The 6 Best Highlights From ONE: A NEW ERA

ONE: A NEW ERA was billed as the biggest martial arts event in history, and the action that played out on Sunday, 31 March in Tokyo, Japan was worthy of the occasion.

The event at the Ryogoku Kokugikan hosted 15 exciting bouts including four World Title contests, as ONE Championship kickstarted a rebirth of the nation’s martial arts scene with a night of awe-inspiring displays of heart and skill in the cage.

Here are six of the greatest highlights from the spectacular showcase.

Aoki Finishes In The First Again

Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki faced off against his old rival Eduard “Landslide” Folayang with redemption in mind and the ONE Lightweight World Title on the line.

The hometown favorite leveled the score with the Filipino and reclaimed the belt with one of the most incredible displays of dominance ever seen in a ONE main event. 

Folayang had made a lot of improvements to his game since their first meeting and came in as the defending World Champion, so many fans expected a competitive bout. However, Aoki put the memories of his 2016 TKO defeat to bed by choking out Folayang after just 154 seconds.

Almost as soon as “Tobikan Judan” forced his opponent onto the mat, it was over. Folayang did his best to resist, but he was trapped in an arm-triangle choke. Once someone as skilled as Aoki locks in a submission, it is game over. 

It was the Japanese legend’s fourth first-round victory in a row, and it put him back on top of the tree in The Home Of Martial Arts.

Xiong’s Phenomenal Comeback

“The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan successfully defended her ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title by defeating “Unstoppable” Angela Lee thanks to one of the greatest displays of courage ever seen on the global stage for martial arts.

In the fourth round, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Lee cranked on an armbar that would have finished almost any opponent, but not “The Panda.”

The Chinese World Champion gritted her teeth through adversity and survived until the bell. Remarkably, she was ready to go after a minute on her stool. In contrast, “Unstoppable” was tired after using so much energy to chase the finish.

Xiong took full advantage in round five. She unleashed a huge right hand to the body that hurt the challenger, and then swarmed with punches and body kicks to get a late TKO finish.

That dynamic showing stunned the martial arts world and proved Xiong is ONE’s best women’s mixed martial artist.

Aung La N Sang’s Awesome Knockout 

The world hoped Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang and Ken Hasegawa’s rematch could match their first meeting for action, but the defending World Champion was just too good for that. 

The Myanmar hero had to battle hard to get a fifth-round knockout last June, but this time around, his skill and power had improved so much, he took less than half the time to find the finish.

He controlled the contest from the opening bell, landing hard body kicks and punches on his Japanese rival. Hasegawa had to push back to have any chance of victory, but that just played into “The Burmese Python’s” hands.

The Japanese warrior walked straight into a thudding right hand in round two, which sent him crashing to the canvas, and the ONE Middleweight World Champion sealed the deal with punches to secure his third World Title defense.

Johnson Shows His Brilliance

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson’s entry into the world’s largest martial arts organization did not disappoint.

His ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix quarter-final bout with Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu did not go strictly to plan, as the hard-hitting Japanese athlete landed some hard strikes and survived through some danger. But in the end, Johnson’s experience paid off.

The American stuffed Wakamatsu against the fence, and as soon as a bout-ending opportunity came, he took it. “Mighty Mouse” trapped his opponent’s head and threw on an exceptionally tight high-elbow guillotine to force the tap and secure a successful debut in Asia.

Nastyukhin Shocks The World

Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez wanted to complete his collection of Lightweight World Titles from the planet’s major martial arts organizations, but Timofey Nastyukhin put those plans on ice with a stunning performance in Tokyo.

The hard-hitting Russian was not fazed by the arrival of the iconic American, and set to work on his game plan of high-intensity, high-power offense.

A flurry of punches in the first round sent “The Underground King” reeling backward onto the fence, and Nastyukhin did not hesitate to take advantage. He flung a looping right hand around his rival’s guard that put him down, and then swarmed to seal the TKO and take the biggest victory of his career.

Yodsanklai On Fire To Vanquish An Old Foe

When “The Hero” Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex faced an old adversary in Andy “Souwer Power” Souwer, he had one goal – avenge the 2008 defeat he suffered at the hands of the Dutchman.

He did it in style. Yodsanklai’s punching power and crunching left kick were on point throughout the ONE Super Series kickboxing battle, as he dropped Souwer early in the first round, and then piled on the pressure.

In round two, an accurate straight left found its mark and dropped “Souwer Power” to the canvas to give the Thai superstar sweet redemption.