5 Burning Questions Ahead Of ONE Fight Night 16: Haggerty Vs. Andrade On Prime Video
ONE Fight Night 16: Haggerty vs. Andrade on Prime Video is packed with epic matchups from top to bottom.
A pair of World Title contests will headline the bill in U.S. primetime this Friday, November 3, and the supporting card is brimming with top contenders eager to make big impacts on their respective divisions.
Every bout brings its own intrigue, and it’s impossible to predict what the landscape will look like when the curtain closes on another lineup of martial arts at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
With that in mind, here are five burning questions that will be answered when the action gets underway.
#1 Can Andrade Take Out A Pure Striker To Claim Gold?
Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade has already proven his striking prowess in mixed martial arts, winning the ONE Bantamweight MMA World Title with a series of stunning knockouts. He’s also no stranger to the world of kickboxing, boasting a 40-3 record in professional stand-up bouts.
However, the Brazilian has split his training between a variety of different disciplines since moving full-time to MMA in 2019, while his upcoming rival, Jonathan “The General” Haggerty, has focused solely on his striking skills.
The ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion is a slick stylist with some deadly weapons in his arsenal – all of which have been battle-tested against top opponents in “the art of eight limbs.”
So, while Haggerty must adapt to the new rule set, it’s not as drastic as the changes for Andrade, who has a one-track mind for the first time in four years.
“Wonder Boy” is confident it won’t be a problem – and he’s backed up all of his talk to date. If he does defeat Haggerty to become a two-sport king, he’ll prove himself as one of the best pound-for-pound strikers on the planet.
#2 Will We See ONE’s Second Sibling World Champions?
Tye Ruotolo will face Magomed Abdulkadirov for the inaugural ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Title this Friday, and a victory would put him in an elite group of sibling competitors in the organization.
Ruotolo’s twin – Kade Ruotolo – is already the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion, and his brother is hoping to join him with a belt of his own.
If Tye defeats his Russian foe in Bangkok, the Ruotolos would become just the second sibling World Champions in ONE history, joining the recently retired “Unstoppable” Angela Lee and current two-division ONE World Champion Christian “The Warrior” Lee.
It’s not a given for the 20-year-old American, as Abdulkadirov is a formidable submission specialist, but nobody has been able to stop either Ruotolo brother in ONE yet.
#3 Will A Pair Of Chinese Contenders Earn World Title Shots?
Chinese competitors “Fighting Rooster” Zhang Peimian and Meng Bo both have crucial battles in the strawweight kickboxing and MMA divisions, respectively.
Former ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title challenger Zhang went the distance in a close match with current kingpin Jonathan Di Bella, only falling short due to a last-minute knockdown.
“Fighting Rooster” is eager to face the Italian-Canadian again, and he could make a strong case with a dominant victory over Portuguese veteran Rui Botelho.
Meanwhile, Meng looks reinvigorated since a move up from atomweight. The knockout artist has now scored a pair of impressive wins ahead of her encounter with Ayaka “Zombie” Miura this Friday.
Japanese submission specialist Miura went the distance with “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan for the ONE Women’s Strawweight MMA World Title last year, and if Meng can drop some of her trademark bombs this week, she could put herself next in line for the divisional queen.
#4 Will A New Heavyweight MMA Star Emerge?
There are plenty of exciting athletes in ONE’s heavyweight MMA ranks, but a newcomer could leave an immediate mark in his debut this Friday.
Ben “Vanilla Thunder” Tynan is a high-level wrestler with an unbeaten slate so far in his amateur and professional MMA appearances.
The Canadian rising star has all the tools to pose a threat to the division’s top order, and if he can get past “Mighty Warrior” Kang Ji Won, those top dogs will have to take him extremely seriously.
On the other side, Kang is 3-1 in ONE with all of his victories coming by first-round knockout, meaning he’s a big step up for “Vanilla Thunder.”
The South Korean has a solid reputation among his peers – including ONE Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion Anatoly Malykhin – so he’d also be a huge scalp for Tynan.
After watching Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida defeat “Mighty Warrior” by submission, Tynan might see his best route to victory on the canvas – if he can get past Kang’s concussive punches.
#5 Can Lito Adiwang Get His Long-Awaited Revenge?
There is a big rematch on the card in Bangkok, and one man is eager for redemption.
That man is Filipino MMA star Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang, who will meet compatriot Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado in a high-stakes rematch of their 2022 clash that ended with a serious knee injury.
Adiwang spent 18 long months on the sidelines after tearing his ACL and losing by TKO against Miado, but it was always unfinished business between them.
“Thunder Kid” finally returned in September and blitzed his way past Adrian Mattheis in the first round. Now, he wants to make things right against “The Jaguar” and get back into the strawweight MMA top five.
It won’t be easy for Adiwang against a high-level adversary, but he’s grown hungrier through his setback and desperately wants to level the score.
