should know what she’s doing.
ONE: “Warrior Kingdom” is set for Saturdaynight (local time) at the Impact Arena and can be purchased for $9.99 from here.