What’s At Stake For ONE's Top Stars In Jakarta?

The world’s largest martial arts organization is bringing an action-packed card to Indonesia’s bustling capital this weekend.

On Saturday, 22 September, the promotion will hold its upcoming spectacle ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES at the Jakarta Convention Center.

In addition to a main-event rematch for the ONE Strawweight World Championship, the card will feature contenders looking to enter title contention, as well as a deep pool of local athletes who are eager to make an impression in front of the watching world.

Now, just days away from event night, here is what’s at stake for the top stars competing at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES.

The ONE Strawweight World Championship

Four months after regaining the ONE Strawweight World Championship from Alex Silva, Japan’s Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito (13-1) will officially make the first title defense of his second reign this Saturday.

He is scheduled to defend the gold against top challenger Joshua “The Passion” Pacio (12-2) in the evening’s headline attraction.

This is familiar territory for “Nobita,” as he defended the belt for the first time in his first reign against the Filipino wunderkind in October 2016. That night, the Japanese strawweight king submitted the Team Lakay standout in the third round.

History is on Naito’s side, but “The Passion” wants to write a new chapter in the annals of the division.

In the two years since their first encounter, Pacio has improved immensely, and he believes this could be his time to shine. He has dramatically improved his grappling and is riding a three-bout win streak – with all of those victories coming inside the distance.

Both men have big ambitions. Naito wants to prove his dominance with another stoppage victory, whereas Pacio has the chance to avenge his first loss, realize his dream of being a World Champion, and bring another belt back to Team Lakay.

Stefer Rahardian’s Unbeaten Streak In Indonesia

Jakarta’s own Stefer “The Lion” Rahardian (9-1) meets China’s Peng Xue Wen on his home turf, and the local crowd will surely get behind the country’s most beloved martial arts hero.

To date, their support has helped elevate the Indonesian strawweight standout, as he has gone unbeaten in his homeland. Peng’s aim is to snap that streak so he can rise through the strawweight division, but he will have his work cut out for him.

Rahardian has won seven times in front of his Indonesian compatriots, submitting five of those opponents in the process.

However, the Chinese national wrestling champion may have the ability to keep this bout standing with his defensive wrestling, which could force “The Lion” to prove he can prevail in the striking realm.

The pressure will be on both competitors, as everyone in the Jakarta Convention Center will have their eyes fixed on this battle once the opening bell sounds.

Featherweight World Title Contention

Marat “Cobra” Gafurov (16-1) returns to action against Japanese newcomer Koyomi Matsushima (9-3), and the former ONE Featherweight World Champion is on the hunt to get his belt back.

The Russian athlete bounced back from his defeat to current champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen by defeating Emilio Urrutia in April.

With three defenses, he is the most dominant World Champion in the division’s history, and a dominant win could put him right at the centre of the World Title picture.

“Cobra” has only been defeated once in his esteemed career, so a victory for Matsushima in his promotional debut would make a massive statement.

Flyweight Ascension

The flyweight division recently had its last ruler, Adriano Moraes, toppled by interim titleholder Geje Eustaquio in June, with the Team Lakay man unifying the belts to become the undisputed ONE Flyweight World Champion.

Now, the Filipino has a target on his back, and there is no shortage of competitors taking aim.

Moraes and top contender Reece McLaren lead the race to get the next shot at flyweight gold, but there are four more athletes who are on the verge of re-entering title contention.

On the main card, former World Champion Kairat Akhmetov (24-2) squares off against Ma Hao Bin (11-3), and Eustaquio’s teammate and former World Title challenger Danny Kingad (10-1) welcomes Yuya Wakamatsu (10-2) to the ONE cage.

Akhmetov desperately wants a third crack at Eustaquio, and to achieve that, he will need to beat his Chinese rival.

Conversely, Ma would love nothing more than to be China’s first male mixed martial arts World Champion. To get the chance to accomplish that feat, he needs to keep winning. Finishing “The Kazakh,” like he believes he will, would go a long way toward helping him reach that lofty goal.

Kingad says he does not want to face his Team Lakay stablemate. Instead, he is happy to act as a gatekeeper against people who want to challenge his brother.

Make no mistake, Wakamatsu is a proven knockout artist hoping to make a breakthrough, and he’ll be gunning to do so with a resounding win on Saturday.