Tag: ONE Championship News

ONE WARRIOR’S DREAM was an event packed with excitement and finishes in Jakarta, Indonesia. A total of 10 bouts ended before the final bell of the last round including the main event and co-main event bouts. Here are the five best finishes on the card.

Bruno Pucci def. Xie Chao via Guillotine Submission

As a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, Pucci is elite. He wasted no time taking advantage of Xie as he left his neck vulnerable during a failed grappling sequence. Pucci sold out for the choke and as you can see in the highlight below, the gamble paid off.

Xie attempted to fight off the pressure of the choke, but he failed and ultimately went to sleep. The victory ran Pucci’s record to 6-3 as a professional and it helped him rebound from a KO loss to Emilio Urrutia in his last bout.

Brown Pinas def. Yohann Fairtex Drai via KO on a Spinning Back Elbow

Muay Thai fans should keep an eye on Pinas. He’s the kind of dynamic striker capable of finishing opponents in a flash. Yohann found that out firsthand on Saturday when the 27-year-old French striker landed a devastating spinning back elbow to finish him in the second round of their preliminary bout.

It was a lightning-quick strike and his dynamic striking ability will put future opponents on notice when they face Pinas.

Elipitua Siregar def. Muhammad Imran via Rear-Naked Choke Submission

Indonesian native Siregar has been on a tear. He kept his professional MMA record perfect on Saturday with a second-round submission win over Imran. Siregar is now 3-0 as a professional, but he’s already considered Indonesia’s top MMA prospect. Against Imran, Siregar expertly took his opponent’s back, used the fence for leverage and locked in the choke. Within seconds, Imran was forced to tap out.

Siregar should slowly, but surely start to receive some tougher tests in the cage. If he can continue to get bouts to the ground, he could ultimately be a problem for most in the flyweight division.

Nieky Holzken def. Cosmo Alexandre via KO

The highly anticipated promotional debut for Nieky Holzken bolstered ONE’s Super Series roster and the Dutch legend quickly proved his worth and skill against Cosmo Alexandre. This was their second bout. Holzken won the first by decision back in 2010, but he’d win the rematch more emphatically.

It was something about the second round on this night, because, in the waning seconds of the frame, Holzken landed an overhand right that put Alexandre in peril. An uppercut snuck in and turn out the lights.

The 34-year-old Holzken didn’t appear to have lost a step despite competing in his 107th career kickboxing match. Holzken’s next fight hasn’t been announced, but he will have a tough act to follow after that finish.

Zebaztian Kadestam def. Tyler McGuire via KO

ONE crowned a new welterweight champion on Saturday and Zebaztian Kadestam left no doubt. As he pursued a tiring McGuire, Kadestam landed a looping right hand on his opponent’s chin. McGuire went down and Kadestam followed him to the ground planting a knee in his face on the way to the mat.

As soon as he made contact, McGuire was out and the referee almost immediately called a halt to the bout. Kadestam’s powerful knee strike not only won him the world title, but it also handed McGuire his first career loss. After his title-winning victory, here is what Kadestam said after the loss:

“I feel pretty good. I want to say I’m sorry I didn’t put the pace that I usually do,” Kadestam told Mitch Chilson in his post-bout interview.

“His shots were so powerful. I couldn’t get my combos going. I tried to entertain as always. Anyways, thank you so much, it feels amazing.”

We’ll all be watching for Kadestam’s first title defense, but for now, he’s likely just enjoying his win.

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After losing his title last year to former two-division World Champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen in Manila, Eduard “Landslide” Folayang will have his much-awaited chance to not only reclaim the lightweight title but also to redeem himself in front of his countrymen.

The Filipino martial arts hero will have his second shot at the ONE Lightweight World Championship as he is now scheduled to go toe-to-toe against Singaporean star Amir Khan for the vacant belt in the co-main event of ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on Friday, 23 November.

This will be Folayang’s third and most important match this 2018 and despite winning his previous two matches in impressive passion, the 34-year-old Baguio City native believes that his bout against Khan will be the ultimate showcase of just how much he has improved as a martial artist after his stunning loss back in November 2017.

“This bout is special because it’s taking place in front of my hometown crowd in Manila,” Folayang addressed the media at the ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS Open Workout in Quezon City last Friday.

“It also represents a chance for me to redeem myself because this is the same place I lost the title one year ago. I have worked very hard since then and now the opportunity was once again given to me.”

Folayang also did not mince words when asked how much excitement he is feeling with the second opportunity that was given to him to capture the ONE Lightweight World Title.

“I am so happy for the opportunity to once again be fighting for the world title. As always, I feel motivated and encouraged to do my best.

“I want to prove to the world that I am not done yet in this sport and that I can still be world champion,” Folayang expressed.

“Losing the title for the first time, it was a very painful feeling but in defeat, I have discovered my weaknesses and made efforts to improve certain parts of my game. Now I am ready to showcase my championship form once again,” Folayang ended.

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He’s endured a rough childhood. But Dutchman Nieky Holzken won’t let his difficult past get in the way of his goal of becoming a ONE Super Series World Champion.

Holzken, 34, will make his promotional debut in the co-main event of ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM on 17 November at Stadium Istora in Jakarta, Indonesia. He will take on tough Brazilian Cosmo Alexandre in the lead up to the ONE Welterweight World Title bout between Sweden’s Zebaztian Kadestam and American Tyler McGuire.

Touted by many as one the greatest kickboxers in the world today, Holzken revealed that his difficult past eventually led his focus on honing his skills in martial arts. The sport, he says, molded him to become a better person through years of training.

“I was a problem child,” Holzken revealed.

“I got kicked out of school when I was 9. I had to go to another school. I did not enjoy school. I was very smart, but I didn’t want to learn. If I could do it again, I would do it differently.

“I trained with Ramon Dekkers, Cor Hemmers, and Sjef Weber. Sjef was very good with my boxing, and Ramon and Cor with kickboxing. It gave me personality, character, and respect.”

Other than refusing to learn in school, “The Natural” also shared that he was raised out of a broken family. He ultimately took something positive out of the situation and used it to motivate himself to become a good father.

“My parents separated, and I only had contact with my father’s family, and no contact with my mother. It made me very hard, and it helped me along the way,” Holzken said.

“I want my children to live with a mom and dad who are together. What I experienced definitely makes me a better dad.

Having learned from his past and with a goal in sight, Holzken is determined to impress in his ONE Championship debut as he aims to become one of the organization’s world champions in the very near future.

“To win in my debut would be great. I want to become the World Champion in ONE,” Holzken said.

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A week after Kevin Belingon became the undisputed ONE Bantamweight World Champion with a split-decision win over Bibiano Fernandes, another ONE world title is on the line.

At ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM in Jakarta, Indonesia on 17 November, Tyler McGuire and Zebaztian Kadestam will compete to become the next ONE Welterweight World Champion. The belt was vacated when Ben Askren was traded from ONE to the UFC for Demetrious Johnson.

The matchup is an interesting contrast of styles, and here’s what each man needs to do if he hopes to come away victorious, and with a world title around his waist.

McGuire’s Keys to Becoming the Next ONE Welterweight World Champion

McGuire doesn’t bring in any secret weapons. His bread and butter is his wrestling and grappling skills. On the strengths of those qualities, he’s put together a perfect 11-0 record. Against Kadestam, he needs to get the fight to the ground. Everyone knows that, so the question is how does McGuire initiate the grappling sequences. Kadestam is a come-forward striker who likes to put pressure on his opponents. That approach could be tailor-made for McGuire, which is why he must be prepared for Kadestam to alter his gameplan.

Changing levels will be key for McGuire. That likely means showing off some boxing skills, primarily a jab that he can use to preoccupy Kadestam long enough to shoot for a takedown. If and when McGuire takes Kadestam down, he has to be cognizant of the amount of energy he expends securing the takedown. If McGuire works too hard to complete a takedown or to maintain an advantageous spot on the ground, Kadestam may get to his feet with momentum after surviving the takedown. Poise, patience, and technique should be the calling cards for McGuire in this bout.

Kadestam’s Keys to Becoming the Next ONE Welterweight World Champion

It’s not as if Kadestam is devoid of ground skills. His base in martial arts is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. However, by nature, he is more of a striker/brawler. He’s powerfully built and likes to use that weight to overpower his opponents on the inside. His approach didn’t work well against Askren when he challenged him for the world title back in September 2017. Askren’s wrestling was too much for him, and Kadestam simply couldn’t disengage long enough to establish his stand-up exchanges. McGuire will likely give him more opportunities.

McGuire likes to keep his hands low, and he tests his stand-up game a lot more than Askren. If he maintains this approach against Kadestam, the Swede will have more opportunities to strike. It is important for Kadestam to keep the pressure on Mcguire throughout the bout. Walking forward, with his hands up and ready to counter is his best default posture for this matchup. McGuire can tend to be herky-jerky with his movements. That can be a stamina-draining tendency. If Kadestam can maintain pressure, he may be able to tire his opponent out to make him more vulnerable late in the bout.

If Kadestam can make McGuire’s wrestling less effective, he’ll have put himself in the best position to win a world title. It should be a chess match and a fun bout to watch.

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This Saturday, 17 November,  Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam  (10-4)  will meet undefeated American Tyler McGuire (11-0) in the main event of ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM

At stake is the vacant ONE Welterweight World Championship.

All going to plan the “Kadestam Era” will begin with the imposing Swedish striker capturing the highly sought after gold strap at the Stadium Istora in Jakarta, Indonesia.

It will be the Swede’s second crack at the title after losing to former ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren via second-round stoppage in 2017 at ONE Championship: SHANGHAI.

The loss, while disappointing, came with a silver lining.

After trading leather with Askren, Kadestam emerged from his encounter with the preternaturally talented American, a somewhat wiser mixed martial artist.

The 28-year-old then stepped away from the competitive arena to give himself time to physically recuperate as well as time to work on upskilling his game.

The 10-month layoff worked wonders.

At  ONE: PURSUIT OF POWER “The Bandit” returned and immediately reminded everyone of how good he is , when he became the first person to stop Agilan “Alligator” Thani on home soil.

It was a dominant performance from Kadestam, who looked to be enjoying the fact he was back inside the ONE cage.

After his win, but before his title bout was officially announced, Kadestam briefly pondered the possibility of switching weight classes.

“I looked at the pictures from this fight, and I was thinking I could go down a division,” Kadestam said to ONEFC.com following his defeat of Thani.

“I do not feel so crisp when I feel heavy. I feel strong, but I feel so heavy. When I walk around at 77 kilograms, I feel really fast and strong.

“I do not know though — you cannot cut weight, so I would have to do a diet over a longer period of time.

“I am kind of interested in lightweight, but if there are any match-ups at middleweight that would make some big noise, for sure, I could do that, too.”

Thankfully, from the fan’s perspective and maybe even one or two lightweight athletes “ The Bandit” soon found an offer for a welterweight title bout winging its way to Sweden.

Kadestam competing in the lightweight division would no doubt have made for an entertaining spectacle, but there’s a sense he has unfinished business in the heavier weight class.

The timely arrival of McGuire into the welterweight ranks has provided Kadestam with the perfect foil to test himself against to see just how far he has come as an athlete since Shanghai.

The American made his promotional debut against Luis “Sapo” Santos the same night Kadestam fought Thani. The 32-year-old  Air Force Staff Sergeant, dominated the Brazilian on the ground and comfortably claimed a unanimous decision victory.

Outside of McGuire, the only other athlete in ONE Championship to have defeated Santos is Kadestam.

“I was surprised that he was able to take Luis down — it seemed like [he took him down] at will. The first round was kind of back and forth, but then he got his game plan to work,” Kadestam said.

Now with his competitive juices flowing Kadestam will attempt to finish what he started back in 2017 and claim the ONE Welterweight World Title.

If he does get past McGuire and does so convincingly, we could be looking at a title reign that may last for some time.

It all comes down to what takes place on 17 November,  will McGuire maintain his perfect record? Or will “ The Bandit “ leave Jakarta with fresh spoils packed away in his trunk.

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