Abbasov Vs. Nakashima To Headline ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX II
Just a week after throwing its biggest show of the year, ONE Championship will return with the second installment of the INSIDE THE MATRIX event series.
This Friday, 6 November, the world’s largest martial arts organization will air ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX II, which was previously recorded at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
In the headline attraction, ONE Welterweight World Champion Kiamrian “Brazen” Abbasov will make his first title defense against undefeated challenger James Nakashima.
Also, in the co-main event, the #3-ranked lightweight contender Pieter “The Archangel” Buist will go toe-to-toe with #4-ranked contender Timofey Nastyukhin in a ONE Lightweight World Title eliminator.
After scoring three impressive back-to-back victories, Abbasov challenged then-welterweight king Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam for the gold in October 2019.
The Kyrgyzstani juggernaut then overwhelmed Kadestam with his grappling for five rounds to claim a unanimous decision victory and the ONE Welterweight World Championship.
On Friday, Abbasov will look to retain his belt and get his 23rd professional victory. However, that will be immensely difficult against an undefeated opponent.
Nakashima earned nine consecutive wins before joining the world’s largest martial arts organization in November 2018.
Since then, the American wrecking ball has used his world-class wrestling and his Team Petrosyan-sharpened striking to record three dominant victories over Raimond Magomedaliev, Luis “Sapo” Santos, and Japanese legend Yushin “Thunder” Okami.
In “The Lion City,” Nakashima hopes to get his 13th professional win, keep his perfect record intact, and take the ONE Welterweight World Title from Abbasov.
Before that ONE Welterweight World Championship clash goes down, the global fan base will see two of the lightweight division’s most talented lions engage in a firefight.
Buist, who trains alongside new ONE Middleweight World Champion Reinier “The Dutch Knight” De Ridder at Combat Brothers in Breda, Netherlands, holds a 17-4 professional record with a 67 percent finishing rate.
The Dutchman is riding an eight-bout winning streak, most recently defeating former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang and Australian sensation Antonio “The Spartan” Caruso.
On the strength of those victories, Buist was ranked as the #3 contender in the division and finds himself on the brink of a World Title opportunity.
Meanwhile, Nastyukhin has emerged as one of the promotion’s most talked-about rising stars.
The Russian phenom, who holds a 13-4 record with an 85 percent finishing rate, is known for his well-rounded skill set, his cardio, and his enormous knockout power.
Nastyukhin has authored several highlight-reel moments throughout the course of his career, including his record-setting six-second knockout of “Ruthless” Rob Lisita, his captivating flying knee KO of Folayang, and most recently, his shocking first-round TKO of “The Underground King” Eddie Alvarez.
Now the #4-ranked Russian powerhouse could be one knockout away from punching his ticket to a ONE Lightweight World Title showdown.
In addition to those fiery battles, ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX II will mark the return of #2-ranked atomweight contender Meng Bo, #4-ranked flyweight contender Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu, and multiple-time Indonesian Wrestling Champion “Dynamite” Eko Roni Saputra.
Also, former ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title challenger Rocky Ogden will try to kick-start his road back to the gold in “The Lion City.”
Check below for the show’s entire lineup.
Full Card For ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX II
- (c) Kiamrian Abbasov vs. James Nakashima (ONE Welterweight World Title)
- Timofey Nastyukhin vs. Pieter Buist (ONE Lightweight World Title eliminator)
- Kim Kyu Sung vs. Yuya Wakamatsu (mixed martial arts – flyweight)
- Eko Roni Saputra vs. Ramon Gonzales (mixed martial arts – flyweight)
- Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol vs. Meng Bo (mixed martial arts – atomweight)
Read more: ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX – Full Results And Highlights For Aung La Vs. De Ridder
