9 Fantastic Finishes From The Warriors Of ONE: HERO’S DREAM

On Friday, 3 November, ONE Championship is bringing something special to Yangon, Myanmar. The organization will hold its next blockbuster event, ONE: HERO’S DREAM, live from the golden city’s Thuwunna Indoor Stadium.

It will see Myanmar’s favorite son and ONE Middleweight World Champion, Aung La N Sang, battle four-time Muay Thai and kickboxing heavyweight world champion Alain “The Panther” Ngalani in the promotion’s first-ever Open Weight Super Bout.

That is not all. The rest of the card is full of talent who are looking to take the next step in their respective martial arts journeys and evolve in their athletic careers. Here are nine of the most explosive finishes from the warriors competing at ONE: HERO’S DREAM.

Aung La N Sang’s Homecoming Submission 

Following a glorious promotional debut where he knocked out Mahmoud Salama, Aung La N Sang (20-10, 1 NC) returned home to Yangon, Myanmar, for the first time in 13 years since leaving to study Agriculture Science in the United States.

There, he faced Egyptian Wushu Champion Mohamed “Flex” Ali at ONE: UNION OF WARRIORS. Though it was competitive in early going, the “Burmese Python” soon took the match as a chance to showcase his grappling, as he displayed his clinch game and submitted his Egyptian foe via guillotine choke halfway through the second round.

Alain Ngalani Knocks Out Hideki Sekine In Record Time

After a break away from the cage, four-time Muay Thai and kickboxing heavyweight world champion Alain “The Panther” Ngalani made a thunderous return, when he knocked out former ONE Heavyweight World Title challenger Hideki “Shrek” Sekine at ONE: TOTAL VICTORY.

With a single right hook, Ngalani set the record for fastest knockout in the promotion’s heavyweight division at 11 seconds flat. He looks to replicate that success on 3 November, and defeat Aung La N Sang in similar fashion.

Phoe Thaw’s Championship-Winning TKO

Accomplished lethwei combatant Phoe Thaw (4-0) has made a seamless transition into the cage, and demonstrated his superior talent against Saw Yan Paing in the 2016 ONE Myanmar Featherweight Tournament final in October, at ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS.

Phoe Thaw showed off his growing skills in his match with Saw Yan Paing, including powerful striking, a great bottom game, scrambling ability, and the fierce ground and pound which won him the tournament championship. Phoe Thaw meets Saw Ba Oo, next.

Ma Hao Bin Takes Out Hexigetu 

Chinese wrestling champion “The Southern Eagle” Ma Hao Bin (7-1) has been electrifying ever since making the transition to the cage in 2016. His elite grappling skills are at the core of his martial arts talent, and he has masterfully added weapons to compliment that base.

All of that was on full display against Hexigetu at ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: SHANGHAI this past September, where the 2016 ONE Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Champion overwhelmed his opponent with superior wrestling, and secured a guillotine choke to earn the victory with just ten seconds remaining in the second frame.

Ma will next face Filipino knockout artist Eugene Toquero in Yangon.

Burn Soriano’s 16-second KO 

Filipino bantamweight Burn “Hitman” Soriano had a rough promotional debut in April 2016, but he righted the ship later that August when he met Indonesia’s Mario Satya Wirawan at ONE: TITLES & TITANS.

Wirawan pressed forward and whipped a pair of leg kicks at his nemesis, but Soriano responded with a spinning back fist that instantly dropped the Indonesian like a ton of bricks. The bout was stopped at 15 seconds, and stands as the second-fastest KO and finish in ONE bantamweight history.

It was an impressive showing for “Hitman,” and he looks to impress against the unbeaten “Rock Man” on 3 November.

“Rock Man” Chen Lei’s Comeback TKO 

“Rock Man” Chen Lei (6-0) made his promotional debut this past May on the ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES card against Indonesia’s Jeremy “Predator” Meciaz, and was on the defensive as soon as the opening bell rang.

The Chinese grappler weathered an early storm, which featured Meciaz attacking early with striking combinations, and even pulling a scissor guard in hopes of securing a heel hook.

Chen, however, properly defended, and then took advantage of his exhausted and inexperienced foe. “Rock Man” rained down heavy punches until the referee waved off the bout, and will look to experience the same success opposite Soriano in Yangon.

Miao Jie Steamrolls Mona Samir

“Supermom” Miao Jie (4-1) masterfully displayed her grappling prowess at ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: SHANGHAI this past September.

The Chinese strawweight wasted no time in making a statement. She latched onto Egypt’s Mona Samir, transitioned to her back, and secured an incredibly tight armbar at the 49-second mark of the opening stanza.

It was a lightning-quick debut for Miao, who hopes to experience similar success against ONE newcomer Amira Hafizovic in Yangon.

Pongsiri Mitsatit TKOs Ye Thway Ne

Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit (8-0) has quietly strung along a pair of dominant wins in ONE, but perhaps the most impressive one happened at ONE: KINGDOM OF CHAMPIONS in May 2016, when he out-struck lethwei champion Ye Thway Ne.

The undefeated strawweight from Chang Mai, Thailand, battered his Myanmar opponent with leg kicks, took him down, and kneed his way to a flawless victory. He has a chance to extend his unbeaten streak against the Philippines’ Jeremy Miado on 3 November.

Jomary Torres’ Upset Of Rika Ishige 

Jomary Torres (2-0) had to delay her promotional debut a few months, but when she finally made her first appearance inside the ONE cage at ONE: KINGS & CONQUERORS this past August, she shocked the world.

The Filipina atomweight clashed with Thai superstar Rika “Tinydoll” Ishige, who entered the bout undefeated and with much fanfare. Torres survived Ishige’s developing ground game in the opening stanza, and then exploded with a mixture of strikes in the second round, which led to her eventual rear-naked choke victory.

That night, a new star was born, and she will look at shine next against Nita Dea.