Tag: ONE Championship News

Rematches, trilogies, and even four-fight series make combat sports a lot more fun and interesting to watch. Throughout its relatively brief but impacting history, ONE Championship has had its share of memorable rematches.

We’ve seen Bibiano Fernandes and Kevin Belingon face each other three times. Christian Lee has battled Martin Nguyen twice. Aung La N Sang has tangled with each Ken Hasegawa and Vitaly Bigdash twice as well. Most of those matches were memorable, but there is room for more potentially groundbreaking sequels.

Here are five rematches we want to see happen.

Bibiano Fernandes vs. Kevin Belingon

Fernandes and Belingon have already met three times. The first meeting took place in January 2016 at ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS where Fernandes quickly submitted Belingon to successfully defend his ONE Bantamweight World Championship. Belingon worked his way back to a title shot in November 2018 at ONE: HEART OF THE LION and dethroned the proud Brazilian with a close split-decision win.

Fernandes didn’t agree with the decision, which led to an immediate rematch. That third bout between the two took place in March at ONE: A NEW ERA in Tokyo. Fernandes was in control of the match before Belingon mistakenly, but illegally, landed strikes to the back of the head. The strike caused a disqualification, which won Fernandes back his title. The Brazilian, however, wasn’t content with how we won so the two athletes agreed to a fourth showdown, which ONE has yet to determine a date or location for. When ONE announces the fourth meeting, it will be one of the biggest matches of the year.

Aung La N Sang vs. Vitaly Bigdash

The last man to defeat Aung La is Bigdash, and it happened in their first meeting back in January 2017 at ONE: QUEST FOR POWER.

Bigdash earned a unanimous-decision win, but the battle was close enough to warrant a rematch. In the second bout in June 2017 at ONE: LIGHT OF A NATION, Aung La, who was competing in front of his home crowd in Myanmar, came out victorious as he wrestled away the ONE Middleweight World Championship from the Russian.

Since the defeat, Bigdash lost by stoppage to Leandro Ataides in May 2018 but bounced back in December 2018 with a win over Yuki Niimura. As of now, the series between Bigdash and Aung La is tied at one apiece. Bigdash could be in a position for a trilogy with his rival if he wins his next bout.

Christian Lee vs. Martin Nguyen

A lot has changed since the last time Nguyen and Lee competed against each other. In May 2018 at ONE: UNSTOPPABLE DREAMS, Lee was still an up-and-coming athlete looking to win the featherweight title. The bout was a rematch of an August 2016 meeting at ONE: HEROES OF THE WORLD where Nguyen put Lee to sleep with a guillotine choke. Lee showed a ton of maturity in the sequel, but still fell short and lost by split decision.

Now, Lee is the reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion after defeating Shinya Aoki at ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON in May. Nguyen is still the ONE Featherweight World Champion but may be looking to capture his second belt. A trilogy between Lee and Nguyen could be one of the more exciting series of battles we’ve seen in ONE history.

Xiong Jing Nan vs. Angela Lee

At ONE: A NEW ERA in March, reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Lee had the current ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion Xiong beaten through four rounds. Lee completely dominated heading into the final frame with her striking and ground game. In the fourth round, Lee nearly submitted Xiong with a triangle armbar, but the latter miraculously withstood the pain and pressure to escape the round. It took a lot of energy to try submitting her opponent as Lee headed into the fifth looking exhausted.

Xiong took advantage of that and landed significant strikes which forced a technical knockout finish. It was a fantastic comeback and show of intestinal fortitude for Xiong. Lee will remain competing in the strawweight division, so you know she has her eyes set on another crack at Xiong in the future.

Eddie Alvarez vs. Timofey Nastyuhkin

Almost no one expected Nastyuhkin to defeat Alvarez in the latter’s anticipated promotional debut at ONE: A NEW ERA, but the Russian’s size and power were too much. In the very first round, Nastyuhkin landed hard punches and hurt the multiple-time world champion. A series of blows that followed forced the referee to stop the bout.

Nastyuhkin is still competing in the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix, and Alvarez already has his second bout with ONE scheduled which is against former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang. If Nastyuhkin loses to Honorio Banario, or in the Grand Prix final to Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev, and Alvarez defeats Folayang, it would make sense to see a rematch between the two.

The post 5 Rematches We Want To See In ONE Championship appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Every aspect of the art of combat sports can be exciting, but knockouts are like home runs in baseball and slam dunks in basketball because they resonate with every fan.

ONE Championship has had its share of knockout artists across almost every division under the promotion’s umbrella.

In no particular order, here are 10 of the most-dangerous knockout artists in ONE Championship.

Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev (8-1, 6 KO)

He’s just 8-1 with 6 KOs, but 24-year-old Dagestani lightweight Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev has already shown off his massive power. For the second time in his professional career, Arslanaliev is in the midst of a three-match streak where he has finished each contest with a TKO/KO. It’s a little challenging to pick which one of Arslanaliev’s knockouts was the most impressive, but his victory over Malaysia’s Ev Ting is extraordinary.

It took just 25 seconds for Arslanaliev to finish Ting. Only three months later, Arslanaliev followed up that win with another first-round KO victory. This time he decimated Amir Khan. The victories advanced Arslanaliev into the finals of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix. Arslanaliev will face the winner of the Timofey Nastyuhkin vs. Honorio Banario in the final.

Timofey Nastyuhkin (13-4, 7 KO)

With a KO percentage of just over 50 percent, you might think Nastyuhkin shouldn’t be on this list. However, opponents who have faced Nastyuhkin would likely disagree with you. Through 2014 and part of 2015, Nastyuhkin was laying waste to opponents. He strung together four consecutive KO wins, with one coming over future ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang.

While that win was spectacular, Nastyuhkin’s best KO had to be his most recent. He faced the much-hyped Eddie Alvarez in March and pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year with a first-round stoppage win. That’s how he made it to the Grand Prix semifinals.

Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex (201-72, 78 KO)

The KO artists with ONE are present in multiple sports. One of kickboxing’s top finishers is Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex, and he fits the mold. In his career, he has had more than 270 pro bouts with 76 KO finishes. His best streak began in 2007 and ended in 2008. He had five consecutive KO finishes. While Yodsanklai might be a little past his prime, his best KO probably came in 2018 when he blasted Luis Regis with double uppercuts at ONE: DESTINY OF CHAMPIONS.

Unfortunately for Yodsanklai, he lost his last bout via decision to Samy Sana.

Luis Santos (65-12-1-1, 38 KO)

When it comes to mixed martial arts, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone with more experience than Santos. It’s likely equally as challenging to locate an athlete in the sport with more knockouts. Santos’ pro career dates back to 2000. In 2004, he scored five straight wins by KO/TKO. However, the best KO of his career might have just taken place in 2018.

Santos finished Daichi Abe with a body kick to get the win. When you consider Santos was 39 years old at the time, the victory served as a point of validation. It proved he can still compete at a high level. Unfortunately, Santos came up short in his most recent match. He had to bow out of his bout with James Nakashima in April because of an injury. When he’s healthy, he may be interested in a rematch with Nakashima.

Petchdam Petchyindee Academy (16-9-1, 6 KO)

Petchdam‘s record may not blow you away, but the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion has already proven himself to be a formidable striker. Leading up to his title-winning victory over Elias Mahmoudi, Petchdam scored three consecutive highlight-reel finishes. The most memorable one came in October 2018 when he devastated Kenny Tse in the first round.

Petchdam’s first title defense isn’t scheduled, but all eyes will be on the dynamic Thai star when he returns.

Aung La N Sang (25-10-1, 11 KO)

At one point, Aung La wasn’t exactly a KO artist. After all, he has 14 wins on his record that did not come by KO. However, lately, he has become one of the most dangerous strikers on the ONE roster. The reigning ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion have four straight wins by KO.

Easily, the best one came in 2018 when he smashed Ken Hasegawa. The scrap was called the Fight of the Year by several publications, and it set up a rematch in which Aung La also won by KO. The rematch took place in March, and it was the last time we’ve seen him in the ONE circle. His next bout will take place in October, and he’ll likely be defending his light heavyweight title against ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon Vera, but the bout has yet to be made official.

Brandon Vera (16-7-1, 11 KO)

He hasn’t competed regularly over the past few years, but anyone familiar with his career and what he’s done with ONE Championship knows Vera is a powerful striker. He’s had four bouts with ONE Championship, and he’s won all of them by KO or TKO. He’ll likely face Aung La next with a chance to become a two-division world champion.

Vera’s best KO came 13 years ago when he stopped the legendary Frank Mir.

Zebaztian Kadestam (12-4, 10 KO)

Kadestam’s nickname is The Bandit. Perhaps that’s appropriate because he has been known to steal his opponent’s consciousness. Kadestam’s last six wins have come by KO or TKO, and that includes his ONE Welterweight World Title-winning performance over Tyler McGuire in November 2018.

It was a fifth-round finish culminated by a devastating knee on the ground. Kadestam would follow that win up with a successful title defense against Georgiy Kichigin in March. He will be a tough champion to dethrone.

Xiong Jing Nan (14-1, 10 KO)

Rarely do you see a female martial artist with a finish rate like Xiong. She has destroyed almost every opponent she’s faced, and that includes ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee. After being outfought through four rounds and nearly succumbing to a triangle armbar in the fourth, Xiong showed her resilience and extraordinary power in the fifth. She smashed through the depleted Lee to get the come-from-behind TKO win.

Xiong is a pound-for-pound contender and one of the promotion’s fiercest strikers.

Cosmo Alexandre (8-1, 6 KO)

As a mixed martial artist, Brazil’s Cosmo Alexandre is about as dangerous as they come during stand-up exchanges. Sage Northcutt found that out the hard way at ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON. It took Alexandre just 29 seconds to destroy Northcutt with a right hand that sent the latter face-planting on the canvas.

Alexandre would like to face Vitor Belfort in his next bout, which would be a battle between explosive Brazilian strikers. If that one takes place, don’t blink.

The post 10 Most Dangerous KO Artists in ONE Championship appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

By Dan Paulo Errazo

Alma Juniku failed to achieve her goal of being victorious in her ONE Championship debut last June 15 in Shanghai, China when she attempted to strip Stamp Fairtex of her ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title in the main event of ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST.

The Australian Muay Thai Champion pushed Stamp to her limits as they exchanged their best strikes for a grueling five-rounds. Despite the commendable efforts from Juniku, the 21-year-old Stamp from Thailand gained the unanimous nod from the judges. Although Juniku was certainly disappointed in the outcome, she was surprisingly very satisfied with her performance.

“I did exactly what we did in practice. I actually worked on movement during the match and it actually confused her a little bit,” Juniku said.

“She looked like she forgot what she was supposed to do. I feel that if I pushed harder in the earlier rounds I could have gotten the win but you know, it’s a lesson learned for me.”

Juniku was surprised with her performance in the clinch knowing that it was one of her weaknesses that her opponent was aware off. The 18-year-old was able to withstand the blows from the reigning champion and do as much damage as she could.

“I admit that clinching is not my greatest strength and she (Stamp Fairtex) knows it,” Juniku said.

“In my opinion, I think I did really well tonight in the clinch compared to my previous fights. I just forced myself to get in there, stay strong as I could, and land as many knees as I could.”

Yet in defeat, it was more than an unforgettable night for the young Australian who had her first taste of performing on the international stage. Juniku may have lost the bout but she feels no regrets as the experience gave her invaluable championship experience.

“I’ll be heading back home with this unforgettable experience,” Juniku concluded.

“Tonight’s match taught me a valuable lesson of what I still lack and that would be kicking. So once I’m back in the gym, I’ll be kicking those pads and starting all over again.”

The post Alma Juniku Has No Regrets Over Performance in ONE Championship Debut appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Christian “The Warrior” Lee became the ONE Lightweight World Champion — the youngest male world champion in mixed martial arts history when he defeated Japanese legend Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki with a swift knockout at ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON last May.

The 20-year-old stalwart looks back on an amazing victory, and his plans moving forward in his career.

“It was a surreal experience. The belt has been a dream of mine for a very long time. The moment they put that strap on my shoulder was just amazing,” shared Lee.

The young Singaporean hero’s strategy was to finish Aoki in the first round and avoid getting taken down. However, Aoki showed his experience in the match, especially when easily took the action to the canvas and put the armbar on Lee.

Despite entering a dangerous proposition with the submission wizard however, Lee was able to survive to the end of the round, and then clinch the exciting finish in the second.

“I went to the body lock, and he was able to secure the takedown. I was stuck under him for the first round, but through my training and experience, I was able to survive, and then get the finish in the second round,” said Lee.

“I’ve got to be honest – that arm-bar was tight, very tight. However, there was not a single thought in my mind of tapping,” he added.

Despite Aoki’s impressive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills, Lee was determined to claim the belt.

“Whether it’s a choke, an arm lock, or an arm-bar, I will never tap in a fight. That’s really not me being cocky or arrogant – that is simply how much each bout means to me. I go into each match ready to go out on my shield, and ready to take my opponent out,” said Lee.

“I kind of felt like after the first round, all of the cobwebs were out. I kind of used that as a warm-up round. Going into the second, I really just went and I put out the game plan I was supposed to do in the first round. I stuffed his shot, I looked for the chin, and I got the finish,” he continued.

As soon as Lee caught Aoki on the button, he knew he had the win in the bag.

“I knew it was over. Some people are saying it was an early stoppage, but I have 100-percent belief in myself as a martial artist, and when I smell blood, I go for the finish. As soon as I felt an impact on his chin, I knew that it was over,” said Lee.

“I stalked him down to the ground, I got the drop, and I went for the finish. That’s when [referee] Olivier Coste stepped in.”

It was an impressive bout for Lee, winning the world title he coveted for so long, but he admitted he didn’t intend to badly hurt Aoki, whom he has nothing but respect for.

“Shinya is a teammate and a friend, and even though we were stepping in there as competitors, I still wouldn’t want any serious damage done to him, so I’m glad the stoppage came,” said Lee.

Now that he is a world champion, Lee has plans to keep prepared and be ready for any bout that may come his way and is not ruling out returning to featherweight where he’s also had immense success.

He is also aware that the exciting ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix could present the first opportunity to defend the belt.

“Whether that means going back down to challenge for the belt at featherweight, or they find a top contender to challenge for my belt at lightweight, or whatever. It doesn’t matter. I want to stay active. I’m hungry and ready to fight whoever ONE Championship throws at me next.” Lee said.

“I am still the top contender in the featherweight division. There’s no one else but me, and if I choose to and if everything lines up, I would absolutely be ready for a fight for that featherweight belt.”

The post Christian Lee Is Ready For Bouts In Two Weight Classes appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

ONE World Champion Stamp Fairtex isn’t one to rest on her laurels.

Since the very start of her relatively brief tenure with ONE Championship, the Thai phenom has had set her sights set at the top, then proceeded to deliver emphatically on those aspirations.

Her first point of order was dethroning former ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion “Killer Bee” Kai Ting Chuang at ONE: Kingdom of Heroes in Bangkok in October.

Not satisfied with just one title, Stamp stated her intention to capture the division’s Muay Thai belt, which she achieved in impressive fashion with victory over Janet Todd at ONE: Call to Greatness in Singapore to become the first two-sport champion in ONE history.

Those lofty achievements seem even more impressive when you consider she’s still just 21 years old.

But she’s not done yet. Stamp is now looking to conquer another peak by crossing over into the world of mixed martial arts and having that crown added to her bulging mantelpiece.

The sweet taste of title glory has lit a fire in Stamp, and her ambitions have followed suit.

“After I got my first belt I was so proud of what I had achieved. I won the second belt because Muay Thai belongs to the Thai people,” she explains.

“After my achievements in Muay Thai and Kickboxing, I feel on top of the world and that I can achieve anything.”

But the proud Thai fighter is under no illusions about the amount of work ahead of her if she’s to master a new martial art and rise to the top of a division that features some of the booming Asia-based promotion’s finest talent.

“There are so many great fighters in my weight division like Angela Lee and Mei Yamaguchi. I have to train harder, especially in the areas I’m not good at.

“But chances are not given to everyone. If a chance is given and we don’t take it, it would be a waste,” said Stamp.

First and foremost, Stamp will need to defend her Muay Thai title against dangerous up and comer Alma Juniku at ONE: Legendary Quest in Shanghai on June 15.

“I am preparing hard for this bout, especially since it will be a title defense,” Stamp said.

“I respect Alma and I know what she can bring to the table, but I also know what I am capable of and I have the utmost belief in my skills.”

The post Stamp Fairtex Looks Forward to Facing Angela Lee, Mei Yamaguchi appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.