5 Burning Questions For ONE On Prime Video 2: Xiong Vs. Lee III
ONE on Prime Video 2: Xiong vs. Lee III is packed with intrigue from top to bottom.
With three World Title fights across three different sports and some of ONE’s biggest names set to compete, there are plenty of storylines to follow ahead of the action in U.S. primetime this Friday, September 30.
Here, we’ve highlighted some of the biggest questions for the stacked card at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
#1 Which Reigning World Champion Wins The Trilogy?
Xiong Jing Nan and Angela Lee will headline the card with a highly anticipated rubber match, as atomweight queen Lee moves up in weight to challenge for the ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title.
“Unstoppable” came up short in her first attempt at taking Xiong’s gold, but she rebounded to defeat the Chinese slugger in their World Title rematch at atomweight.
Now the pair are tied 1-1 and have spent 10 rounds locked inside the Circle together. There’s nothing to split them – with each athlete claiming a fifth-round stoppage victory – so who will enter with the edge?
In March, Lee returned from a lengthy layoff to earn a stunning submission victory over Stamp Fairtex at ONE X. Meanwhile, “The Panda” has been more active, taking out three top contenders while Lee was out of action to care for her newborn daughter.
Will Xiong’s power be the decider again, or will Lee’s grappling get the job done? Could it come down to who is the most well-rounded? There are so many questions, but only their third meeting will reveal the answers.
#2 Can Ozcan Overcome The Odds Against Superbon?
Superbon Singha Mawynn was scheduled to defend his ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title against World Grand Prix Champion Chingiz Allazov, but the latter was forced to withdraw due to injury.
As a result, #5-ranked Tayfun Ozcan has stepped up to the plate and plans to make the most of his massive opportunity. Still, is it possible to dethrone the dominant king with so little time to prepare?
Fortunately for “Turbine,” he was already training for a bout with Marat Grigorian on the same card. That means he’ll be physically ready, but he will need to quickly adjust his game plan and adapt to Superbon’s style.
Top strikers Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong, Giorgio Petrosyan, and Grigorian have already failed to topple the Thai superstar in ONE Championship, but Ozcan is not fazed and believes he can stop the unstoppable.
With his high-volume style and intensity, “Turbine” could try to overwhelm Superbon with pressure. He also has nothing to lose, so it’ll be interesting to see how the late-notice challenger approaches the biggest match of his career to date.
#3 Who Makes History As ONE’s First Submission Grappling King?
After ONE Championship reintroduced submission grappling bouts earlier this year, the promotion’s first World Championship belt in the sport will be up for grabs on Friday.
Mikey Musumeci and Cleber Sousa will square off for the inaugural ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title, and each man will be eager to etch their name into the history books.
Interestingly, it’s another rubber match, with the two elite athletes splitting a pair of battles under BJJ rules back in 2017.
The situation will be a little bit different this time – with points and kimonos not part of ONE’s submission grappling rule set – but both men have a good idea of what to expect from their opponent.
Still, things move fast in the grappling world, and both competitors have risen to the top in no-gi competition by diversifying their skill sets, so fans will be treated to an all-new battle for the gold.
#4 Can These Top Contenders Earn World Title Shots?
Along with the three World Title fights, a slew of top contenders are gunning for their chance to compete for gold again.
Former two-division ONE World Champion Martin Nguyen wants to notch his second straight victory against another promotional newcomer in Ilya Freymanov, and with his #3 ranking in the featherweight MMA division, a victory could put him right back in the mix.
Meanwhile, both Stamp Fairtex and Marat Grigorian challenged for World Titles in their last outings but came up short against Angela Lee and Superbon, respectively.
Despite those setbacks, Stamp still holds the #1 ranking in the women’s atomweight division, and Grigorian is the #2 featherweight kickboxer.
A win over #5-ranked contender Jihin Radzuan would be massive for Stamp, while Grigorian has to navigate past a late switch of opponent when he faces #3-ranked featherweight Muay Thai contender Jamal Yusupov.
#5 How Will These Exciting Debutants Fare?
There will be some intriguing new faces on the scene at ONE on Prime Video 2, with debuts for Freymanov, Halil Amir, Oh Ho Taek, and Dangkongfah Banchamek.
Freymanov’s MMA bout against Nguyen could propel him right into the featherweight upper echelon, while 7-0 Amir has a similar type of opportunity against #3-ranked lightweight Timofey Nastyukhin.
Oh is entering the promotion with a six-fight winning streak, which includes five finishes, and he’ll face Japanese veteran Ryogo Takahashi in a tough first outing.
Finally, Dangkongfah is the first ONE athlete to represent the famous Banchamek Gym – home to Muay Thai icon Buakaw – and she also owns a win over reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues.
With that type of resume, perhaps Dangkongfah can spring an upset over kickboxing icon Anissa Meksen in their showdown under Muay Thai rules.
