Tag: ONE Championship News

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.

The post Tyler McGuire & Zebaztian Kadestam’s Keys To Victory appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

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.

The post ONE Championship’s Kadestam Eyes Gold in Jakarta appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

The ONE Welterweight title is vacant, but it won’t be for long. On 17 November, live from Stadium Istora in Jakarta, in the main event of ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM, the undefeated Tyler McGuire will face Zebaztian Kadestam to crown the next champion of the division. The card will also feature an intriguing kickboxing match between two former champions. The legendary Nieky Holzken will battle Cosmo Alexandre in the co-feature as part of the ONE Super Series. It’s a rematch 10 years in the making.

In addition to MMA and kickboxing, there are also two Muay Thai bouts on tap. The action begins at 7pm. Here is a look at the entire card:

• Tyler McGuire vs. Zebaztian Kadestam (For Vacant ONE Welterweight Title)
• Nieky Holzken vs. Cosmo Alexandre (Kickboxing)
• Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol vs. Angelie Sabanal
• Pongsiri Mitsatit vs.  Hayato Suzuki
• Lerdsila Chumpairtour vs. Sok Thy (Muay Thai)
• Zach Zane vs. Jimmy Yabo
• Elipitua Siregar vs. Muhammad Imran
• Egi Rozten vs. Eddey Kalai
• Zhao Zhi Kang vs. Dae Hwan Kim
• Eugene Toquero vs. Tatsumitsu Wada
• Brown Pinas vs. Yohann Drai (Muay Thai)
• Xie Chao vs. Bruno Pucci

ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM will be broadcast on local television in Jakarta and other Asian countries where available. However, martial arts fans who do not live in any of the countries where the event is being broadcast can watch the action for free on the ONE mobile app.

The 32-year-old McGuire has compiled a record of 11-0 since turning professional in mixed martial arts back in April 2015. That includes a triumphant ONE debut at ONE: PURSUIT OF POWER in July 2018. McGuire took a unanimous decision over Luis Santos to set up this opportunity. He is making a bid to join heavyweight Brandon Vera as the only American-born champions in ONE Championship.

McGuire’s opponent Kadestam is a three-fight veteran with ONE, but his career dates back to 2011. This will be his second shot at winning the ONE welterweight title, but he too owns a win over Santos. In his last bout, which also took place at ONE: PURSUIT OF POWER, Kadestam scored a decisive TKO victory over Agilan Thani. Their battle looks to be a classic clash between a grappler/submission specialist in McGuire, and a striker in Kadestam. Oftentimes, this dynamic has helped to create some of the most memorable bouts in MMA history. Perhaps this will be the latest edition in the unofficial series.

Holzken is one of the most skilled and decorated strikers in combat sports history. He is a multiple-time kickboxing champion and even owns a 13-1 record as a professional boxer. The 34-year-old from the Netherlands has accumulated a wealth of experience in his career and established a significant following. While he’ll be competing in Jakarta, you can bet his fans will pay close attention to his rematch with Alexandre.

The 36-year-old Brazilian won his last bout at ONE: HEROES OF HONOR in April via KO over Elliot Compton, but Holzken got the better of him in their first meeting. Holzken took it by decision 4-1, but Alexandre will be looking to even the score. With a title on the line, and kickboxing royalty in action, ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM could be one to watch.

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