4 Reasons Why You Absolutely Must Catch ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER
ONE Championship will make a roaring return to Macau this weekend.
On Saturday, 23 June, the promotion will hold ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER at the Studio City Event Center, and it promises to be one of the greatest martial arts events of the year.
The forthcoming spectacle is topped by a pair of World Title bouts, which will determine the best athletes in the flyweight and women’s strawweight divisions.
Those bouts will be joined by a stacked undercard featuring some of the world’s best strikers in ONE Super Series, as well as a host of talents competing in top-level mixed martial arts contests.
Here are just four of the many reasons why you must watch ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER this weekend.
A World Champion Versus World Champion Bout
The stakes have never been higher in the flyweight division.
In the headline attraction, ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes will return to action for the first time since being sidelined with a sprained MCL in late February.
The Brazilian is aiming to extend his run as the most successful World Champion in the division’s history, but in order to do that, he must beat a familiar foe — Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio, the man he submitted for the weight class’ inaugural belt in September 2014.
Eustaquio has improved incredibly since that loss, however.
The Team Lakay standout has become much more than just a striker – he demonstrated his complete martial arts skills when he defeated Kairat Akhmetov for the ONE Interim Flyweight World Title in January.
A ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title Bout
“The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan’s first outing as the ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion is one of the most hotly-anticipated bouts of the year.
She began her promotional tenure with two sensational TKO victories — stopping April Osenio in the first round of their December clash, and then finishing Tiffany “No Chill” Teo in the fourth round to claim the belt in January.
Xiong’s first World Title defense will be against Argentina’s Laura “La Gladiadora” Balin, who comes into the contest with an impressive 10-2 record, including nine finishes.
Although she will travel thousands of miles from South America, the Gladiadores MMA Champion is confident she has the tools to take out China’s first mixed martial arts World Champion, and forge a new future for Argentinian martial arts.
A Former Featherweight World Champion Returns
By the time he steps into the ring at the Studio City Event Center, it will have been 17 months since Narantungalag “Tungaa” Jadambaa last competed.
The former ONE Featherweight World Champion decided he needed some time to improve his skills after his last contest in November 2016 – a loss in his World Title rematch against then-champion Marat Gafurov. Now, he believes his abilities are better than ever.
They will need to be for him to overcome an in-form Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly.
The Filipino martial artist has emerged as one of his division’s leading contenders in recent years. Kelly has won four of his last five bouts, all by stoppage, and he most recently finished Meas Meul in a record-breaking 21 seconds.
This collision of aggressive warriors could produce one of the best bouts of the night, and could very well catapult the victor into the ONE Featherweight World Title conversation.
ONE Super Series Returns With A Legendary Lineup
The Muay Thai and kickboxing bouts of ONE Super Series have not failed to deliver so far. Expect more of the same exhilarating striking action across four clashes between elite stand-up martial artists in Macau.
On the main card, Petchmorrakot Wor. Sangprapai will add his name to the list of Muay Thai icons from Thailand to step into the ONE arena. The two-division Lumpinee Stadium World Champion and WMC Muay Thai World Champion makes his bow against three-time MAX Muay Thai World Champion “The Funky Drummer” Fabrice Fairtex Delannon.
There will also be a clash between two athletes with stellar professional records, as multiple-time Muay Thai World Champion Lerdsila Phuket Top Team (186-31-5 in Muay Thai) squares off against Sok Thy (221-36-12 in Kun Khmer).
They will be joined on the prelims by some must-see heavyweight kickboxing action. ONE superstar and four-time Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion Alain “The Panther” Ngalani crosses over from mixed martial arts to go head-to-head with Tarik Khbabez, a two-time SUPERKOMBAT Heavyweight World Champion.
