5 Things That Make ONE’s Macau Shows Unforgettable

When ONE Championship comes to Macau, incredible memories are created. 

After unforgettable events in 2016 and 2017, the martial arts promotion will hold its third show in the Asian metropolis. On Saturday, 23 June, ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER will broadcast live from the Studio City Event Center.

There has always been something extra special about Macau. In a place that is renowned for being one of the world’s greatest entertainment hubs, the dazzling highlights and career-defining moments that have taken place there have been fitting.

History has been made, records have been broken, and careers have been ignited. The forthcoming card promises even more excitement in the same vein.

Here are five facts you may not have known that have defined ONE’s Macau spectaculars so far.

#1 Adriano Moraes’ Golden Touch

Every time Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes has visited Macau, he has won World Championship gold.

The Brazilian headlined ONE: HEROES OF THE WORLD in August 2016 and defeated Tilek Batyrov for the ONE Interim Flyweight World Championship with a rear-naked choke to cap a brilliant performance.

He returned to the Cotai Arena one year later for a rematch with then-ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov — the man who defeated him for the belt in November 2015 via split decision — at ONE: KINGS & CONQUERORS.

This time, the Brazilian put on the performance of his career to defeat the Kazakhstani in a five-round affair. He won via unanimous decision to became the undisputed ONE Flyweight World Champion.

On 23 June, the reigning ONE Flyweight World Champion goes for the hat trick at ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER, when he meets ONE Interim Flyweight World Champion Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio in a World Title unification bout.

#2 You Can Count On Knockouts And Submissions

History shows that most ONE bouts contested in Macau come to an end via spectacular stoppage.

Of the 21 matches the promotion has presented in the cage, a whopping 62 percent have ended before the judges were required. Eight came to a conclusion via submission, with referees stopping another five due to knockout.

Given the number of world-class strikers and grapplers that are set to compete at the Studio City Event Center on 23 June, it would not be difficult to imagine that trend continuing.

#3 Shannon Wiratchai Sets The Standard

Shannon “OneShin” Wiratchai owns a record that could be difficult to break – even for some of the amazing athletes scheduled to compete at ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER.

The Thai superstar recorded the fastest stoppage in Macau thanks to his electrifying efforts at ONE: KINGS & CONQUERORS, stopping Rajinder Singh Meena with a knee from the clinch after 29 seconds to continue his ascension up the lightweight ranks.

There are 22 martial arts heroes who will have their sights set on scoring an even quicker victory this month, including two more Muay Thai heroes making their ONE Super Series debuts.

Both Lerdsila Phuket Top Team and Petchmorrakot Wor. Sangprapai possess incredible striking skills, but they will have their work cut out against Sok Thy and Fabrice Delannon, respectively.

#4 World Title Records Are Broken

At ONE: KINGS & CONQUERORS, Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes set a record to add to his long list of career accomplishments.

The Brazilian submitted Bali MMA’s Andrew Leone in just one minute and 47 seconds to record the fastest victory in a ONE Bantamweight World Championship bout, extending his record for most title bouts (eight), most title defenses (seven), and most title wins (eight) across every weight class. He upped those numbers in March with a split-decision victory over Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen at ONE: IRON WILL.

ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER boasts two World Title bouts with the potential to create new entries in the record books. Joining Moraes and Eustaquio’s five-round encounter will be  “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan going up against Laura “La Gladiadora” Balin for the ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title in the co-main event.

#5 A Destination For Memorable ONE Debuts

Some of the brightest talents on the ONE roster have broken out on the global stage in Macau.

The first time the promotion landed on these shores for ONE: HEROES OF THE WORLD, Brazilian knockout artist Istela Nunes entered the ONE cage for the first time and immediately established herself as a top contender with a victory over Mei “V.V.” Yamaguchi.

Nunes edged out the Japanese warrior via split decision, and went on to challenge ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee for the title in her next bout.

The following year, at ONE: KINGS & CONQUERORS, Japanese strawweight Hayato Suzuki exploded onto the strawweight scene by making quick work of Filipino superstar Joshua Pacio. At the same event, unbeaten Filipina Jomary Torres stopped the meteoric rise of Thai starlet Rika Ishige in her first ONE bout, and she has since gone on to become one of the fastest-rising talents in the ONE women’s strawweight division.

At ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER, victories for Laura Balin and Rodian Menchavez against ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion Xiong Jing Nan and Chinese featherweight contender Li Kai Wen, respectively, would surely rank among the most memorable debuts in ONE history.