Tag: ONE Championship News

Few martial arts athletes have announced their arrival on the planet’s biggest martial arts stage as emphatically as kickboxer Tarik “The Tank” Khbabez.

The Dutch-Morrocan warrior wasted no time sending a signal to the rest of the Light Heavyweight division, immediately displaying the pedigree that has made him a multiple-time world champion in both Muay Thai and Kickboxing.

In his debut at ONE: Pinnacle of Power in Macau in June, Khbabez made an enormous statement with a third-round stoppage victory over four-time Muay Thai and Kickboxing Heavyweight World Champion Alain “The Panther” Ngalani.

Three months later he displayed the same kind of dominance against compatriot Ibrahim “Mr. Cool” El Bouni, putting his opponent to the sword to force the referee to put an end to the bout early.

In March, a decision win over Andrei Stoica soon made it three straight, and after a trio of consecutive victories of the highest caliber, you could forgive Khbabez for feeling a touch hard done by not getting a crack at the title shot in his next bout.

“I am very disappointed I didn’t get [the title shot]], I always give 1000 percent for ONE Championship, but for me, every fight is a World Title fight,” said Khbabez.

Instead, he’ll look to continue his overwhelming wave of momentum when he takes on Brazil’s Anderson Silva at ONE: Legendary Quest in Shanghai on June 15.

Khbabez isn’t one to dwell on matters out of control. Instead, he’ll simply get back to doing what he does best – which is throw a diverse range of power-laden strikes from all angles with the cruelest of intentions.

“I need to win every fight, I need to dominate, and show the world who I am. I am Tarik – dominating each and every opponent they put in front of me,” said Khbabez.

That starts with overcoming the considerable challenge presented by Silva, who’s coming off a show-stopping first-round knockout of his own against Andre Meunier at ONE: Roots of Honor in April.

But Silva’s victory left Khbabez less than impressed, and he believes a fourth straight win is a mere formality.

“I have seen the fight, but he is not on my level. This ‘big finish’ of his is rather amateurish. Now it’s my time,” Khbabez concluded.

Judging by what we’ve seen of late from the towering powerhouse, who could argue with that?

The post Tarik Khbabez Knocking On The Door Of A World Title Shot appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Despite being born and raised in very different corners of the globe, rising Australian Muay Thai star Alma Juniku and Thailand’s ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Stamp Fairtex have more in common than they may realize.

The pair will square off in the main event of ONE: Legendary Quest in Shanghai on June 15, where the world championship belt will be on the line in what shapes to be an intriguing match-up.

With Juniku still a teenager at 18 years of age and Stamp still only 21, they’re two of the brightest young stars on ONE Championships’ glittering roster, and they’ve both been immersed in martial arts for as long as they can recall.

After starting her sporting life as a footballer, Juniku soon crossed over into the world of Muay Thai and began taking her first bouts at just nine-years-old.

As is common with Thai fighters, it was even earlier with Stamp. Discovering the art by way of her fighter father, she was in her uncle’s gym training at the staggering age of five, and had her first bout that same year.

It’s rare that a non-Thai fighter would enter into a bout with a Thai as a favorite, and the same will be true for Juniku when she squares off with Stamp at Baoshan Arena.

She’s aware that the odds aren’t in her favor but has complete faith that her trainers have devised a blueprint for an upset victory.

“My trainer and I are working on techniques. I’m not going to tell everyone [what we plan to do], but yeah, we’ve watched her,” Juniku revealed.

“All I can say is she’s aggressive with very good technique – typical Thai technique. The main thing I’ve got to look out for is that right hand and her clinch game, so I’m going to do a lot of head movement and stepping out of the way to counter.”

Juniku certainly won’t be taking a backward step, that’s not in her DNA.

“I’m strong and fast, and I get right to the point, so I land really clean,” Juniku asserts.

“My elbows and my hands are my biggest assets – I’m really strong with my hands, and I do a lot of damage with elbows.”

“I’d like to win by knockout, but Stamp is a really tough fighter who takes punches well, so we will have to see on the night.”

Regardless of which fighter has their hand raised, both Juniku and Stamp are prodigies who promise to be at the top of the division for many more years to come.

The post Alma Juniku Plans to Knock Out Stamp Fairtex appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

To say ONE welterweight Agilan Thani was unwaveringly focused on fulfilling what he perceived as his destiny to become a professional martial artist would be an enormous overstatement.

Growing up in Kuala Lumpur, Thani was always an active kid who loved sports, despite carrying a few extra pounds on his rather large frame.

But his first love lay with an altogether different art. Thani always had a natural affinity with the world of music, and that’s where he originally believed his future lay.

“When I was a kid I wanted to become a musician,” said Thani.

“I played music from when I was 13 up to 17-years old, with the acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and the classical guitar.”

As much as Thani enjoyed it, after discovering his new passion with jiu-jitsu, there just wasn’t enough time to go around. He doesn’t do things in halves, and Thani’s love for martial arts was what would soon command his undivided attention, as he recognized that he had much more potential on the mat.

“I eventually stopped and then continued martial arts after that. I felt like I wasn’t paying much attention to growing as a musician, I was just playing for fun instead of a career,” said Thani.

While his dedication to musical improvement may have completely dropped off, Thani still likes a quick strum to relax after a tough training session at his base at Monarchy MMA.

The Malaysian Ed Sheeran, he certainly isn’t.

“I don’t sing, it’s more of a scream,” Thani laughs.

“I have one guitar at home that I’ll play. I enjoy it every now and then but I kinda get bored of it quickly.”

Thani will be hoping he can play a tune of a different kind when he gets back into the cage against Yoshihiro Akiyama at ONE: Legendary Quest in Shanghai on June 15.

The 23-year-old Thani will take on the Japanese-Korean star in what will be the latter’s promotional debut with the booming Asia-based organization, and he’s looking to ensure he spoils that arrival and puts on a display to capture the attention of the eyes of the combat sports world who’ll be tuned in to see how Akiyama fares in his first bout in almost four years.

“I know he is a quality fighter and that I’ll need to be at my best to earn victory. I’m just hoping for chaos,” said Thani.

“I know I want to win, and I want to do my best to win. Other than that, I have no predictions.”

The post Agilan Thani Gave Up Dreams of Being a Musician for Martial Arts appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Like so many of his colleagues and contemporaries around the world, it was the silver screen that first left ONE welterweight Agilan Thani enamored by the wonderfully diverse world of martial arts.

Growing up in the rough streets of Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, Thani would lose himself in martial arts movies of all descriptions, but there was a film in particular that truly captured his attention and sparked his love for the art he would later dedicate his life to.

It wasn’t the acrobatic kicks or show-stopping striking sequences that caught his eye, rather a display of submission grappling that immediately had Thani transfixed.

“When I was a kid I used to watch a movie called SPL. It has a jiu-jitsu scene by this guy called Donnie Yen, who’s a Chinese movie star,” Thani explains.

“I asked all my friends at school what the martial art being used there was. I eventually found out it was jiu-jitsu. So, I did some research and found a school in Malaysia and started training jiu-jitsu then it just took off from there. I started training constantly and it took over my life.”

Thani quickly developed into an exceptional grappler, and “Alligator” was born. It’s been the foundation of his approach and the primary basis for the success that would soon come on the professional fighting stage.

Turning pro in 2013, Thani was quickly scooped up by ONE Championship, where he swiftly reeled off six consecutive wins on his way to a title shot, and emphatically stamping his mark on the division.

Now Thani is preparing to take on one of Asia’s most famous and celebrated martial arts sons in Japanese-Korean superstar Yoshihiro Akiyama.

The former judo world champion turned popstar will make his promotional debut against Thani at ONE: Legendary Quest in Shanghai on June 15, where the young Malaysian will look to claim a scalp that would send him directly back into world title contention.

“I think he’s a well-rounded fighter. He’s not one dimensional at all. It’ll be great to go against him and test myself as to how how much I’ve grown as an athlete as well,” said Thani.

Thani’s contest with Akiyama is the co-main event on a bumper night of bouts at Baoshan Arena, which also includes a ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Championship bout between Stamp Fairtex and promising Australian Alma Juniku.

The post Donnie Yen Inspired Agilan Thani To Become A Martial Artist appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Being a martial artist was not exactly what  Anderson “Braddock” Silva envisioned himself becoming when he was a kid, nor did he see himself competing in front of millions of viewers on the biggest martial arts promotion in the world.

On Saturday, 15 June however, Silva will be on the main card of ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST at the Baoshan Arena in Shanghai, China, where he will take on Moroccan Tarik Khbabez in a light heavyweight kickboxing attraction.

According to Silva, he has long been a fan of martial artists in movies such as Jean-Claude Van Damme and the legendary Bruce Lee, but it wasn’t until a friend introduced him to martial arts that he truly fell in love with the discipline.

“I came from a very humble family, and I could not train in martial arts because we could not afford to pay for training sessions,” Silva said.

“All I knew about martial arts was what I saw on TV as a kid, characters in Jean-Claude Van Damme and Bruce Lee movies, that was all I knew about it. When a friend introduced me to martial arts, it was love at first sight. To this day, I have always trained.”

Over the course of his 13-year journey as a martial artist, Silva has made a name for himself in the kickboxing and Muay Thai circles, but has also dabbled in some mixed martial arts, winning three of his four professional bouts resulting in a 3-1 record.

The different set of challenges that mixed martial arts presents is something that Silva enjoys, so much so that he says he would be very much open to competing inside the ONE Championship Circle in mixed martial arts rules.

“I would love to fight in ONE, and I believe that the best qualities in the world in kickboxing and in MMA are in ONE,” Silva shared.

“I have already done some MMA fights, and I love it. It’s something that is new and quite motivating for me. My whole life has been dedicated to kickboxing, and when I was introduced to mixed martial arts, it was something new and I loved it, it was very good to be inside the cage.”

The Brazilian welcomes all the opportunities that may come his way and promises to give nothing less than his absolute best.

His family, Silva shares, is what inspires and motivates him to excellence in his chosen field.

“My family is the inspiration that I have to dedicate myself to this sport and be one of the best in the world,” Silva concluded.

The post Anderson “Braddock” Silva looking at the possibility of competing in mixed martial arts as well appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Through his five-year tenure with ONE Championship, welterweight contender Agilan Thani has forged a reputation as one of the division’s toughest adversaries, a roadblock of sorts to many who’ve held title aspirations.

That reputation has been primarily built on his exceptional abilities as a submission grappler, the foundation of his build as a professional martial artist.

Like they say, it’s all in the name – and Thani certainly lives up to his moniker – the “Alligator”.

However you may be surprised to learn, the nickname wasn’t founded on his fighting style. In fact, in a bizarre reversal of trends, Thani almost grew into the moniker.

“When I first started fighting on a local show a guy whose fighter I was against just gave me the name,” Thani recalled.

“His fighter was a big star in that city, so to make me look like I was a big star as well, he gave me the name ‘Alligator’ and it just stuck with me since then.”

Thani quickly lived up to that billing and – as most of his victims will attest – once he gets a hold of you on the mat it’s akin to being in the sort of vice-like grip the swamp-based reptile is known for.

That said, the Monarchy MMA product refuses to be pigeon-holed as simply a ground fighter.

“I’m an MMA fighter but most people know I’m a grappler because most of my fights finish in submissions,” said Thani.

With three finishes by way of knockout among his nine career wins, the skills are clearly there, and he’s aiming to put them on display when he takes on Japanese-Korean star Yoshihiro Akiyama at ONE: Legendary Quest in Shanghai on June 15.

Preparing at Bali MMA – an increasingly popular base for ONE Championship’s star-studded roster – Thani has been working with striking coach Mike Ikilei, who has encouraged the 23-year-old to put more faith in his abilities on the feet.

“I’ve been there for two weeks and coach Mike has helped me out in believing in my striking more,” Thani explained.

“I didn’t think I was as good as he thought, but he’s told me I actually have very good striking, that I just need to touch up a little bit here and there. So, we’ve worked on a couple of things that can help me out in the fight.

“The 43-year-old Akiyama is making his promotional debut at Baoshan Arena, and Thani hopes to make it one he’ll remember for all the wrong reasons.

The post Agilan Thani Hopes to Live Up to His Moniker appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.