4 Big Lessons We Learned From ONE: FOR HONOR

ONE Championship rocked the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia with a captivating martial arts showcase on Friday, 3 May.

The promotion delivered a spectacular night of action with ONE: FOR HONOR. It was a riveting event that culminated with the crowning of a new ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion.

Now, just hours removed from the enthralling 14-bout spectacle, we reflect on four of the biggest lessons we learned from an incredible night in the Indonesian capital.

#1 Youth Trumps Experience In The Main Event

When England’s Jonathan “The General” Haggerty challenged defending titleholder Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, he conceded 13 years and an experience advantage of more than 400 professional Muay Thai bouts to his opponent.

However, the 22-year-old delivered a nerveless performance, as he outstruck the Thai legend and claimed the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship in just his 16th professional match.

“The General” went toe-to-toe with Sam-A, and he dictated the pace and intensity of the contest. He carried that exemplary work rate all the way through five hard rounds, and even dropped the 35-year-old twice en route to a unanimous decision victory.

While Haggerty did not possess the veteran experience, his prodigious talent and youthful vigor helped him to overcome that. The Londoner is now the World Champion, and he is just scratching the surface.

#2 Abbasov Is Ready For A World Title Shot

Kiamrian Abbasov was already considered a serious threat to Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam’s ONE Welterweight World Title before ONE: FOR HONOR.

However, the 25-year-old’s performance against Japanese mixed martial arts legend Yushin “Thunder” Okami eliminated any lingering doubts about his ability to step up and challenge for the belt.

The Kyrgyz warrior competed hard with Okami in the opening round and survived an early scare when he was taken to the ground. But then, he found his mark with his strikes in the second frame, as he dropped the 37-year-old with a big right hand and finished him with a salvo of punches.

With 13 wins from his last 14 outings, it is clear Abbasov’s next challenge could see him staring across the Circle at Kadestam later this year in what would undoubtedly be a fascinating battle.

#3 Gafurov Is Back To His Best

Former ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov has had his sights set on a run back to the gold ever since he lost the belt to Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen in August 2017.

This past Friday at the Istora Senayan, the Dagestani grappling ace showed his gritty toughness in abundance as he outmuscled Japanese contender Tetsuya “MMA Fantasista” Yamada to capture a hard-earned unanimous decision victory.

Gafurov had to do it the hard way, too, as he proved his durability by eating a huge knee from Yamada while shooting for a takedown. But rather than falling to a TKO stoppage, the 34-year-old shook off the strike and kept on plowing forward to finish the job.

It proved that “Cobra” is still at the top of his game, and he might not be too far away from a potential trilogy bout with Nguyen for the division’s top prize.

#4 “Papua Badboy” Is Primed For A Step Up

Adrian “Papua Badboy” Mattheis delivered the goods once again as he submitted India’s Himanshu Kaushik late in the first round of their strawweight match-up.

Mattheis’ rear-naked choke victory extended his record as the strawweight with the most bouts (12), wins (8) and finishes (7) in the division, as he wowed the crowd once again in his hometown.

As it stands, the Indonesian hero is riding a three-bout win streak, and he has won six of his last seven contests.

Now, it seems like the right time for “Papua Badboy” to take a step up in competition and challenge some of the top stars in the weight class.