4 Reasons You Have To Catch ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE
Everything is set for ONE Championship’s first show of 2018.
On Saturday, 20 January, ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE will broadcast live from the Jakarta Convention Center in Indonesia, and as the statistics have shown, it promises to be an amazing card full of compelling bouts.
The main event tilt between Tiffany “No Chill” Teo and “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan for the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship is a historic moment, and is just one of the many reasons to catch the event.
#1 History Will Be Made
Both Singapore’s Tiffany Teo and China’s Xiong Jing Nan are ready to make history, and will battle it out to become the first-ever ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion.
The two women have been on a collision course. The undefeated Teo stands at a perfect 7-0, while Xiong sports an equally impressive record of 13-1, and is riding an eight-bout win streak.
With “Unstoppable” Angela Lee becoming an intentional sensation as the reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion, the same opportunity presents itself to both “No Chill” and “The Panda” as the two females pursue strawweight supremacy. It will take a tremendous effort from both women, however, in order to capture the coveted ONE World Title.
At the end of the night, there will be a new world champion. Will Teo be able to utilize her well-rounded skill set to handle Xiong’s aggressive style and powerful hands? Or will Xiong realize a childhood dream and become China’s first martial arts world champion? Fans are certainly in for a treat as ONE kicks off 2018 in exciting fashion.
#2 A High-Level Grappling Super-Match Between BJJ Black Belts
Japanese martial arts legend Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki has vowed to emerge a new man in 2018, looking to reclaim lost glory and make a run at regaining his ONE Lightweight World Championship. He will begin to embark on that comeback trail, however, by participating in a dream match-up against Dagestani and former ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov in a Grappling Super-Match.
The Grappling Super-Match consists of a single 15-minute round, with all forms of striking prohibited from use. It is a special attraction contest where both men will try to submit one another with no points, rounds, or breaks in between. The only way to win is by submission. In the event that no clear winner is reached via submission or referee stoppage, the bout will be declared a draw.
Aoki is no stranger to this match format, as he participated in the first iteration of this exhibition contest at ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES in May 2017 opposite American grappling superstar Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon. This time, Asian legend Aoki is taking on Gafurov, a fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and one of the most feared submission grapplers in Europe. This should be another captivating ground showdown, to say the least.
#3 An Exciting ONE Flyweight World Title Eliminator
Over the past couple of years, 31-year-old Stefer Rahardian has emerged as the top martial arts talent from Indonesia. He has amassed an unblemished 7-0 professional record, with three of his victories inside the ONE cage coming by submission. In each of his triumphs, Rahardian has displayed an impressive high-level skill set, and a tremendous will to win.
In the co-main event of ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE, Rahardian will take on Pakistan’s Muhammad “The Spider” Imran in an official title eliminator for the ONE Flyweight World Championship.
While reigning titleholder Adriano Moraes is away from competition, Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio and Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov are scheduled to battle for the ONE Interim Flyweight World Title at ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES on Friday, 26 January in Manila, Philippines.
The winner of the Rahardian-Imran bout will be one step closer to facing the either Moraes or the interim titleholder later this year. There is certainly a lot at stake here for both Rahardian and Imran, who have the chance to really catapult their careers with a shot at gold.
#4 A Showcase Of Indonesia’s Budding Local Talent
As is always the case, ONE continues to feature local, homegrown martial arts talents, and Indonesia definitely has some of the most promising young athletes ready to make a splash in the promotion.
Veterans Sunoto and Yohan Mulia “The Iceman” Legowo are set to see action. While “The Terminator” will be taking on Cambodia’s Rin Saroth, an incredibly experienced kun khmer practitioner who specializes in striking, Legowo will go head-to-head with undefeated fellow countryman Victorio Senduk in a featherweight battle.
Another local match-up will take place between Riski Umar and Arnol Batubara, both of whom look to further their martial arts careers in what should be an exciting, all-action encounter. And lastly, local favorite Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol returns to the ONE cage to face Malaysia’s Audreylaura “Ice Comet” Boniface.
Indonesia has undoubtedly produced some of Asia’s premier martial artists, and the next crop of superstars are just waiting for the opportunity to showcase their skills.
