3 Bouts That Could Steal The Show At ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS

History will be made this Friday, 22 February when the inaugural ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title is awarded after Stamp Fairtex and Janet “JT” Todd clash in Singapore.

That main event match-up will put a bow on what promises to be an incredible night of martial arts action at ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS.

The Singapore Indoor Stadium will host a stacked card featuring two ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix quarter-finals, a long-awaited strawweight rematch, a selection of epic ONE Super Series contests featuring World Champions, as well as much more.

Ahead of ONE Championship’s first live event at home in The Lion City in 2019, the onefc.com editorial team has selected a trio of contests that could have martial arts fans around the world talking all weekend.

Ev Ting VS Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev

Both ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix quarter-final matches are sure to thrill, but there may not be a bout more likely to deliver an explosive stoppage than the contest between Malaysia’s Ev “E.T.” Ting and Turkey’s Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev.

Both competitors have well-rounded skill sets, and each man constantly pressures their opponents in search of a finish.

Ting enters the clash with more experience having faced several former ONE World Champions – including Honorio Banario and Nobutatsu Suzuki, who he finished in the first round.

Although Arslanaliev has learned to compete with more patience after his only career loss – a disqualification due to an accidental foul – he is no less dangerous. A third-round submission of Tetsuya Yamada and an amazing knockout of Russia’s Timofey Nastyukhin proved he only needs one opportunity to end a match in an instant.

It will be fascinating to see how Ting deals with Arslanaliev’s explosiveness, and whether “Dagi” can slow down the durable Malaysian and put him in danger.

With a spot in the semi-finals of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix on the line, expect both men to constantly apply non-stop pressure and pull out all the tricks in their arsenal.

Nieky Holzken VS Mustapha Haida

Nieky “The Natural” Holzken and Mustapha “Dynamite” Haida both made spectacular debuts in The Home Of Martial Arts in 2018, as they hit stunning knockouts on Cosmo “Good Boy” Alexandre and Daniel “The Rock” Dawson, respectively.

Now, they are set to square off against each other in a ONE Super Series lightweight kickboxing match-up. Given their phenomenal debuts in The Home Of Martial Arts, we can rightfully expect an epic contest in Singapore.

The Netherlands’ Holzken is a seven-time World Champion, who also has an extensive boxing record. He has crisp, powerful punches, but in the classic Dutch style, he also strings them together well with powerful low kicks.

Italy’s Haida is an ISKA Kickboxing World Champion who also generates bout-ending velocity from his fists, and has lightning-fast head kicks.

“Dynamite” showed that he has the right tools to overcome a strong boxer when he knocked out Dawson in the ONE Super Series Bout of the Year. He managed to escape “The Rock’s” clutches to go on to victory when he was rattled in the second stanza, but Holzken does not let his opponent’s off the hook when he has them hurt.

The most fascinating element of this contest will be how each man opts to navigate their rival’s finishing power – if they decide that their best route is head on, then it will be spectacular.

Petchdam Petchyindee Academy VS Masahide Kudo

There is no way we could not highlight the return of the most destructive force in ONE Super Series.

Petchdam Petchyindee Academy has stepped under the lights in The Home Of Martial Arts twice so far, and both times he has won via incredible knockout courtesy of his signature left roundhouse kick.

Both Josh Tonna and Kenny Tse discovered that once the WBC Muay Thai World Champion finds his range with his favorite weapon, there is almost no stopping it. Even though the Thai flyweight star is competing under kickboxing rules for the first time, you can expect he will not hesitate to unleash it again.

However, there is a good chance we will see a lot more of Petchdam this Friday, as his opponent is one of the most game competitors in all of martial arts.

Japan’s Masahide “Crazy Rabbit” Kudo does not know how to quit. No matter what kind of offense comes his way, he somehow finds a way to continue walking forward to unleash his powerful attacks.

The RISE Featherweight Champion is well-known for his blistering body attacks, so he should give his opponent a test unlike he has faced before in ONE.