5 Lessons We Learned From ONE: MASTERS OF FATE

There were a lot of questions heading into ONE: MASTERS OF FATE as fans looked forward to some genuine pick-em bouts between some of the best martial artists on the planet.

Now that the stacked, 13-bout card has come to a conclusion, the winners of the Muay Thai and mixed martial arts contests have proved their superiority over their rivals, and taught combat aficionados a lot more about their skills.

These are the biggest lessons we took away from the Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, on Friday, 8 November.

#1 Pacio Will Be Difficult To Dethrone

Joshua “The Passion” Pacio showed that he will be a tough nut to crack as he made the first defense of his ONE Strawweight World Title.

The Filipino hero was put in real danger when Rene “The Challenger” Catalan threatened him with a leg lock in round one, but he never stopped scrambling to survive and break free from the submission.

When he was clear from danger, the Team Lakay man took control of the contest, and sealed victory with a tight arm-triangle choke that his opponent had no chance of escaping from.

Still just 23, “The Passion” is the world’s undisputed number one and he shows improvement in every match. Even when he has suffered setbacks against the likes of Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito and Yosuke “The Ninja” Saruta in the past, he has rebounded by defeating them comprehensively in rematches.

Now that he has beaten the man who had the longest winning streak in the weight class, it is difficult to see who can halt his momentum.

Read more: Joshua Pacio Finishes Rene Catalan, Retains ONE Strawweight World Title

#2 Eustaquio Is The Undisputed “Rematch King”

On three previous occasions before Friday night, Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio redeemed himself when he met his former conquerors. At ONE: MASTERS OF FATE, he added another entry to this remarkable record.

After disappointing results against Anatpong “Mak Mak” Bunrad, Kairat “Kazakh” Akhmetov, and Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes, the Baguio City native learned from his mistakes and reassessed his approach to triumph when he faced them again. Now he has done the same against Toni “Dynamite” Tauru.

Just like their first encounter three years ago, the Finnish athlete went for a first-round rear-naked choke, but this time, his Filipino rival found a way to survive, escape into the second round, and apply a winning strategy.

Ahead of the bout, Eustaquio said he wanted to confirm his status as ONE’s “Rematch King,” and he succeeded. Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu – the last man to defeat “Gravity” – might want to give him a wide berth.

Read more: Geje Eustaquio Spins To Win With Stunning Third-Round KO

#3 Stamp’s Striking Is Levels Above For Mixed Martial Arts

As the ONE Atomweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion, it should have come as no surprise that Stamp Fairtex was able to outstrike Bi “Killer Bee” Nguyen.

However, the ease with which she controlled the action on the feet in her third mixed martial arts bout – against a woman whose stand-up skills are renowned in the division – was breathtaking.

She glided out of reach when the Vietnamese-American charged forward and maintained her mastery of range to land punches and kicks while staying well clear of danger.

Worryingly for her rivals who might see a way to victory on the ground, the Thai superstar showed strong hips to stay on her feet throughout the match, and then brought her knees in the clinch into play to make her rival pay for her failure to put her on her back.

As Stamp continues to improve, it seems like it will take someone with exceptional takedown ability to stop her because no one in her weight class is likely to have the striking game to match her.

Read more: Stamp Fairtex Dominates Bi Nguyen With Striking Clinic

#4 Aggression No Match For Perfect Technique

China‘s Han Zi Hao has enjoyed a ton of ONE Super Series success by attacking his opponents with full force in pursuit of a knockout.

However, against a crafty veteran like “Left Savage” Kongsak PK.Saenchaimuaythaigym, that approach did not cut it, as the three-time Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai World Champion used finesse to outpoint his young rival.

Despite the firepower that came his way, the man from Bangkok stayed composed throughout, and though he had a simple game plan, he executed it perfectly to claim a unanimous decision.

There was nothing fancy about Kongsak’s strategy of repeatedly throwing his left cross and left roundhouse kick, but he unleashed them with such perfect timing, accuracy, and power, Han had no answer.

Read more: Kongsak Puts On Muay Thai Clinic

#5 India Has Another Potential Superstar In The Making

Millions of Indian eyes will be focused on the mixed martial arts debut of wrestling phenom Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat next week at ONE: AGE OF DRAGONS, but she is not the country’s only emerging talent.

Those who tuned in to the action in Manila from the start of the show saw another grappler who promises to do great things on the global stage.

Four-time Delhi state wrestling champion Roshan Mainam honed his abilities at the famous Guru Hanuman Akhara wrestling camp before he experimented with other disciplines to begin his mixed martial arts career. Now, he is perfecting everything he has learned, and more, with the stacked team of World Champions at Evolve in Singapore.

The 23-year-old gave fans a taste of his strength and skill by claiming his first win in the Circle in little more than three minutes as he took down Khon Sichan and forced him to tap to an Americana.

That kept his 100-percent finishing rate intact and should fill him with confidence ahead of the next steps in his career. As he continues to work with his elite coaches and training partners, there should be a lot more to come from the Thoubal native.

Read more: Mainam Makes Flawless ONE Debut