What Could Be Next For The Big Winners Of ONE: A NEW BREED?

ONE Championship certainly unleashed “a new breed” of world-class athletes in the first event of its new series on Friday, 28 August.

The promotion brought ONE: A NEW BREED to Bangkok, Thailand, and the seven-bout card produced fireworks and surprises from the opening contest all the way through the main event.

A slew of young superstars emerged victorious, a tournament reached its climax, and a new divisional queen was crowned.

Now, let’s take a glimpse into the future and see what could be next for three of the night’s biggest winners.

Rodlek PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym

Rodlek PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym made the most of his second chance on Friday night.

After being eliminated from the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai Tournament in the semifinals, he filled in for the injured Saemapetch Fairtex in the final and capitalized on that opportunity.

In what many consider an upset, “The Steel Locomotive” knocked down the division’s #3-ranked contender, “Left Meteorite” Kulabdam Sor. Jor. Piek Uthai, twice en route to a unanimous decision victory and the tournament championship.

With the victory, Rodlek earned the right to challenge ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao for the belt, and what a thrilling contest that will be.

Evolve’s Nong-O has been impeccable since coming out of retirement and joining ONE Super Series in April 2018. He has rattled off six consecutive victories, claimed the division’s crown, and in his most recent bout, knocked out Saemapetch last November.

Both Rodlek and Nong-O have immense power, technical precision, and elite skill sets, so there is no doubt that this future clash will be the biggest matchup in the division’s history – and highly entertaining, too.

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Denice Zamboanga

Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga could have waited for her shot at ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee, but she risked losing her golden opportunity because she wanted to compete as soon as possible.

Fortunately, that risk paid off, as the Filipina dominated Watsapinya “Dream Girl” Kaewkhong, earned a signature victory in 88 seconds, and further solidified her status as the division’s #1-ranked contender.

It was total domination from the opening bell, as Zamboanga connected with punches early on, overwhelmed her Thai opposition with clinch knees, hit a takedown, and then executed the bout-ending Americana.

Next, the world should be ready to see “The Menace” challenge for the division’s crown, and there is no doubt she will have a more difficult time with Lee. The Singaporean-American is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who has been literally unstoppable in this weight class.

Lee has never tasted defeat in the atomweight division, and she always seems to overcome adversity – like the time she battled through pneumonia to submit Istela Nunes in May 2017 or her submission of seemingly invincible strawweight queen “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan last October.

Each athlete will test one another, and it’ll be interesting to see who leaves with a passing grade and the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship belt around their waist.

Yodkaikaew Fairtex

Yodkaikaew “Y2K” Fairtex has emerged as one of the most fascinating mixed martial artists in the month of August.

The Max Muay Thai Stadium Champion knocked out previously unbeaten foe John Shink at ONE: NO SURRENDER II two weeks ago, and then he ripped through Shink’s Tiger Muay Thai stablemate Alex Schild on Friday.

Schild certainly gave him a scare in the first round, as he came achingly close to securing his patented rear-naked choke.

But “Y2K” reversed the position, returned to his feet, and kept the action upright from thereon. He utilized his punches and his devastating leg kicks to rattle the American grappler, eventually forcing the referee to call the match in the third stanza.

For his next outing, it would be interesting to see how Yodkaikaew conducts himself in the Circle with someone like Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio.

Eustaquio is a former ONE Flyweight World Champion who has cleverly blended his grappling and striking together at a high level. Though the Filipino prides himself as a wushu specialist, he loves utilizing his developing BJJ game every chance he gets.

The Team Lakay product has the stand-up arsenal and ground game to truly test Yodkaikaew, and a battle with “Gravity” would not only be entertaining, but it could also reveal the depth of “Y2K’s” skill set.

Read more: ONE: A NEW BREED – Live Results And Highlights For Stamp Vs. Rodrigues