9 Finishes That Wowed The World By True KINGS OF COURAGE

ONE Championship is preparing to kick off its incredible 2018 calendar of event on Saturday, 20 January, when the Jakarta Convention Center in Indonesia plays host to ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE.

The main event features a battle for the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title, as undefeated Singaporean Tiffany “No Chill” Teo collides with Chinese martial arts prodigy “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan.

With a stacked card full of other world-class athletes looking to inch their way towards ONE gold, it will be a night to remember in the promotion’s season opener. To help get you excited for a night of memorable action, here are nine flashy finishes from the athletes who will be competing in Jakarta.

Tiffany Teo’s Armbar Against Puja Tomar

Tiffany “No Chill” Teo may have been nervous, but she certainly did not show it. Just days after being told she would receive a shot at the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship if she were to win, the unbeaten heroine descended upon the Singapore Indoor Stadium at ONE: IMMORTAL PURSUIT last November and annihilated India’s Puja Tomar.

Teo played it cool at first, as she tentatively stalked her nemesis around the cage. But eventually, she let loose with her strikes, effortlessly tripped Tomar to the canvas, and mounted her. After softening the Indian up with ground strikes, “No Chill” tapped her out with a picture-perfect armbar to secure the win, as well as the title shot.

Xiong Jing Nan Knocking Out April Osenio

The hype surrounding “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan is very real. She did not disappoint in her highly-anticipated promotional debut against Team Lakay’s April Osenio at ONE: WARRIORS OF THE WORLD last December.

After engaging in a clinch stalemate against the cage, the Chinese martial arts prodigy landed a trip takedown, and soon clasped on a tight guillotine choke. Osenio slid out and returned to her feet, but Xiong — a former professional boxer — unloaded powerful hooks until the Filipina fell to the ground for the TKO.

Vitaly Bigdash’s Incredible Title-Clinching Comeback KO

On the strength of seven consecutive stoppage victories, Russia’s Vitaly Bigdash made his promotional debut for the world title opposite then-ONE Middleweight World Champion Igor Svirid at ONE: TIGERS OF ASIA in October 2015.

Svirid dropped Bigdash three times in the opening stanza, and when he tried to finish via ground-and-pound, the stunned Bigdash miraculously secured a triangle choke. Though the titleholder escaped, the Russian swept him and spent the rest of the frame peppering him with ground strikes.

Bigdash continued the demolition in the second frame, as he rocked Svirid with a knee, dropped him with a cross, and then finished with hammerfists only 36 seconds in to claim the ONE Middleweight World Title. Though he is no longer the champ, a victory over Leandro Ataides in Jakarta could earn him a trilogy match with reigning titleholder Aung La N Sang.

Leandro Ataides Soars To The KO Of The Year 2016

Following a difficult three-bout skid, five-time BJJ world champion and former middleweight world title challenger Leandro Ataides was determined to snap his losing streak. He set his sights on Egypt’s Mohamed Ali at ONE: AGE OF DOMINATION in December 2016, and had a dominant showing.

Ataides proved to be too much for the Egyptian, as he controlled much of the action throughout the contest. Finally, towards the end of the second round, he leapt into the air and crashed into Ali with a flying knee, which dropped “Flex” immediately.  It was deemed ONE’s Best Knockout of 2016, and he will try to emulate that success against Bigdash.

Yusup Saadulaev Choking Out Jordan Lucas

Russian submission wizard Yusup “Maestro” Saadulaev certainly put on an unforgettable show at ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS in October 2017. He kept the pressure on Australia’s Jordan “Showtime” Lucas, and once he dropped the young Aussie with an immaculate one-two combo, he put his BJJ black belt to proper use.

“Maestro” swarmed the dazed Lucas, grabbed his neck, and then flipped his entire body over his opponent like a Swiss army knife. He tightened the grip, got on his knees, and leaned forward to secure a modified rear-naked choke for the tap. It was a show-stealing moment, one he hopes to have against Japan’s Masakazu Imanari.

Riski Umar’s Flawless ONE Debut

At ONE: TOTAL VICTORY, Bali MMA’s Riski Umar made his promotional debut under the bright lights of the ONE cage, and did not seem nervous at all. The flyweight known as “King Kong” met fellow countryman Adi Nugroho, and dominantly imposed his will.

Umar dodged most of his opponent’s strikes, and retaliated with fierce Muay Thai and taekwondo-style kicks. The end came when the Bali MMA product grabbed for the clinch and flung a pair of knees to Nugroho’s gut, which sent him staggering backwards and onto the canvas. Umar welcomes another Indonesian, Arnol Batubara, to ONE later this month.

Miao Jie’s Record-Setting Armbar

“Supermom” Miao Jie followed a quick 49-second promotional debut armbar with an even quicker one at ONE: HERO’S DREAM in November 2017.  There, she welcomed Australia Top Team’s Amira Hafizovoc to the ONE cage, but was completely relentless in her pursuit for the win.

The Chinese athlete hip tossed Hafizovic to the canvas, and immediately went for an armbar. When it did not prove fruitful, Miao hurriedly transitioned from position to position before locking in a deeper one, which forced the tap at 45 seconds.

In doing so, she broke her won record for the fastest submission and finish in ONE women’s history, where she still stands in the top two positions. “Supermom” will undoubtedly look for another quick armbar victory against Iryna Kyselova in Jakarta.

Peng Xue Wen’s Incredible Suplex KO

Peng Xue Wen may be one of the newer faces to the cage, but he has already made an impact. The Chinese Youth Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion made his promotional debut at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD in November, and made good use of his grappling pedigree.

He grounded Cambodia’s Phat Soda relatively early, even advancing to full mount at one point. Though Soda reversed with a sweep, he tried bringing the match back to its feet. The only problem was, Peng held onto him, snuck behind, and instantly knocked him out with a spectacular suplex slam. Rene Catalan will be sure to try and avoid the same fate.

Rene Catalan Submitting Adrian Matheis

Filipino wushu world champion Rene “The Challenger” Catalan was determined to show the world that he has grown as a martial artist by scoring a submission win. At ONE: QUEST FOR POWER in January 2017, he used Adrian “Papua Badboy” Mattheis to do so.

The two warriors maintained a fiery pace, with both exchanging hard strikes, and Matheis constantly scrambling from the wushu master’s takedowns. Catalan kept looking for a submission, however, and two minutes into the second round, he finally made good on an armbar attempt and tapped out the 2016 ONE Indonesian Strawweight Tournament Champion.