5 Reasons To Watch ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II Live On August 26
This Friday, August 26, ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II will kick off a doubleheader of martial arts action at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The event is headlined by a pair of intriguing ONE World Title fights and features six other battles spanning MMA, Muay Thai, and submission grappling.
Before the action begins on Friday morning in North America – with ONE on Prime Video 1: Moraes vs. Johnson II airing later in primetime – here are five reasons to watch ONE 160.
A Heated Grudge Match To Crown The Lightweight King
Ever since Ok Rae Yoon dethroned Christian “The Warrior” Lee to claim the ONE Lightweight World Title last year, there’s been some debate about whether he truly deserved the unanimous decision win.
And come Friday night, the elite mixed martial artists will settle their beef in a massive main event rematch.
After protesting the result of their first fight, Lee is more motivated than ever to take back the belt he held for so long. Ok, however, wants to upset the Singaporean-American once again and keep the gold in South Korea.
These athletes are approaching this matchup with very different mindsets, as Lee is aiming for a quick finish and Ok is planning to make his rival suffer across five rounds.
But while their styles are different, both men want to make a powerful statement that leaves no doubt about the rightful ONE Lightweight World Champion.
A World Title Thriller Between Knockout Artists
The co-main event of ONE 160 will be a fiery scrap between two elite finishers – ONE Featherweight World Champion Thanh Le and #1-ranked contender Tang Kai.
These competitors have each recorded 12 knockout wins during their professional MMA careers, and they are both red-hot at the moment.
In fact, Le will enter this matchup with five consecutive finishes in ONE, while Tang scored three straight to earn this World Title shot. With that in mind, it’s almost guaranteed that this fight will end before the 25-minute mark.
When it comes to the result, that all depends on who lands the walloping shot first, and fans should prepare for an absolute barnburner to decide the featherweight king.
Panpayak’s Refined Skill Set
Before the main events get underway, #3-ranked contender “The Angel Warrior” Panpayak Jitmuangnon will meet Sherzod “Lion” Kabutov in a ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix alternate bout.
Panpayak is already a seven-time Muay Thai World Champion, but this will be his first appearance since joining Evolve MMA in Singapore.
Fans can expect the Thai star to showcase some new tricks, especially now that he’s training alongside legendary ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao.
A win from either Panpayak or Kabutov will keep their hopes of sliding into the Grand Prix alive. With so much on the line, expect both flyweights to fight ferociously.
Rittewada Looks To Steal Top Spot From Saemapetch
In November, ONE newcomer Rittewada Petchyindee broke into the top-five bantamweight Muay Thai rankings with a second-round TKO victory over #1-ranked Saemapetch Fairtex.
And at ONE 160, the newly ranked #2 contender will try to prove that his elbow win over Saemapetch was no fluke – while also snatching his fellow Thai’s #1 spot.
If Rittewada can take that top ranking, he might also get the next shot at the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title, which will be contested between reigning king Nong-O and British superstar Liam “Hitman” Harrison at ONE on Prime Video 1 later on Friday in U.S. primetime.
On the other side, Saemapetch desperately hopes to avenge his loss to Nong-O. If he can settle the score with Rittewada and stay at #1, perhaps he can ultimately capture the belt that’s eluded him since joining ONE in 2018.
Expect both bantamweights to bring the fire in their pivotal rematch.
Khan Looks To Make A Run At Featherweight
Amir Khan experienced an up-and-down journey through ONE’s lightweight division, and although he faced top-ranked contenders and even challenged for the World Title in 2018, he was never able to claim gold in the weight class.
However, the Singaporean veteran actually started his ONE tenure at featherweight and achieved success with some impressive knockouts.
Now that he’s back in the division and fresh off a victory over Ryogo Takahashi, perhaps #5-ranked Khan could make a run toward the upper echelon if he gets past Malaysian grappler Keanu Subba on Friday.
