Why Thant Zin And Soe Lin Oo Could Be Myanmar’s Next Big Stars In ONE Championship
At ONE Friday Fights 81: Superbon vs. Nattawut, two of Myanmar’s top combat sports athletes will look to keep their unblemished ONE Championship records intact and continue to make waves on the global stage.
Set for September 27 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, that event will see decorated veteran Soe “Man of Steel” Lin Oo square off with Nabil Anane under Muay Thai rules, and teenage phenom Thant Zin take on Takeru “The Natural Born Crusher” Segawa in kickboxing action.
For both competitors, this is not just an opportunity to rise through the ranks – but also a chance to assert themselves as their country’s biggest martial arts stars.
Former two-division ONE MMA World Champion Aung La N Sang has long been regarded as Myanmar’s most successful and recognizable fighter, but with the 39-year-old’s illustrious ONE career nearing an end, one of these men could be next in line.
Lethwei Legend Soe Lin Oo
At 32 years old and a Golden Belt Lethwei Champion, Soe Lin Oo is already widely celebrated in Myanmar as a martial arts icon.
Boasting an incredible 74-3 professional record, he made his hotly anticipated ONE debut in February at ONE Friday Fights 52 and came in with plenty of lofty expectations.
He quickly lived up to the hype, employing his ruthless, all-action style to stop Masayoshi Tsuhashi in an unforgettable brawl. Since then, he’s reeled off two more highlight-reel finishes at ONE Friday Fights to announce himself as a serious contender in the talent-laden bantamweight Muay Thai division.
Aptly nicknamed “Man of Steel” for his unbreakable body and spirit, the Doe Yoe Yar Lethwei Club representative seems to be enjoying a similar career arc to that of Thai fan favorite Seksan “The Man Who Yields To No One” Or Kwanmuang.
Both men have enjoyed loads of success outside of ONE, but they are now gaining legions of new fans thanks to their electrifying, fearless brand of Muay Thai in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
Soe Lin Oo’s crowd-pleasing style will be tested against the towering and talented #4-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Anane, but a victory would solidify the Myanmar star as a legitimate threat to reigning titleholder Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Young Prodigy Thant Zin
Later on the card, 19-year-old knockout artist Thant Zin will step up for the biggest fight of his career against Japanese megastar Takeru.
After just a pair of appearances in ONE, the young prodigy has cemented himself as a world-class striker who deserves to be facing the best the organization has to offer.
In addition to boasting back-to-back knockout wins in ONE, he owns an absurd 92 percent career finishing rate, making him one of the planet’s most ruthless KO artists.
With his show-stopping punching power, crippling leg kicks, and wealth of experience in the sport of lethwei, Thant Zin could have all the skills and raw physical gifts needed to defeat Takeru – a win that would rocket him up the flyweight kickboxing ranks.
What’s more, a victory at ONE Friday Fights 81 would erase any doubts that Thant Zin has arrived as a torchbearer for Myanmar martial arts.
