5 Breakout Stars Who Took Giant Strides In 2024
The best martial artists in the world can be found in ONE Championship’s talent-laden roster across multiple disciplines.
In fact, in 2024 several outstanding athletes made the leap from promising prodigies to certified contenders in their respective divisions. Some even realized their dreams of capturing 26 pounds of gold.
That said, let’s look at five of the biggest breakout stars in ONE Championship this past year.
#1 “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane
“Reug Reug” Oumar Kane brought pride and honor to his home country of Senegal in 2024 after doing the unthinkable.
The 32-year-old behemoth fearlessly entered the biggest fight of his career against a seemingly indestructible force of nature.
“Reug Reug” challenged then-reigning three division ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin for the heavyweight crown at ONE 169 in November. Despite facing a Russian juggernaut who previously showed no holes in his game, the Senegalese monster became the first man to score a takedown against Malykhin.
In fact, Kane pushed the pace for five full rounds and absorbed Malykhin’s best shots to become the new ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion.
After receiving a fitting hero’s welcome in Senegal, a reinvigorated “Reug Reug” will look to accomplish grander things in 2025.
#2 Nabil Anane
Nabil Anane proved that he was ready for the big boys in 2024 while going undefeated this calendar year.
The towering Algerian-Thai phenom went 3-0 in ONE, scoring massive victories against top-notch competition in the stacked bantamweight Muay Thai division.
Anane began his rampage with a spectacular delivery against feared knockout artist Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai at ONE Friday Fights 69. The 20-year-old then broke into the top-five rankings when he took out former ONE World Title challenger Felipe Lobo with ease at ONE Fight Night 24.
Finally, he followed that up with another striking clinic against dangerous foe Soe Lin Oo at ONE Friday Fights 81.
Now riding the momentum of five straight wins, Anane could be next in line for a shot at 26 pounds of gold if he gets past #3-ranked Kiamran Nabati at ONE 170 in the promotion’s return to Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on January 24.
#3 Johan Estupinan
Johan Estupinan may be the most entertaining recent entry into ONE.
The 22-year-old hotshot radiates an absurd amount of energy each time he steps into the ring, backed by a wild yet refined striking arsenal.
“Panda Kick” proved all the hype surrounding him was real by scoring an emphatic 27-second knockout win over Kouta Omori at ONE Friday Fights 64.
The undefeated prospect from Columbia then brought his act to the big show at ONE 167, where he showcased his versatility in a unanimous decision win over Turkey’s Zafer Sayik.
Not long after, Estupinan collected back-to-back $50,000 performance bonuses in his electric finishes of Sean Climaco at ONE 168: Denver and Zakaria El Jamari at ONE Fight Night 25.
The JCFernandez and Team CSK affiliate will look to extend his pristine 26-0 record when he clashes with fellow rising star Johan Ghazali at ONE 170.
#4 Adrian Lee
Adrian “The Phenom” Lee wasn’t fazed the least bit by the pressure to live up to his family’s prestigious name in his highly anticipated professional debut at ONE 167.
Much like his nickname suggests, “The Phenom” rose to the occasion and displayed an eerily similar skill set to his MMA World Champion siblings — now-retired former atomweight queen Angela Lee and current two-division king Christian Lee — in his one-sided showing against Antonio Mammarella.
After demolishing the Australian in both striking and grappling exchanges, Lee finished him in round two with a slick rear-naked choke.
Lee then put the entire lightweight MMA division on notice when he needed less than a round to choke out Nico Cornejo in his sophomore outing. In fact, the Evolve MMA and Prodigy Training Center standout displayed a flawless performance in front of American fans at the sold-out ONE 168: Denver.
Needless to say, the sky’s the limit for the 18-year-old wunderkind after his stellar 2-0 start under the ONE banner.
#5 Alexis Nicolas
Alexis “Barboza” Nicolas shocked the world and became a household name in 2024 after defeating a man who hadn’t lost in eight years and capturing the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Championship.
To begin the year, the once unheralded gem made the most of his opportunity on the global stage by dismantling Magomed Magomedov at ONE Friday Fights 47.
His performance was so good that it earned the French slugger an immediate World Title shot against Regian Eersel at ONE Fight Night 21.
At the time, “The Immortal” was unbeaten for eight straight years, boasted a ridiculous 22-fight winning streak with a pristine 10-0 record in the promotion, and held both the ONE Lightweight Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Titles.
But Nicolas took away Eersel’s cloak of invincibility when he scored a knockdown in round two. The Mahmoudi Gym representative kept the pressure going up until the final horn to do the unthinkable — dethrone the Surinamese superstar and become the new ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Champion.
Given the close nature of the first bout, the pair of world-class gladiators ran it back at ONE Fight Night 25. This time, though, Eersel got his revenge and reclaimed the 26 pounds of gold via unanimous decision.
With their rivalry tied at one win apiece, a trilogy between Nicolas and Eersel is certainly inevitable.
