5 Reasons Why You Can’t Miss ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD
ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD is stacked to bursting point with some of the planet’s best competitors, and many of them will take part in unmissable bouts.
All the action will go down this Friday, 16 August in a mecca for martial arts – Bangkok, Thailand – where one of the most passionate crowds in the world will create an incredible atmosphere as The Home Of Martial Arts’ heroes chase greatness.
Here are five key reasons why you simply cannot miss the action from the Impact Arena.
#1 Home-Grown World Champion Vs. Elite Challenger
ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion “The Baby Shark” Petchdam Petchyindee Academy returns to action in the night’s main event to defend his ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title for the first time.
He will take on six-time kickboxing World Champion Ilias Ennahachi in a battle between two of the world’s best young strikers.
Petchdam loves nothing more than to thrill the crowd. His walkouts have the crowd on their feet before he even sets foot inside the Circle, but when he actually competes, his style brings more excitement than almost anyone else in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
His brand of Muay Thai-inspired kickboxing has seen him capture the belt, but now he will face his stiffest test yet in his new sport.
The Dutch-Moroccan challenger he will meet has won 34 professional matches in his career against just three defeats, and he is confident he can add the seventh – and most prestigious – belt to his trophy cabinet in his ONE Super Series debut.
#2 A Pair Of World Grand Prix Grand Prix Semifinals
ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD will host the bouts the world has been waiting for – both semifinals of the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix.
Two finalists will emerge from the most talent-stacked bracket the sport has ever seen, and if the action is even half as thrilling as the first round of contests, no fan will be disappointed.
The first semifinal will see French star Samy “AK47” Sana – who spectacularly ousted Thai legend Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex from the tournament – take on hard-hitting Russian contender Dzhabar “Genghis Khan” Askerov.
Pre-tournament favorite Giorgio “The Doctor” Petrosyan will star in the other contest in a rematch with Thai hero “Smokin” Jo Nattawut, who is sure to have the whole of the Impact Arena on his side.
#3 Stamp Fairtex Returns To Mixed Martial Arts
Thai superstar Stamp Fairtex is already a history-maker in ONE Championship.
The 21-year-old looked set to break out in ONE’s women’s atomweight division thanks to a head-kick KO in her mixed martial arts debut in Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series (OWS), but she was then recruited to star as a ONE Super Series athlete.
She then captured the ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Championship belts to become the first two-sport World Champion in the organization.
Stamp now plans to return to mixed martial arts to chase a third belt, but she could not have been matched against a more dangerous opponent.
Like her upcoming opponent, India’s Asha “Knockout Queen” Roka won her debut contest in the opening seconds, and she has since scored three more victories inside the first round.
Now, the national boxing champion will put the power in her hands to the test in as she attempts to spoil the party for Stamp in her homeland.
#4 A Quartet Of Muay Thai Bouts In The Sport’s Birthplace
There could not be a big ONE event in the home of “the art of eight limbs” without a host of ONE Super Series match-ups, and the matchmakers have not disappointed.
Four Muay Thai bouts are set to appear on the card, featuring a quartet of iconic athletes from “The Land Of Smiles” against dangerous international opponents.
On the main card, multiple-time Muay Thai World Champion “Elbow Zombie” Muangthai PK. Saenchaimuaythaigym returns to action against WBC Muay Thai Japan Champion Kenta Yamada in a potentially-explosive bantamweight showdown.
The preliminary card will be headlined by a spectacular encounter as Thailand-based Cypriot star and WMC Muay Thai World Champion Savvas “The Baby Face Killer” Michael takes on three-division Rajadamnern Stadium World Champion Lerdsila Phuket Top Team in the flyweight division.
Earlier on, Bangpleenoi Petchyindee Acadamy will return against the United Kingdom’s Liam Nolan in a 72-kilogram catch weight contest, while all-action Russian three-time IFMA World Champion Alaverdi “Babyface Killer” Ramazanov will meet three-time World Champion Ognjen Topic in a bantamweight bout that could set the tone for a spectacular night of action.
#5 One Of Warrior Series’ Hottest Stars Makes His ONE Debut
While ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD plays host to a plethora of World Champion athletes, it could also see the breakout moment for a brand new star.
Japanese grappling sensation Ryuto “Dragon Boy” Sawada turned heads with two lightning-quick submissions in OWS, and now he will make his debut on the main ONE roster.
However, if he wants to make a big first impression, he will have to take out Indonesia’s Aziz “The Krauser” Calim, who showed how dangerous he can be when he snatched a first-round tapout of his own in January.
