Tag: ONE Championship News

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.

The post Why Tatsumitsu Wada Is An Easier Foe For Demetrious Johnson appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Indian ONE Championship flyweight prospect Gurdarshan “Saint Lion” Mangat was diving right into the deep end when he decided to abandon his high-paying job as an accountant for the insecurity and grind that comes with life as a martial artist.

After finally coming to terms with the underlying sense of unfulfillment that he felt with his existence, Mangat decided he would dedicate himself to training in mixed martial arts with the same unwavering commitment that he’d devoted to his university studies.

And while the physical aspect of combat came naturally, the lifestyle that comes with it was much more of a foreign concept for Mangat, especially coming out of the suit-and-tie world he previously occupied.

Fortunately for him, a friendship he struck with reigning ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes came at an opportune time.

The two trained together, discovered they were like like-minded people, as Fernandes became an indispensable source of knowledge and wisdom for the green Mangat, as he navigated the rocky waters of life as a martial artist.

“He’s the one I met within the first year of training who became my mentor,” Mangat recalls. “He became somebody that guided me through this. Had I not met Bibiano, my mindset wouldn’t be what it is today.”

“You have to see how they think, how they move. What they do inside the circle, outside the circle. When they’re just in the gym,” he continued. 

Those lessons extended far beyond the mat. The Brazilian multiple-time world champion taught Mangat plenty about the essence of what makes up a quality person.

“He taught me the spirit of mixed martial arts. He taught me how to become a good person in life, how to become a good man, a good son, a good husband,” Mangat explained. “Not just as mixed martial artists but how to be a good human being altogether. Without him, I probably wouldn’t be the person I am today, in sport and in life.”

Those indispensable lessons saw Mangat make a quick jump from the amateur ranks into the world of professional combat, where he instantly thrived. He’ll look to add to his four-match win streak when he takes on Abro Fernandes at ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY tonight in Kuala Lumpur.

Mangat made ONE’s flyweight division stand up and take notice with his stunning second round knockout victory over former title contender Toni Tauru in his promotional debut back in March, and he wants to continue this at the Axiata Arena again.

“My people have waited for this, they’ve waited for one of their own to be fighting the top guys in the world. I want to give them something to celebrate,” he concluded.

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Thailand’s Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy is a legend in the world of Muay Thai. With a stunning 158-34-2 professional record, the 25-year-old is a two-division Lumpinee Stadium Champion and a WMC World Champion. 

Though he is without a doubt one of the best strikers in the world, the Thai star remains cautious ahead of his rematch with Giorgio “The Doctor” Petrosyan at ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY on Friday, 12 July at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“I am very confident in my own skills, but I will admit that Giorgio Petrosyan has better kickboxing skills than I do,” Petchmorakot said candidly. 

“That is what I can say after having fought him for three rounds in the past. He is a very good fighter, and if I stood there and exchange punches with him, I could get knocked down.”

Petchmorakot and Petrosyan battled for three rounds back at ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON in Singapore last May. The initial decision was a controversial win but was later turned into a No Contest.

This time around, Petchmorakot is eyeing a better performance and hopes to win in a more decisive fashion. 

“Of course, I feel strongly that I need to work even harder than usual,” he stated. 

“I believe I put on a good performance in our last bout, but of course, there were some doubts because of the decision.”

“This time around, I am working harder than usual to be able to properly compete and defeat Giorgio clearly and convincingly,” Petchmorakot added. 

Petchmorakot is no stranger to the ONE Championship stage, but he admits that he is still trying to acclimate himself to the kickboxing ruleset. 

“I think that one of the biggest differences between Muay Thai and kickboxing is the clinching aspect,” Petchmorakot said.

“As I said, I am still trying to fully understand the new ruleset, and what I am most concerned with is understanding what exactly is the legal method of clinching when it comes to kickboxing,” he added. 

A win over Petrosyan on Friday night will mark his fourth victory with ONE and will also send him to the semi-finals of the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix.

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