Top 100 Moments In ONE History Part 2: #80-61
In the lead-up to ONE Championship’s blockbuster, two-part 100th event, ONE: CENTURY, the world’s largest martial arts organization is remembering the best moments in its history.
Every event since the first in November 2011 has brought flashes of unforgettable martial arts action on the global stage from some of the planet’s most talented warriors, so paring the long list of highlights down was a great challenge.
However, after a lot of deliberation, a definitive list of the best bits from The Home Of Martial Arts’ first 99 events has been drawn up, and will be revealed between now and its return to Tokyo, Japan on Sunday, 13 October.
If you missed the first part of the countdown, you can check it out here, before the list continues with another 20 unforgettable bouts, finishes, and historic events.
#80 Vera Comes Back With A Bang
Last November, it had been two years since Brandon “The Truth” Vera had competed on the global stage, but he picked up right where he left off with a stunning, first-round, one-punch, walk-off KO of Mauro “The Hammer” Cerilli to defend his ONE Heavyweight World Title.
#79 Ann Osman Makes History
Ann “Athena” Osman broke new ground as the first female Muslim mixed martial artist to compete in a Muslim country at ONE: ROAR OF TIGERS in October 2014. She marked the occasion by causing pandemonium from her home crowd thanks to a TKO of Aya Saber.
#78 Yodsanklai’s Rapid-Fire KO
“The Boxing Computer” Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex has authored many magnificent finishes in his legendary career, but few were better than this triple-uppercut on Luis Regis.
#77 A Muay Thai War For The Ages
Jonathan “The General” Haggerty showed glimpses of his greatness in his ONE debut, but he became a true superstar when he pulled off a stunning upset to dethrone Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao and take the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title in a thrill-a-minute, five-round spectacular.
#76 Grand Prix Closure
Controversy hijacked the narrative after Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy and Giorgio “The Doctor” Petrosyan’s ONE Featherweight World Grand Prix quarterfinal, so they had to do it all over again. That made for a close, competitive clash that showed off the technical brilliance of both men as Petrosyan advanced to the next round.
#75 The Burmese Python’s Definitive Finish
Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang took until the fifth round to stop Ken Hasegawa in their first meeting, but he entered their rematch better, faster, and stronger to get the job done in just two thanks to this awesome punch.
#74 “Killer Bee” Creates History
The first women’s ONE Super Series World Champion was crowned when “Killer Bee” Kai Ting Chuang put on a virtuoso performance to defeat Yodcherry Sityodtong, and her triumph was made even more special because she did it in front of her fans in Guangzhou, China.
#73 ONE’s Most Epic Rivalry Begins
Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes’ first-round kimura gave him the upper hand as he began his ONE Bantamweight World Championship rivalry with Kevin “ The Silencer” Belingon, but this was just the first chapter of their story.
#72 ONE Arrives In KL
In June 2012, The Home Of Martial Arts’ fourth event took them to Kuala Lumpur for the first time, and the Malaysian fans at the Stadium Negara created the kind of atmosphere the city would become famous for at ONE: DESTINY OF WARRIORS.
#71 Holzken Debuts With A Bang
Nieky “The Natural” Holzken is a kickboxing legend, but his debut in the Circle was brilliant – even by his high standards – as he felled Cosmo “Good Boy” Alexandre with a showreel knockout in Jakarta, Indonesia.
#70 Igorot Pride
Kevin Belingon’s entrance at ONE: REIGN OF KINGS celebrated his heritage by celebrating the Igorot people of the Philippines’ Mountain Province like never before on the global stage.
#69 Yodsanklai’s Long-Awaited Redemption
More than 11 years had gone since Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex and Andy ”Souwer Power” Souwer first met when they rematched this March. The Dutchman came away with the ‘W’ back in 2008, but Yodsanklai evened the score with a KO at the end of a supreme performance.
#68 Aoki’s ONE Debut
Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki entered the Circle for the first time all the way back in October 2012, and he made a huge first impression with a trademark tapout of Arnaud Lepont.
#67 “The Truth” Starts As He Meant To Go On
Every one of Brandon Vera’s bouts in The Home Of Martial Arts has ended the same way – a first-round knockout for the Filipino hero. He began his streak with this highlight-reel finish against Igor Subora.
#66 Lee’s Remarkable Comeback From The Brink
In late 2017, “Unstoppable” Angela Lee could have lost her life in a horrific car accident. However, the insatiable Singaporean survived her brush with tragedy to come back stronger and put on one of the performances of her career in a long-awaited rematch with Mei “V.V.” Yamaguchi.
#65 “The Immortal” Defeats A Legend
If you are going to win gold, there is no better way to do it than to beat an icon in a five-round war, and that is what Regian “The Immortal” Eersel did to claim the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Title.
#64 “Alligator” And “Sexy Yama” Bring The House Down
Anyone who had enjoyed Yoshihiro “Sexy Yama” Akiyama’s martial arts career before his arrival in ONE knew to expect the Japanese icon would throw down, and they were not disappointed when he went toe-to-toe with Malaysia’s Agilan “Alligator” Thani, who earned the win after three relentless rounds.
#63 Enter “The Baby Shark”
Petchdam “The Baby Shark” Petchyindee Academy had made a ton of fans with his amazing finishes and dance moves in his first two ONE Super Series appearances, but became a bonafide star when he made this memorable entrance.
#62 “Lady Gogo” Earns Her Moniker
There have been few successful gogoplata submissions in the entire history of professional mixed martial arts – let alone at the highest level – but Jenny “Lady Gogo” Huang pulled one off against April Osenio in December 2016 to win the submission of the year.
#61 Nastyukhin’s Stunning Debut
Timofey Nastyukhin opened up his slate in The Home Of Martial Arts in style. The Siberian stoppage machine’s debut showed what he was all about – fast, stunning knockouts. Eduard “Landslide” Folayang was caught cold by a sensational flying knee.
ONE: CENTURY is the biggest World Championship martial arts event in history with 28 World Champions featured across various martial arts. No organization in history has ever promoted two full-scale World Championship events on the same day.
The Home Of Martial Arts will break new ground as it brings multiple World Title bouts, a trio of World Grand Prix Championship Finals, and several World Champion versus World Champion matches to the famous Ryugoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan on 13 October.
