4 Big Lessons We Learned From ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST

This past Saturday, 15 June, ONE Championship returned to the Baoshan Arena in Shanghai, China with another stacked card of thrilling martial arts action.

The 14 match-ups featured on ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST excited the local crowd, as the stars delivered a plethora of highlight-reel finishes and intense back-and-forth battles.

Now, with the dust settled, here are four of the biggest lessons we learned from a breathtaking night in Shanghai.

#1 Stamp Fairtex Has A World Champion’s Mentality

Stamp Fairtex‘s first defense of her ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Championship was anything but straightforward. 

The Thai star clashed with 18-year-old Australian phenom Alma Juniku, who competitively battled toe-to-toe with the World Champion on even terms throughout a tight, tense contest.

After a steady start, Juniku appeared to be taking control of the match-up during the third stanza, and the challenger’s confidence visibly grew more and more as the bout wore on.

However, Stamp truly showed the heart of a champion, as she found another gear and landed some of her best strikes in the championship rounds to secure a unanimous decision victory.

This win proved that Stamp has the mental strength to turn the momentum of a bout in her favor, and it also showed she had the grit to battle with an opponent who refused to back down for the full five rounds.

#2 The “Alligator” Is Back In Top Form

Malaysian welterweight contender Agilan “Alligator” Thani needed to produce a career-best performance against the biggest name of his career, and he delivered exactly that to earn a well-deserved unanimous decision victory.

The Kuala Lumpur native met returning Asian martial arts icon Yoshihiro “Sexy Yama” Akiyama in the night’s co-main event, and he was not overawed by the prospect of facing such a legendary figure. He proved that by taking the action to the Japanese-Korean legend from the very first bell.

Akiyama acquitted himself remarkably well for a man who was returning from a three and half year hiatus, and kept the match competitive through all three rounds. However, Thani’s blended offensive attack and output led him to the winner’s circle.

In victory, “Alligator” showed that he is not only fully recovered from his injuries, but he is also back in top form, too.

#3 Chinese Stars Deliver On Home Soil

The fans inside the Baoshan Arena cheered their fellow countrymen to victory, as all five of the Chinese athletes competing at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST picked up memorable victories.

Leading the way was bantamweight striker “Muay Thai Boy” Zhang Chenglong, who produced a stunning first-round knockout of Australia’s Tyler Hardcastle in their kickboxing match-up. His “big brother,” Han Zi Hao, also scored a finish, as he knocked out Scotland’s Andrew “Maddog Fairtex” Miller in the second round of their Muay Thai clash.

The featured preliminary bout of the night saw crowd favorite “Rock Man” Chen Lei claim a unanimous decision in an entertaining three-round battle against Anthony “The Archangel” Engelen, while rising middleweight contender “King Kong Warrior” Fan Rong took down the hulking Egyptian Sherif “The Shark” Mohamed via second-round TKO.

Finally, there was a notable home win for Chinese featherweight prospect Niu Kang Kang, who defeated Filipino star Eric “The Natural” Kelly via unanimous decision in their preliminary card match-up.

It was a perfect night for the Chinese talent, who undoubtedly proved that the nation is loaded with world-class martial arts talent.

#4 “The Dutch Knight” Proved His Championship Credentials

Undefeated grappler Reinier “The Dutch Knight” De Ridder delivered his best performance to date to stop Brazilian powerhouse Gilberto “Giba” Galvao inside two rounds to press his World Title claims.

The two-time European Mixed Martial Arts Champion knew the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt would present a major threat on the ground, but the 28-year-old was fearless in his quest to finish his opponent on the mat.

After locking up the Brazilian’s neck, he connected with a succession of knees that eventually knocked his man out for a hugely-impressive win.

It was De Ridder’s second consecutive stoppage victory following his first-round D’Arce choke finish of Fan Rong in his ONE debut, and it puts “The Dutch Knight” right in the conversation for a possible shot at the ONE Middleweight World Title.