Tag: ONE Championship

ONE: Warriors Of Light Recap & Highlights: Nong-O Retains Title

ONE: Warriors Of Light took place today in Bangkok, Thailand. The 12-bout card contained plenty of action with half of the bouts ending in a stoppage. In the main event, Thailand’s Nong-O Gaiyanghadao successfully defended his Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title with a unanimous decision victory over Japan Hiroaki Suzuki. After a cagey opening round, […]

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ONE: Warriors Of Light took place today in Bangkok, Thailand. The 12-bout card contained plenty of action with half of the bouts ending in a stoppage.

In the main event, Thailand’s Nong-O Gaiyanghadao successfully defended his Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title with a unanimous decision victory over Japan Hiroaki Suzuki. After a cagey opening round, Nong-O took control of the contest in the second. From then on he never looked in any real danger.

Suzuki was unable to establish his attacking rhythm due to the Thai’s drumbeat of body shots to Suzuki’s left side. Nong-O found his target early in the bout and throughout the duration of the contest kept returning to the same spot over and over again.

To his credit, Suzuki never stopped looking for an opening but despite his best efforts, the 34-year-old was unable to unlock the Thai’s defense. It was a comprehensive victory for Nong-O, and it will be interesting to see who ONE pairs him with next.

Petchdam Claims Flyweight Kickboxing Title

In the co-main event, Thailand’s Petchdam Petchyindee Academy defeated French-Algerian Elias Mahmoudi via unanimous decision. In doing so he become the inaugural ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion.

The contest was halted at the start of the fifth due to a low blow from the Thai rendering Mahmoudi unfit to continue. It was a disappointing end to what up until that moment had been an exciting and free-wheeling matchup.

Both men had come to fight but it was Mahmoudi who landed the first heavy shot seconds after the fight started. Unfortunately, it was an elbow, illegal under kickboxing rules. The referee gave Mahmoudi a yellow card for the illegal strike.

However, undeterred the 21-year-old set the pace in the opening round, throwing his shots in combinations and earning the Thai’s respect. Petchdam came into the fight having knocked out his last three opponents. Right from the start of the second, the 20-year-old seemed keen to add Mahmoudi to that list.

Mahmoudi was not giving away any ground despite Petchdam’s best efforts. The pair continued to trade powerful shots as the round ticked by.

Going into the fifth it felt like the fight was evenly poised. To have the bout end due to an accidental low blow was frustrating for both fans and fighters. Hopefully, these two square off again in the future as it does feel like there is unfinished business here.

Todd Earns TKO Victory

California’s Janet Todd earned her first ONE Championship victory when she defeated Chinese Taipei’s Wang Chin Long via TKO. The bout was fought under kickboxing rules.

Todd dominated the fight right from the start. The 33-year-old set the tempo of the contest, always moving forward and landing the cleaner and heavier shots. After going the distance with a fighter as ferocious as Stamp Fairtex Ching Long, seemed to offer nothing that the American needed to be concerned with.

It was a professional and complete performance from Todd and confirmed her status as one of the best female stand-up fighters in the Super Series.

ONE: Warriors Of Light Full Results:

Main Card:

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao defeated Hiroaki Suzuki via unanimous decision

Petchdam Petchyindee Academy defeated Elias Mahmoudi via technical decision

Shoko Sato defeated Mark Fairtex Abelardo via second-round TKO

Rodtang Jitmuangnon defeated Sok Thy via seond-round knockout

Pongsiri Mitsatit defeated Robin Catalan via first-round knockout

Zhang Chenglong defeats Panicos Yusuf via unanimous decision

Kazuki Tokudome defeated Adrian Pang via second-round TKO

Preliminary Card:

Savvas Michael defeated Singtongnoi Por Telakun via unanimous decision

Superlek Kiatmoo9 defeated Rui Botelho via unanimous decision

Pieter Buist defeated Kota Shimoishi via second-round knockout

Janet Todd defeats Wang Chin Long via second-round TKO

Hexigetu defeats Ovais Shah via unanimous decision

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ONE: Warriors Of Light Preview, Start Time & Analysis

ONE Championship returns to Thailand this week for ONE: Warriors Of Light. The 12-bout card will take place on Friday, May 10, 2019, from Bangkok’s Impact Arena. A pair of ONE Super Series title fights will headline the event, which is not surprising given that the card is taking place in the country where Muay […]

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ONE Championship returns to Thailand this week for ONE: Warriors Of Light. The 12-bout card will take place on Friday, May 10, 2019, from Bangkok’s Impact Arena.

A pair of ONE Super Series title fights will headline the event, which is not surprising given that the card is taking place in the country where Muay Thai originated from.

American fighter Janet Todd will be making her second appearance under the ONE banner this week. Todd was last in action back in February, when the California-native fought for the inaugural ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Championship.

The 33-year-old was defeated by Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex but still put on an impressive showing. Todd is now set to take on Chinese Taipei’s Wang Chin Long in a three-round kickboxing contest.

Bantamweight Muay Thai Title On The Line

Thailand’s Nong-O Gaiyanghadao is set to make the first defense of his Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title when he takes on Japan’s Hiroaki Suzuki. Nong-O won the vacant belt in February with a unanimous decision win over China’s Han Zihao.

The 33-year-old currently trains out of Evolve MMA and has competed in over 300 fights during the course of his career.  His record stands at 258-56-1, and along the way, he has captured four Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai World Championships.

In Suzuki, Nong-O will be facing an aggressive and dynamic striker. However, the Japanese fighter will need to pressure Nong-O. If the Thai can establish his rhythm early on, it could become a frustrating night for Suzuki.  

A Kickboxing Title Fight

Thailand’s Petchdam Petchyindee Academy and French-Algerian Elias Mahmoudi will battle it out on Friday, for the right to be crowned the inaugural ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion.

Both fighters are technical wizards inside the ring, and this bout could easily be ‘Fight of the Night.’  It is a tough one to pick as both athletes have impressive attacking arsenals.

Petchdam currently holds the record for fastest Super Series knockout after demolishing Australia’s Kenny Tse in just 86 seconds. The 20-year-old Thai has a vicious left kick that can send opponents to sleep in the blink of an eye.

Mahmoudi’s strength lies in his strikings. The 21-year-old can put together dazzling highlight-reel combinations when given the opportunity. He is aware that he will need to be at his best to defeat Petchdam, but Mahmoudi is confident he has tools required to get the job done. It’s hard to see this contest going the distance.

A Bantamweight Contenders Clash

The headline MMA bout on the night will be a bantamweight fight between Japan’s Shoko Sato and New Zealand’s Mark Fairtex Abelardo.

Sato will be making his ONE debut, and the former Shooto Bantamweight Champion will be hope to make a statement with a win over Abelardo. The Kiwi fighter is coming into this encounter on the back of a come-from-behind TKO victory over the previously unbeaten Daichi Takenaka.

Both Sato and Abelardo hit hard and prefer to keep the fight standing so this should be an entertaining contest. They have 26 KOs wins between them.  The bantamweight division is on hold at the moment. Until the Belingon-Fernandes rematch plays out all the other fighters in the division can do is keep racking up wins to build their case for a title shot.

Main Card (B/R Live & ONE App @ 9:30 a.m. EST):

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao VS Hiroaki Suzuki (ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title)

Petchdam Petchyindee Academy VS Elias Mahmoudi (ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title)

Shoko Sato VS Mark Fairtex Abelardo (mixed martial arts — bantamweight)

Rodtang Jitmuangnon VS Sok Thy (ONE Super Series Muay Thai — flyweight)

Pongsiri Mitsatit VS Robin Catalan (mixed martial arts — strawweight)

Zhang Chenglong VS Panicos Yusuf (ONE Super Series kickboxing — bantamweight)

Kazuki Tokudome VS Adrian Pang (mixed martial arts — lightweight)

Preliminary Card

Singtongnoi Por Telakun VS Savvas Michael (ONE Super Series Muay Thai — flyweight)

Superlek Kiatmoo9 VS Rui Botelho (ONE Super Series Muay Thai — flyweight)

Kota Shimoishi VS Pieter Buist (mixed martial arts — lightweight)

Janet Todd VS Wang Chin Long (ONE Super Series kickboxing — atomweight)

Hexigetu VS Ovais Shah (mixed martial arts — strawweight)

The post ONE: Warriors Of Light Preview, Start Time & Analysis appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Exclusive: ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong Discusses New Agent Certification Program

ONE Championship recently announced it would be upgrading its ONE Agent Certification program. In a conversation with LowKick MMA, Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, discussed why the promotion felt changes were necessary and what he hopes to accomplish with the implementation of these new rules. “In Asia, it’s commonly known that Asian […]

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ONE Championship
recently announced it would be upgrading its ONE Agent Certification program.

In a conversation with LowKick MMA, Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, discussed why the promotion felt changes were necessary and what he hopes to accomplish with the implementation of these new rules.

“In Asia, it’s commonly known that Asian manager theft and fraud is a widespread problem in all combat sports, not just mixed martial arts,” Sityodtong said.

“Just this year alone we have had several of our athletes seek our help to resolve very ugly situations with their managers and agents, and last year we had one of our World  Champions cheated by her former manager.’

The new rules will apply to all agents working with ONE. They look to be based around common sense principles, listed below they are:

  • Currently a resident in Asia for at least one (1) year
  • No prior criminal record
  • No history or current ongoing matters of legal or lawsuit activity with any athlete
  • A minimum of 10 years of related experience in the martial arts industry
  • Must possess a College or University Degree

ONE Still Happy To Work With Overseas Managers

There have been questions from managers based outside of Asia regarding the resident rule. However, as Sityodtong explains, there will be an exemption process.

“Exemptions will be made on a case by case basis, but in a nutshell, we want to work with managers who have an excellent track record of integrity and excellence, who have an outstanding reputation of taking good care of their athletes,” Sityodtong says.

“We started with Asia, because if there is an unethical agent it’s very easy for us in Asia to seek justice because we have strong government and business relationships all over the continent,” Sityodtong added.

“That’s why the criteria were there, of course, if you are a world class manager with an outstanding track record and a phenomenal reputation and you live in America, we want to work with you. We want to work with the best managers globally, that’s a full stop.

“Again we want to clean up all the riff-raff,  all the bad, unethical managers who are not doing things for the right reasons. We just want to elevate the standard of excellence and the entire ecosystem to have a much healthier, happier ecosystem by eliminating all the bad stuff.

“We could sit here and do nothing about it and watch our athletes get cheated, or their money stolen. But we have had enough cases where we felt the need to step up and clean up the entire ecosystem especially here in Asia, where it’s a widespread problem.”

Sityodtong’s Hopes For The Industry

Combat sports fans are all too familiar with stories of athletes being cheated out of their earnings. If these rules reduce the number of cases of fighter mismanagement, it can only be labeled a positive development for the sport.

“I hope the other global promotions also follow suit. It’s important that we elevate the sport of mixed martial arts to global excellence and to global standards of conduct and professionalism,” Sityodtong said.

ONE has been extremely active lately both in terms of signings as well as behind-the-scenes changes.

“There is no question that ONE Championship is the global leader in innovation in the entire combat sports world and that’s from everything, from our hydration process, our weigh-in process, our cat scans during fight week, all the neurological exams we do,” Sityodtong said.

“It also includes ONE Studios and ONE Elite agency and then this accreditation program. I would say ONE Championship is head and shoulders above other global promotions in terms of thought leadership and innovation.”

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ONE: For Honor Preview, Breakdown, Start Time & Analysis

ONE: For Honor will take place on Friday, May 3, 2019, with a 14-bout card from the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia. In the main-event, ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao will face-off against England’s Jonathan Haggerty. It is a bout that the Thai will be favored to win, but fans will still […]

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ONE: For Honor will take place on Friday, May 3, 2019, with a 14-bout card from the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In the main-event, ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao will face-off against England’s Jonathan Haggerty. It is a bout that the Thai will be favored to win, but fans will still be in for an exciting clash.

The co-main event features the ONE debut of Japanese veteran Yushin Okami. The former UFC middleweight title challenger will compete in a welterweight bout with Kyrgyzstan’s Kiamrian Abbasov.

ONE: For Honor is the first of three consecutive cards for the Singapore-based promotion. Bangkok and Singapore will hold the next two events, respectively.

A Thai Legend Mounts His First Title Defence

There is little in the sport of Muay Thai that Sam-A Gaiyanghadao has not already achieved. The 35-year-old is a multiple Lumpinee Stadium champion and has collected numerous domestic titles throughout his 25 years in the sport.

A veteran fighter with over 400 professional Muay Thai fights under his belt, Sam-A captured the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship last May at ONE: Unstoppable Dreams.

It is hard picturing him dropping the belt to Jonathan Haggerty. The 22-year old is 13 years younger than Sam-A, who is about as experienced a fighter as you can get at this level.

However, Haggerty will be no pushover. He earned his title shot with an impressive unanimous decision victory over Italy’s Joseph Lasiri. The Englishman will have a considerable height advantage over Sam-A and can end the Thai’s night if he can get his dangerous hands and elbows going.

The London native has only lost once as a professional and has calmed multiple national and international championships but Friday’s bout is undoubtedly the biggest fight of his career. To defeat a legend like Sam-A, the challenger will need to produce something special.

The Arrival Of Yushin Okami

It would be fair to say that Yushin Okami is closer to the end of his career than the beginning. The question is, does the 37-year-old still have enough in the tank for a title run in ONE’s welterweight division?

Okami was last seen in action in December at UFC Fight Night: Dos Santos vs. Tuivasa where he lost via unanimous decision to Russia’s Alexey Kunchenko.

The Japanese fighter will be facing a tricky opponent in Kyrgyzstan’s Kiamrian Abbasov. The 25-year-old’s last outing saw him pull off a first-round submission win over the highly-rated Malaysian Agilan Thani.

There will be a lot of interest in how Okami fares this week when he competes for the first time under the ONE banner. If he can still perform at the highest level, he will be a valuable addition to ONE’s welterweight division. He could also provide a huge boost for ONE in terms of pulling in fans from the Japanese market.

Striking Sensation Thanh Le Makes His ONE Debut

Thanh Le made himself known to MMA fans around the world with his appearances on season 22 of TUF and the first season of DWTNCS.

The 33-year-old former LFA Interim Featherweight Champion has an eye-catching style thanks to his taekwondo background.

Le has yet to hear the final bell as a professional. All seven of his wins and both his losses have come inside the distance. The Kentucky native has been paired with Russian grappler Yusup Saadulaev, and there is no question that Saadulaev will be looking to take the fight to the ground as soon as he possibly can

Saadulaev comes into this match-up riding a five-fight winning streak. It looks like the ONE matchmakers have purposefully given Le a tough first outing so they can see exactly where he stands in the ONE featherweight division.

In the build-up to this fight, Le has been spending time working on his grappling with Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and UFC fighter Ryan Hall.

If Le can get the job done against Saadulaev, he may quickly find himself being positioned for a title shot similar to ONE welterweight James Nakashima, also a former LFA fighter.

Former featherweight champion Marat Gafurov will also be competing on the night as well the talented Keanu Subba. After Martin Nguyen’s recent defense of his featherweight title, he has no clear-cut challenger for his crown. Expect one to emerge Friday.

Main Card (B/R Live & ONE App @ 9:30 a.m. EST):

(c) Sam-A Gaiyanghadao Vs. Jonathan Haggerty (ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship)

Yushin Okami Vs. Kiamrian Abbasov (mixed martial arts — welterweight)

Tetsuya Yamada Vs. Marat Gafurov (mixed martial arts — featherweight)

Yodpanomrung Jitmuangnon Vs. Tyler Hardcastle (ONE Super Series Muay Thai — bantamweight)

Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol Vs. Nou Srey Pov (mixed martial arts — women’s atomweight)

Thanh Le Vs. Yusup Saadulaev (mixed martial arts — featherweight)

Dae Hwan Kim Vs. Ayideng Jumayi (mixed martial arts — bantamweight)

Preliminary Card ( B/R Live & ONE App @ 7:00 a.m. EST):

Ryogo Takahashi Vs. Keanu Subba (mixed martial arts — featherweight)

Paul Lumihi Vs. Sunoto (mixed martial arts — bantamweight)

Kenta Yamada Vs. Deividas Danyla (ONE Super Series Muay Thai — bantamweight)

Rudy Agustian Vs. Chan Rothana (mixed martial arts — flyweight)

Andrew Miller Vs. Mohammed Bin Mahmoud (ONE Super Series Muay Thai — bantamweight)

Adrian Mattheis Vs. Himanshu Kaushik (mixed martial arts — strawweight)

Guntur Vs. Angelo Bimoadji (mixed martial arts — strawweight)

The post ONE: For Honor Preview, Breakdown, Start Time & Analysis appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

ONE Championship: How to Watch Sam-A Gaiyanghadao vs. Jonathan Haggerty

The ONE flyweight muay thai world title is up for grabs at ONE: For Honor on Friday. Sam-A Gaiyanghadao faces Jonathan Haggerty in the classic matchup between a decorated veteran and a young star ready to solidify his spot at the top…

The ONE flyweight muay thai world title is up for grabs at ONE: For Honor on Friday. Sam-A Gaiyanghadao faces Jonathan Haggerty in the classic matchup between a decorated veteran and a young star ready to solidify his spot at the top…

Jimmy Smith Reveals Why He Didn’t Sign With ONE Championship

Mixed martial arts color commentator Jimmy Smith has explained why a move to ONE Championship couldn’t come to fruition. Smith has been a free agent since the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) decided not to renew his contract. Smith has serve…

Mixed martial arts color commentator Jimmy Smith has explained why a move to ONE Championship couldn’t come to fruition. Smith has been a free agent since the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) decided not to renew his contract. Smith has served as an analyst for SiriusXM Radio. Many are surprised that Smith hasn’t linked up with […]

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