5 Huge KOs From Our Heroes With VISIONS OF VICTORY

For five of ONE Championship’s world-class athletes, they could envision getting another highlight reel knockout this coming Friday.

On March 9, the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will host ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY. The main event features hometown hero Gianni Subba squaring off against Reece “Lightning” McLaren, with the winner moving on to challenge for the ONE Flyweight World Championship in the future.

In addition to that, the card is stacked with nine more enticing bouts, many of which feature world-class knockout artists. Here are just five examples of their handiwork.

Christian Lee’s Record-Tying Knockout

Last December, Christian “The Warrior” Lee registered a huge win, and tied a promotional record in the process. The 19-year-old Singaporean met former ONE Lightweight World Champion Kotetsu “No Face” Boku in a battle between two of the featherweight division’s top contenders.

Both combatants knew that the other was looking for a finish, as they regarded each other with great caution to start the contest. Despite getting controlled on the ground by Lee twice, the Japanese veteran champion was able to get back to his feet and put pressure on his Singaporean rival.

“The Warrior” was tactical in his defense though, as he measured Boku with kicks, before diving in to execute a thunderous suplex that left “No Face” stunned. The referee had to jump in to stop the contest, awarding Lee with his eighth stoppage victory, which tied Amir Khan’s record for most finishes in ONE history.

Lee can break that record by finishing Kazunori Yokota at ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY.

Ma Jia Wen Freezes “The Iceman”

In March 2017, “Cannon” Ma Jia Wen was up against an aggressive veteran, as Indonesia’s Yohan “The Iceman” Mulia Legowo looked to get back on the winning track at ONE: WARRIOR KINGDOM. Neither competitor ever had a bout that went the distance, and this match-up looked to be no different. 

While Ma had a strong wrestling background, it was his strikes that gave him the advantage in the first round. Legowo kept challenging Ma to take a shot, and the 21-year-old Chinese athlete obliged. “Cannon” dealt a lot of damage early in the opening frame, but the Indonesian striker would even the odds later in the stanza by controlling his opponent on the ground.

However, in the second round, Ma returned to form. He showered Legowo with pinpoint punches and elbows, which had the Indonesian reeling. The referee decided to stop the contest to prevent further damage.

The Chinese hero meets Pakistan’s Ahmed “Wolverine” Mujtaba in Malaysia.

Danny Kingad’s Rapid-Fire Ground and Pound

The Philippines’ Danny “The King” Kingad made his promotional debut at ONE: GLOBAL RIVALS in front of a home Manila crowd back in April 2016. He opened the event with fellow debutant Muhamad Haidar.

Haidar, the larger competitor, used his length to maintain distance from the 22-year-old Kingad. But once “The King” went on the offensive, there was very little the Malaysian could do. The Team Lakay wushu warrior charged at Haidar, slammed him twice to the ground in spectacular fashion, and then maintained top position despite his rival’s best efforts to fend him off.

Kingad overpowered the Malaysian to gain the full mount position, where he dropped lightning-quick punches that eventually broke Haidar’s guard. The referee stopped the contest after seeing Haidar could no longer intelligently defend himself, giving the young Filipino the victory.

It would be the first of three impressive victories that earned him a shot at the ONE Flyweight World Title nearly a year and a half later. Though he came up short in his title challenge last November, Kingad plans to rebound against Sotir “The Trouble” Kichukov on Friday.

The Devastating Knee of Luis Santos

After competing in promotions around the globe in an incredible 75-bout career, Brazil’s Luis “Sapo” Santos brought his talents to Asia, and made his promotional debut at ONE: BATTLE OF LIONS in November 2014. In the opposing corner was Bakhtiyar Abbasov, an Azerbaijan native who competed across the globe too.

Still, it was the 36-year-old Brazilian’s wealth of skills that served to be the difference-maker in this contest. Abbasov looked to take control early, lunging for a takedown on Santos relatively quickly. It backfired, however, as it was “Sapo” who took advantage. He took the Azerbaijan competitor’s back on the ground, and then landed crushing knees when they got back to their feet.

Abbasov regrouped and created distance, but Santos drove another huge knee to his rival’s midsection, which sent him crashing to the cage floor. He signaled to the referee before the Brazilian could follow up, putting a stop to the contest barely a minute into the first round.

Now, Santos is preparing for a debuting Abbasov of a different kind. He draws Kiamrian Abbasov at ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY.

Riski Umar Stops The Boxer Egi Rozten

Indonesia’s Riski “King Kong” Umar may be new to the cage, but he has made a strong impression in a short amount of time. He has excited fans with his engaging style and striking finesse, and opened up ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES with regional boxing champion Egi Rotzen.

Neither man backed down from the very beginning. Rotzen, the promotional debutant, impressed with his tenacity and his boxing flair by tagging “King Kong” with a melee of wild punches. The 25-year-old Umar, however, was more effective with his stand-up, as he mixed punches, knees, and kicks to great success.

In fact, everything unraveled for Rotzen once Umar threw a knee to his midsection. The boxing champion dropped to the ground, and “King Kong” swarmed with ground and pound, which prompted the referee to stop the bout.

Unbeaten, Umar looks to establish a three-bout win streak in Malaysia. He draws Cambodia’s Khon Sichan next.