Tag: ONE Championship News

ONE Championship has become a great place to find young and dynamic martial artists. No organization in the world has as many young champions in their ranks. The following 10 athletes are among the cream of the crop, and none of them are over the age of 25.

Joshua Pacio, 23

“The Passion” is the reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion, and despite his youth, he has already had 17 professional matches. He’s 14-3 and already a two-time champion in his weight class. Pacio has avenged all but one of the losses on his record and finished 12 of his 14 victories.

Angela Lee, 23

Despite failing in her attempt to become a two-division champion, and dropping her last two matches overall, Angela Lee is still the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion and one of the biggest stars in the promotion. With world-class Jiu-Jitsu and an improving striking game, Lee figures to be a part of ONE’s title picture for years to come.

Christian Lee, 21

Angela’s younger brother is no longer in his older sister’s shadow. He captured the ONE Lightweight World Title in May with a come-from-behind victory over the legendary Shinya Aoki. Christian Lee is 12-3 and he has finished every one of his wins during his career. He may have his first title defense before the end of 2019, and it could come against the winner of the Grand Prix.

Jonathan Haggerty, 22

Speaking of young guns shocking legends, Jonathan Haggerty’s upset win over Sam-A Gaiyanghadao captured the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship for the young Brit. He already has his first defense lined up for ONE: DAWN OF HEROES on 2 August against Rodtang Jitmuangnon. If he wins yet again, he will have confirmed his status as a superstar in the sport.

Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev, 24

He’s the oldest on this list, but he may well be the most dangerous. Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev has blasted his way to the final of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix with KO victories over Ev Ting and Amir Khan. Before he reached the Grand Prix, he’d scored a KO win over Timofey Nastyukhin. He’s 8-1 as a pro and every win has been a finish. He has the look of a future champion, and that could come sooner rather than later.

If Arslanaliev wins the Grand Prix, you’d have to think he’d be the favorite against Lee. 

Danny Kingad, 23

The Philippines has a seemingly endless representation in the top levels of competition with ONE. Danny Kingad is currently competing in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix where he will battle Reece McLaren in the semifinals. He’s 10-1 as a pro with his only loss coming at the hands of current champion Adriano Moraes. Kingad is hoping to win the tournament to earn a rematch with Black Diamond.

Stamp Fairtex, 22

Stamp Fairtex is ONE’s only two-sport champion. She is the reigning ONE Atomweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai Champion, but she’s not settling there. Stamp will be making her professional mixed martial arts debut at ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD in her home country of Thailand. If she can rise to a title shot and potentially win a championship in three sports, it would be an unprecedented feat.

Stamp has already established herself as one of the greatest women martial artists in the world. If she can win a world title in mixed martial arts, she will have something else on her resume that Amanda Nunes does not.

Alma Juniku, 18

She’s only had one match with ONE, and it was a unanimous-decision loss to Stamp earlier this year. At Juniku’s age, there is nothing to be ashamed of with this loss. Her arrow is pointing up, and Juniku may yet have her time to serve as a ONE champion.

A matchup with Kai Ting Chuang would seemingly be a good one for Juniku at this point in her career.

Jihin Radzuan, 22

“The Shadow Cat” is a serious title contender in mixed martial arts at atomweight. Her grappling skill is her best attribute, but she’s also as tough as they come. She’s only 5-1, with the lone defeat a disputed one against Gina Iniong, but Radzuan is one to watch over the next two years.

She is 2-3 bouts away from being ready to challenge for a world title–assuming she wins those matches.

Iurie Lapicus, 23

He’s just plain nasty. That’s the best way that you can describe Iurie Lapicus. He has to be one of–if not the most–highly regarded up-and-comer at welterweight.

If anyone gets a shot at Zebaztian Kadestam’s title before Kiamrian Abbasov or James Nakashima, it would have to be Lapicus. He is 13-0 in his career with every match ending in a finish. 
Most recently, the Moldovan disposed of Shannon Wiratchai via third-round submission in May at ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON. It was the first time an opponent had escaped the first round with him. There is no question, Lapicus has the look of a champion.

The post ONE Championship’s 10 Before 25 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

ONE Championship has become a great place to find young and dynamic martial artists. No organization in the world has as many young champions in their ranks. The following 10 athletes are among the cream of the crop, and none of them are over the age of 25.

Joshua Pacio, 23

“The Passion” is the reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion, and despite his youth, he has already had 17 professional matches. He’s 14-3 and already a two-time champion in his weight class. Pacio has avenged all but one of the losses on his record and finished 12 of his 14 victories.

Angela Lee, 23

Despite failing in her attempt to become a two-division champion, and dropping her last two matches overall, Angela Lee is still the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion and one of the biggest stars in the promotion. With world-class Jiu-Jitsu and an improving striking game, Lee figures to be a part of ONE’s title picture for years to come.

Christian Lee, 21

Angela’s younger brother is no longer in his older sister’s shadow. He captured the ONE Lightweight World Title in May with a come-from-behind victory over the legendary Shinya Aoki. Christian Lee is 12-3 and he has finished every one of his wins during his career. He may have his first title defense before the end of 2019, and it could come against the winner of the Grand Prix.

Jonathan Haggerty, 22

Speaking of young guns shocking legends, Jonathan Haggerty’s upset win over Sam-A Gaiyanghadao captured the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship for the young Brit. He already has his first defense lined up for ONE: DAWN OF HEROES on 2 August against Rodtang Jitmuangnon. If he wins yet again, he will have confirmed his status as a superstar in the sport.

Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev, 24

He’s the oldest on this list, but he may well be the most dangerous. Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev has blasted his way to the final of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix with KO victories over Ev Ting and Amir Khan. Before he reached the Grand Prix, he’d scored a KO win over Timofey Nastyukhin. He’s 8-1 as a pro and every win has been a finish. He has the look of a future champion, and that could come sooner rather than later.

If Arslanaliev wins the Grand Prix, you’d have to think he’d be the favorite against Lee. 

Danny Kingad, 23

The Philippines has a seemingly endless representation in the top levels of competition with ONE. Danny Kingad is currently competing in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix where he will battle Reece McLaren in the semifinals. He’s 10-1 as a pro with his only loss coming at the hands of current champion Adriano Moraes. Kingad is hoping to win the tournament to earn a rematch with Black Diamond.

Stamp Fairtex, 22

Stamp Fairtex is ONE’s only two-sport champion. She is the reigning ONE Atomweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai Champion, but she’s not settling there. Stamp will be making her professional mixed martial arts debut at ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD in her home country of Thailand. If she can rise to a title shot and potentially win a championship in three sports, it would be an unprecedented feat.

Stamp has already established herself as one of the greatest women martial artists in the world. If she can win a world title in mixed martial arts, she will have something else on her resume that Amanda Nunes does not.

Alma Juniku, 18

She’s only had one match with ONE, and it was a unanimous-decision loss to Stamp earlier this year. At Juniku’s age, there is nothing to be ashamed of with this loss. Her arrow is pointing up, and Juniku may yet have her time to serve as a ONE champion.

A matchup with Kai Ting Chuang would seemingly be a good one for Juniku at this point in her career.

Jihin Radzuan, 22

“The Shadow Cat” is a serious title contender in mixed martial arts at atomweight. Her grappling skill is her best attribute, but she’s also as tough as they come. She’s only 5-1, with the lone defeat a disputed one against Gina Iniong, but Radzuan is one to watch over the next two years.

She is 2-3 bouts away from being ready to challenge for a world title–assuming she wins those matches.

Iurie Lapicus, 23

He’s just plain nasty. That’s the best way that you can describe Iurie Lapicus. He has to be one of–if not the most–highly regarded up-and-comer at welterweight.

If anyone gets a shot at Zebaztian Kadestam’s title before Kiamrian Abbasov or James Nakashima, it would have to be Lapicus. He is 13-0 in his career with every match ending in a finish. 
Most recently, the Moldovan disposed of Shannon Wiratchai via third-round submission in May at ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON. It was the first time an opponent had escaped the first round with him. There is no question, Lapicus has the look of a champion.

The post ONE Championship’s 10 Before 25 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Major prospects are always being established in ONE Championship’s ranks, and these future contenders come in all weight classes, and sports under the promotion’s umbrella. Let’s take a look at eight prospects you should know if you have an eye on future title challengers.

Fan Rong

After suffering the second loss of his professional career in January 2019 at ONE: HERO’S ASCENT against Reinier de Ridder, Fan bounced back in a major way. In June in Shanghai at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST, Fan made easy work of sturdy Egyptian veteran Sherif Mohamed. Fan scored a second-round TKO finish to run his record to an impressive 12-2 overall and 1-1 with ONE Championship. At some point, he’d love to ascend to a point where he can challenge current champion Aung La N Sang for his title. 

Reinier de Ridder

Through 11 professional bouts, de Ridder is undefeated. The 28-year-old from the Netherlands didn’t just turn back Fan’s attempt to hand him his first defeat, most recently, de Ridder destroyed Gilberto Galvao in Shanghai. At this point, de Ridder is on the cusp of shaking the prospect label. He may very well be the next in line to challenge Aung La. He may need one more win, but he looks to be one of the most serious threats to the Burmese Python’s crown.

Alma Juniku

Juniku already had her first shot at a world title in her debut match at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST. The young striker fell short as she lost a unanimous decision to ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Stamp Fairtex. However, Juniku is still only 18 years old. Her best days as a competitor are still ahead. With some small adjustments and the continued physical maturation, Juniku could find herself in a position to again challenge for the title. We haven’t seen the last of Juniku with ONE Championship.

Kharun Atlangeriev

The Predator hasn’t competed since May 2018 at ONE: UNSTOPPABLE DREAMS. Atlangeriev lost that bout to former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang. The loss was the only one of Atlangeriev’s career. Before the loss, he was on an 11-bout win streak with finishes in all but one of his bouts. Assuming he comes back to the promotion to compete, there is every reason to believe he can hop into the title picture in the lightweight division. Losing a decision to a competitor of Folayang’s pedigree is nothing to be ashamed of in the long run. 

Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev

If there were ever a competitor close to leaving the prospect level, it’s 24-year-old Dagestani Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev. He has already powered his way into the final of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix with two decisive KO wins over Ev Ting and Amir Khan. He is set to face the winner of the Eduard Folayang – Eddie Alvarez semifinal matchup at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES in Manila. 

Arslanaliev’s only loss as a pro came by way of disqualification for an illegal strike to a downed opponent. He is one of the scariest lightweight competitors in the sport, and should he win the Grand Prix, he might actually be favored to dethrone the newly crowned Christian Lee in a title bout.

Iurie Lapicus

Not a lot of prospects have emerged from the Republic of Moldova, but Iurie Lapicus might be one of the brightest young stars on the ONE Championship roster. He’s had just one bout with the organization, but he made a strong statement by scoring a third-round submission win over veteran Shannon Wiratchai in May at ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON. He’s currently 13-0 and showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Phoe Thaw

For now, Phoe Thaw is the most famous mixed martial artist from Myanmar not named Aung La N Sang. He has put together an 8-1 record as a professional in mixed martial arts, but the 34-year-old has had a slew of lethwei bouts in his home country. He’s known for his striking, and he reminded everyone of that in his last win at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST in Shanghai against Victorio Senduk.

Thaw scored the explosive KO win in the first round as he continues to hone his overall skills.

Garry Tonon

Of all the Americans on the ONE Championship roster, aside from Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, Tonon has the most championship potential. The 27-year-old is one of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the world. He has ridden that base skill to a 5-0 record in mixed martial arts, and he looks better with every performance in the ONE Circle.
In his most recent bout, Tonon scored a highlight-reel submission win over Yoshiki Nakahara at ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON in May. Tonon believes he is almost ready to challenge for the ONE Featherweight World Title. Based on his increasingly dominant performances, it is hard to disagree with him.

The post 8 ONE Championship Prospects You Should Know appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

The ONE Championship debut of Eddie Alvarez didn’t go the way he planned, nor the way most expected. He was stopped in the first round by Timofey Nastyuhkin and was promptly eliminated from the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix. It was a humbling experience, but now Alvarez is back and ready to take on former two-time ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES on 2 August in Manila. 

Despite the definitive loss in his debut, there are several reasons to believe Alvarez’s second match with ONE Championship will be different.

Losing First Bout With Other Promotions in the Past

Oddly enough, Alvarez loses the first bout every time he joins a new promotion. In 2018, Alvarez kicked off a wave of American signings and acquisitions by ONE. When he made his debut in March against Nastyuhkin, most thought he would easily handle the Russian. Perhaps we shouldn’t have assumed Alvarez would win based on how he performed in similar situations in the past. Alvarez has lost the first match with each of the last two promotions he has signed with throughout his mixed martial arts career. It has become a pattern that Alvarez gets dropped in his matches early in his career. If that’s the case, he’ll be ready to bounce back.

Motivated by the Doubts

The loss brought out the doubters in force and questions were raised whether the 35-year-old veteran still has enough left in the tank to compete at a high level. Based on his social media posts, Alvarez heard all the doubters and sounds like he can’t wait to climb back into the ONE Circle to silence the critics. That mindset isn’t the end-all-be-all, but it is the right start.

Better Acclimated to ONE’s Lightweight Division

ONE Championship has a different and safer weight management system than any other martial arts promotion. The athletes come in a bit bigger and stronger than what you’d normally find in other promotions. Alvarez knew that, but it’s one thing to see the information and another to feel it in the ring. Nastyuhkin looked massive in the Circle with Alvarez, and I’m not sure if it was something the latter was totally prepared for heading into the match. 

With that experience behind him and an entire training camp in place to prepare for the size and strength of his next opponent, Alvarez shouldn’t be stunned by Folayang’s power. In fact, Alvarez may be a bit bigger himself when he climbs into the Circle.

Folayang is Vulnerable

At 35, and soon to be 36, Folayang has had a long career. He’s coming off a first-round submission loss to Shinya Aoki which cost him his ONE Lightweight World Title. Throughout Folayang’s career, he has proven to be susceptible to precision striking, and that’s especially the case with counterpunching. Martin Nguyen put him to sleep with a counter right hand to win the ONE Lightweight World Title in 2017. 

Folayang has a lot of mileage on his body, and he may be at a crossroads in his career. Alvarez appears to be the more well-rounded martial artist, but he has to prove it in Manilla.

The post Why Eddie Alvarez’s 2nd ONE Championship Bout Will Be Different appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson will meet Tatsumitsu Wada in the semifinal of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix. At this rate, Johnson could very well advance to the final and may have an easier time in this round than he had in the previous one.

The winner of the tournament will most likely receive a shot at reigning ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano Moraes. 

Kairat Ahkmetov defeated Reece McLaren via unanimous decision in one of the quarterfinal matchups to set up a clash against Danny Kingad, who downed Senzo Ikeda. But Akhmetov, unfortunately, fell to injury, so McLaren stepped up into his place. 

Johnson, meanwhile, beat Yuya Wakamatsu for the right to face Tatsumitsu Wada, who won a tight unanimous decision over Gustavo Balart. 

Wakamatsu’s strength and athleticism proved to be an asset in the first round. He landed a hard punch on Johnson’s face that caused some light swelling. It seemed Johnson took control most of the first round, but the struggle was a little more real than most expected. However, in the second round, Johnson’s grappling prowess was on display. The pound-for-pound great locked in a guillotine choke that forced the young Japanese warrior to tap out. 

Wada had an even tougher time with Balart than Johnson did with Wakamatsu. Facing a man with unique physical dimensions and outstanding wrestling skills proved to be a bit of a challenge for Wada. He traded shots with the Olympic wrestler and wound up taking the decision to qualify for the next phase. It’s easy to say that if Wada had problems with Balart, then he will be destroyed by Johnson. That’s oversimplifying the matchup. Styles make fights, and it’s more complicated. 

Johnson will have an easier time against Wada, but it has nothing to do with the result of the bout with Balart. Wada isn’t a big striker, and it’s tough for any opponent who doesn’t pack a ton of power in their fists to create issues for Johnson. If you look at Johnson’s past opponents who have given him the most issues, the majority of them are formidable strikers, Wakamatsu included. In 34 professional mixed martial arts bouts, Wada has scored only five wins by technical knockout. Not having the power to fall back on puts a lot of pressure on the other aspects of Wada’s game.

Speaking of which, he also hasn’t proved yet he is a great submission artist. He has just five finishes in his career via submission, and 10 total stoppage wins. Wada is a martial artist who gets a good number of his wins by decision. That’s a tough thing to do against an opponent as skilled, experienced and dynamic as Johnson. Sure, Henry Cejudo did it but is Wada on Cejudo’s level? That’s something we’ll find out soon.

One of the significant factors that I believe will impact the result of this match is Johnson’s comfort level with ONE’s weight management system. Athletes go into matches much healthier and hydrated, but the weight classes are a little different than what Johnson was used to in the past. The athletes are a bit bigger and stronger in each weight class, and that’s something that Eddie Alvarez and Sage Northcutt may have found out the hard way. 

Both Alvarez and Northcutt lost via first-round TKO in their ONE debuts as they looked overwhelmed with the power of Timofey Nastyuhkin and Cosmo Alexandre, respectively. Johnson felt a little of that difference with Wakamatsu, but because Mighty Mouse belongs to the most elite class of martial artists in the world, he was able to adjust. Now with an entire match under his belt and with a whole training camp to prepare for the process, Johnson will be even better than he was against Wakamatsu, which spells bad news for Wada.

Johnson has competed against some of the best the weight division has to offer in the sport. While Wada has faced some good competition, the experience, skill, and overall athleticism are all in Johnson’s favor. Expect a first-round finish with very little trouble for Johnson. 

Johnson-Wada has been announced for ONE: DAWN OF HEROES, August 2 in Manila. If that stays on track, we’ll see the final in Tokyo at ONE: CENTURY.
The winner could then face Moraes in the spring. It remains to be seen if Moraes will have a title defense sometime in between. As it stands, he hasn’t competed since January when he won back his ONE Flyweight World Title via unanimous decision over his rival Geje Eustaquio.

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