Tag: ONE Championship

China’s Han Zi Hao has come a long way since his days scouring the streets of Bangkok for loose coins to buy extra food to keep his hunger pangs at bay.

The sacrifices Han made in his youth and the struggles he overcame have helped mold the man and the athlete he is now.

The 23-year-old may be one of the youngest athletes on the ONE Super Series roster, but his natural talent and relentless drive to win have skyrocketed him onto the world stage and into a world title shot.

Han is scheduled to meet Muay Thai superstar Nong-O Gaiyanghadao on 16 February at ONE: CLASH OF LEGENDS for the inaugural ONE Super Series Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship.

The bout will take place in Bangkok, Han’s second home since he arrived in Thailand, aged 14 almost a decade ago.

Han has lived in the country long enough to have heard stories about the legend that is Nong-O Gaiyanghadao. The 32-year old Thai has won almost everything that is worth winning in Muay Thai, often on multiple occasions.

The four-time Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai World Champion will enter the bout against Han as the odds on favorite.

However, beating the odds is something Han has become accustomed to ever since he left China to pursue his dream of becoming a professional Muay Thai athlete.

“After the first week or so in Thailand, I began to miss home. I felt so far away from home in this new country,” he said in an interview with ONEFC.com.

“Sometimes, I cried hiding under the blanket. [When I called home] I told my parents that I was doing fine in Thailand and they shouldn’t worry. However, right after hanging up the phone, I felt so sad and couldn’t help crying.

“I had a determination that I would not go home no matter how hard it was, and I would hide the thought of going home even if I wanted to.”

Han persevered in the face of adversity. He focused his energy into improving himself as a martial artist and was soon racking up wins and capturing regional titles.

The Chinese athlete’s success inside the ring helped make the transition to living in Thailand easier.

His thoughts soon become less about how much he missed home, and more about what he could to do to make those back home proud of his accomplishments.

“My first coach used to tell me, ‘Young children rely on their parents to gain respect. Once grown up, they should honor their parents.

“This is the reason that keeps me going all these years. I want to honor my hometown and my country with this profession, and I want to grow stronger so that I can provide a better life for my family.”

A product of Mad Muay Thai Gym,  Han has been unstoppable since arriving in the ONE Super Series. In November, he became the first ONE Super Series athlete to achieve three victories in the Super Series after a first-round stoppage of Malaysia’s Azwan Che Wil at ONE:  CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS.

On 16 February, he will get another chance to engrave his name into the history books by becoming the inaugural ONE Super Series Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion.

The post China’s Han Zi Hao’s Has Gone From Hunting For Extra Food To Hunting For World Title appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

The ONE Championship featherweight division may have a new star on its hands in South Korea’s “Pretty Boy” Kwon Won Il.

The undefeated 23-year-old athlete stunned both media and fans in his promotional debut with a first-round stoppage of Anthony “The Archangel” Engelen at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY.

Kwon’s precision striking was an impressive sight to behold, and his performance backed up the hype which had surrounded the South Korean leading into the bout.

The ONE matchmakers have now given “Pretty Boy” a chance to increase his stock value even higher by booking him against one of the legends of the sport in Masakazu “ Ashikan Judan” Imanari.

The pair are set to clash on 22 February at ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS inside Singapore’s Indoor Stadium, with Kwon riding an eight-bout winning streak into the contest.

The event will be headlined by Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex and America’s Janet Todd  competing for the inaugural ONE Super Series Muay Thai Atomweight World Title.

The 13-bout card is shaping to be the biggest ONE card yet of 2019, and the inclusion of the Kwon – Imanari bout has heightened anticipation amongst fans for the event.

Imanari is coming off a recent first-round submission victory over Singapore’s Radeem Rahman at ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS. With over 37 career victories to his name, he is already assured of a spot in the mixed martial arts hall of fame.

At 42-years-of age, the Tokyo based athlete isn’t about to hang up his gloves just yet.  “Ashikan Judan” will be looking to show the world that he is still a genuine threat in the division and not merely a gatekeeper for up and coming athletes.

The Japanese grappling dynamo has faced almost every possible challenge a mixed martial artist can face inside the cage, and he will feel confident of dealing with whatever Kwon’s throws at him on the night.

As talented as Kwon is, he has yet to share the ring with an athlete as experienced or as skilled as Imanari. He has also never faced a grappler anywhere near the level of Imanari.

If the bout does go to the ground, then the South Korean will find himself sailing in uncharted waters, which will give everyone a chance to see how he copes when under pressure.

ONE’s Singapore events have a reputation for producing classic encounters, and because of this, they draw substantial viewership numbers. If Kwon wanted an opportunity to showcase his abilities to a worldwide audience of millions, then he has it.

The post South Korea’s Kwon Won Il Looks To Continue Eight Bout Winning Streak? appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

With a roster packed with the best martial artists in Asia and the world, ONE Championship’s athletes all have one thing in common. They truly embody the prized martial arts values such as integrity, honor, humility, respect, courage, discipline, and compassion

As the organization holds these principles so dear at its core, its beloved heroes showcase these admirable traits in every aspect of their lives, both in and out of the cage, inspiring numerous fans across the globe.

For a lifelong martial artist like Brandon “The Truth” Vera, these values have played a pivotal factor in shaping his character as an athlete and as a person since the beginning of his professional career.

Adulated in the mixed martial arts world as one of the best heavyweights in the sport’s history, there is one specific quality that he has developed during his martial arts journey—integrity.

“I think a man’s worth is as good as his words carry,” said Vera when he was asked about his description of integrity.

The 41-year-old native of Norfolk, Virgina learned the importance of integrity at an early age through the father of his wrestling teammate named Virgil Stevenson back in high school.

“I first heard about integrity from Mr. Stevenson. At first, I didn’t understand what he meant,” he recalled. “He gave me a bottle of coolant, so my car wouldn’t overheat. I remember he told me, ‘Brandon, I don’t need money. Just make sure that you give me a bottle back.’”

“And then he said, ‘A man’s word is worth a lot.’ That coolant was so meaningful to me. I will remember it forever. It took me a long time, but I finally got him that bottle of coolant back. That’s the first time I encountered that trait,” Vera added.

Vera’s concept of integrity became more ingrained when he enlisted himself in the United States Air Force.

“Integrity is a value, like persistence, courage, and intelligence. It is your choice of values and resolution to live by those values that form your character and personality. And it is integrity that enhances all your other values,” he stated.

“The quality of person you are is determined by how well you live up to the values that are most important to you. Integrity is the quality that locks in your values and causes you to live consistent with them,” Vera explained further.

From the time that he realized the essence of and concept of integrity, Vera decided to live by it and make it part of his lifestyle.

“When I say something, it’s going to happen. If I say that I am going to be there at a certain time, unless something crazy happens, I will be there on time,” he shared.

For the past two years, Vera attended to commitments that were completely unrelated to mixed martial arts, making his ardent followers and critics alike to question if his heart was still attuned to the sport.

Vera promised to return and compete inside the cage. In November of last year, he held true to his word.

He successfully defended his heavyweight belt against Italy’s Mauro “The Hammer” Cerilli in the main event of ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS.

“The Truth” displayed his impressive timing and accurate striking in front of his countrymen en route to a 64-second knockout victory.

“I just kept my word. When I said that I would be back, it did mean it,” Vera stressed.

For Vera, he is just following the trail of what he wants to do, which includes mixed martial arts, movie projects, endorsements, and, eventually, a run for political office.

“I positioned myself to become the ‘Filipino Truth,’ wherein you can follow the path I will lay out for you so you can see where I want to go,” he mentioned.

“I know I’m doing a lot, but I take it one day at a time – chin down, hands up, one foot in front of the other – moving carefully.”

After successfully defending his title for the second time, Vera wants to pursue his dream to compete in “The Land Of The Rising Sun” and be a part of ONE: GREATNESS UNLEASHED—the promotion’s second live event in Tokyo, Japan on 11 October.

He already has the perfect opponent in mind for his potential bout in Japan.

Vera revealed his intention of moving down a division to vie for the ONE Light Heavyweight World Title, which is currently held by two-division ONE World Champion “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang.

“I would love to fight in Japan in October next year, and challenge whoever has possession of the light heavyweight belt,” he said.

“Right now, it’s Aung La N Sang. He’s an amazing athlete, and that is why I want to face him. I want to be up against the best athletes in the world until my body doesn’t want to do it anymore.”

Whether he gets the title shot he is hoping for or not, Vera’s ultimate goal is to go down in mixed martial arts history as one of the greatest competitors to ever set foot in the cage.

“It’s my goal to become one of the best in the history of this sport,” he vowed. “No one is going to stop me.”

The post Heavyweight Champ Brandon Vera Knows The Importance of Integrity appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Japan is a happy hunting ground for Australian lightweight contender Adrian Pang.

He was one of the first competitors to set foot inside a cage in the martial arts hotbed country, winning the inaugural main event inside a cage back in November 2006.

Now the 41-year-old Queenslander is gunning for another opportunity to compete in Japan.

“I really would love to fight in Japan but that card’s stacked already,” Pang said of ONE: A NEW ERA on 31 March, which boasts the rescheduled Strawweight World Title bout between China’s Xiong Jing Nan and Singapore’s Angela Lee, the Lightweight World Championship rematch between Filipino superstar Eduard Folayang and Japan’s Shinya Aoki and the Middleweight World Title clash between Myanmar’s Aung La N Sang and Japan’s Ken Hasegawa, as well as the debuts of American superstars Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez.

“There’s three title fights, Alvarez is on it, Demetrious is on it, so unless I’m on the undercard I doubt I’ll be on that card,” he continued.

With much of the card already assembled, Pang stressed he would happily accept a prelim bout.

“I’ll fight whenever Chatri [Sityodtong] wants me to,” he said.

“I fought in the first ever cage event in Japan. I fought in the main event and I won by submission.

“So it would be cool to fight in Japan and make my ONE Championship debut there, and the timing suits me, but I haven’t really thought it through.”

The ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix is also around the corner, but Pang said he’s had no correspondence from Sityodtong about the tournament.

“Not at all,” Pang said.

“If they put me in the Grand Prix that would be awesome. I don’t know if they would consider me for it, but I really don’t care. I’m going to get paid regardless of where I get to fight.

“I’m really just happy that I got a win back and I really showed a few people that I’ve still got it. I just want to finish my career winning. That’s my goal.”

Snapping a four-match losing streak with victory over Koto Shimoishi at ONE: HEART OF THE LION last November, Pang is brimming with new confidence.

“I feel great,” he said. “I’ve worked on my property and stayed in the gym. Everyone’s putting on weight over the festive break, but I’m the same as I always.”

“I don’t get fat, it’s just my abs aren’t as ripped. That’s the only difference,” Pang added.

Pang said he was eager to challenge Japan’s Koji Ando or even tackle a rematch with Honorio Banario following their tight battle back in April of last year.

But Pang plans to leave that all in the hands of the matchmakers.

“I haven’t thought it through,” he admitted. “I’d rematch anyone that’s beaten me. Most of them haven’t beaten me in a fight, they’ve beaten me in a game.”

“Even my fight against the current champion (Eduard Folayang) wasn’t one sided l, so I think I can hang in there with anybody.

“I’m not a young kid anymore and I’m just happy to take it fight by fight. Really, I’d like to fight Banario again and smash him and prove a point.”

The post Adrian Pang Desires To Compete At ONE: A NEW ERA In Tokyo appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Martial arts promotion ONE Championship has recently named former National Basketball Association (NBA) executive Meghan Jenkins as its new Vice President International. The company announced the signing early Thursday, 31 January via a press release.

Jenkins was most recently the Vice President, Head of Strategy and part of the senior leadership team for NBA Asia based out of Hong Kong. She was responsible for the expansion of the NBA’s key business in the Asia Pacific and played a major role in the development of key strategic partnerships across different markets and business lines.

Before moving to Asia, Jenkins was based out of the NBA’s global headquarters in New York in the United States.

“It is an absolute honor to announce that Meghan Jenkins has joined our senior leadership team here at ONE Championship as Vice President International. As a seasoned leader, Meghan will work alongside myself and the rest of our leadership team to help scale ONE Championship into the first multibillion dollar global sports media property in Asian history,” said CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

With ONE Championship, Jenkins is set to oversee the company’s growth internationally, including new markets and TAM expansion as well as strategic initiatives across ONE’s existing markets.

“With the addition of Meghan, ONE Championship now has the most seasoned and experienced world-class leadership team in the entire Asian sports media industry today,” Sityodtong added.

The move to add Jenkins to the company’s elite senior leadership team is in line with ONE Championship’s growing presence in the United States. The promotion made recent strategic business decisions that further establishes its roots in the US mainland.

Part of those moves include the signing of prominent athletes Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, and Sage Northcutt, as well as the appointment of another Vice President in former women’s world champion Miesha Tate. ONE also announced a deal with Turner Sports early 2019 which gives the promotion a presence on US television.

“I am thrilled to be joining ONE Championship. My experience over the last decade working to build the NBA into a global sports leader will be invaluable as I embark on this new challenge and help take ONE Championship to the next level,” Jenkins stated.

“Having spent the last few years focused on identifying opportunities across the Asia Pacific region, it is clear to me that there is significant untapped potential in Asia’s massive and growing sports media market and ONE Championship is uniquely positioned to capture a large portion of it. I look forward to joining Chatri and the rest of ONE’s leadership team as we work to build ONE Championship into a global sports powerhouse.”

The post ONE Championship Names NBA Exec As New Vice President International appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

By Dan Paulo Errazo

Honorio “The Rock” Banario of Baguio City, Philippines failed to accomplish his mission to deliver the undefeated Hawaii MMA Elite representative Lowen Tynanes the first loss in his professional career.

The entire world looked on as both athletes kicked off the first round of the much-awaited ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix on the main card of ONE: HERO’S ASCENT which went down last 25 January at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila.

Tynanes pulverized Banario in the first round to win by way of technical knockout victory over the former ONE Featherweight World Champion.

Despite the loss, Banario gave his personal assessment of where he feels Tynanes is at in this point of his career.

“I think he’s not as powerful as advertised. He’s not heavy on the ground when he comes to pin, but he positions himself really well,” Banario said in an interview with inquirer.com.

“He’s the same fighter who fought Folayang in 2012. He’s excellent, but may have already reached his full potential.”

Like many of his Team Lakay Brothers who are wushu champions, Banario’s strengths lies in his stand-up game. As such, he looked to test Tynanes’ striking. “The Rock” was able to land a few solid shots but it had very little effect on the well-trained Hawaiian athlete who simply powered through front-line defenses.

After a few brief striking exchanges, Tynanes turned to his bread and butter and drove Banario towards the canvas with a single-leg takedown.

Tynanes showcased his world-class wrestling skills as he transitioned immediately into side control and then into a mounted crucifix. It’s a move Tynanes has used multiple times with his previous opponents to dominate them with his heavy top game.

With no way to defend himself, Banario was forced to receive a barrage of fists and elbows from the Hawaiian. Tynanes continued relentlessly until the referee intervened and stopped the contest.

Despite being dominated on the ground, Banario felt that the result could have been different if only his arms were free.

“I think we’re even when it comes to jiu-jitsu. In my case, I got caught in a crucifix. He has a great ground game, but it can be escaped from,” Banario said

Tynanes now advances to the semi-finals of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix where he patiently waits to take on the winner between Timofey Nastyukhin and Eddie “The Underground” Alvarez in their scheduled bout at ONE: A NEW ERA on 31 March in Tokyo, Japan.

Tynanes met the current ONE Lightweight World Champion and Banario’s teammate, Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, in just the second bout of his professional career. He was able to win via shocking technical knockout over the Team Lakay veteran.

If Tynanes wins the Grand Prix tournament and in the event that Folayang is still champion, they may square off once more for down the line.

Given his experience with Tynanes, Banario believes that Folayang would have the advantage this time around and that the Landslide’s striking would prove too much for the Hawaiian.

“He (Tynanes) barely landed a punch on the feet. Should he fight Eduard Folayang again we must focus on wrestling defense,” Banario concluded.

The post Honorio Banario Confident Teammate Can Beat Lowen Tynanes appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.