3 Bouts That Could Steal The Show At ONE: CLASH OF LEGENDS

ONEchampionship.com

History will be made in Bangkok, Thailand this Friday, 16 February when the inaugural ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title is contested between Nong-O Gaiyanghadao and Han Zi Hao.

That main event match-up is just the cherry on the cake of a phenomenal lineup of martial arts action at ONE: CLASH OF LEGENDS.

The Impact Arena will play host to the most stacked set of ONE Super Series bouts yet seen in The Home Of Martial Arts, and they will be joined by a collection of mixed martial arts encounters.

Ahead of ONE Championship’s first trip to the Land Of Smiles in 2019, the onefc.com editorial team has selected a trio of contests that could leave a lasting impression on fans around the world.

Jo Nattawut VS Samy Sana

All of the ONE Super Series encounters in the Impact Arena promise entertainment, but if you had to pick one for guaranteed edge-of-your-seat action, it might be “Smokin” Jo Nattawut’s match with Samy “AK47” Sana.

In Nattawut’s last two bouts, the two-division Lion Fight World Champion has shown the awesome destructive power of his firsts. First, he unloaded on Yohann Fairtex Drai to score a colossal KO, and then he unleashed his hardest shots on George Mann to swing the judges’ favor his way.

Sana may not attack with the same blinding speed of his Thai rival, but he is no less aggressive. The Frenchman has the ability to absorb much of the offense that comes his way, and then walk down his opponents and tag them with hard shots.

When the WBC and A1 Muay Thai World Champion finds his rhythm, he can change the complexion of a contest in an instant.

Another thing both men have in common is their inability to back down, so expect them to take the center of the cage and throw everything at their rival.

Emilio Urrutia VS Yoshiki Nakahara

Emilio “The Honey Badger” Urrutia has only had four bouts in The Home Of Martial Arts, but he has already earned a reputation as one of featherweight division’s most exciting stars.

The Tiger Muay Thai representative will welcome Yoshiki Nakahara to the promotion in Bangkok, and in doing so, he will square off against a man as eager to engage in a toe-to-toe battle as he is.

Urrutia is a warrior that never takes a backward step – his epic bout with Li Kai Wen proved that. He also has bout-ending power, as well as a strong chin that means he can continue to walk through heavy artillery to fire back.

Japanese southpaw Nakahara has a rocket of a left hand, and like his rival, he will walk his opponent down until he can land it – undeterred by any strikes that come in his direction.

He also enters the world’s largest martial arts organization on a six-bout win streak, so his confidence and power will combine to bring an extremely dangerous debutant to the cage.

Expect a non-stop battle as these durable featherweights duke it out for the entertainment of the fans inside the Impact Arena.

Gina Iniong VS Jihin Radzuan

This is a pivotal bout in the women’s atomweight division between two tenacious athletes with designs on the World Title currently held by “Unstoppable” Angela Lee.

Jihin “Shadow Cat” Radzuan established herself as one of the foremost rising stars in the world’s largest martial arts organization in 2018. She scored three wins from her first three bouts in ONE through a relentlessly offensive approach.

The Malaysian has done her best work when she has initiated the grappling exchanges. When she goes to ground, she is just as comfortable working for submissions or getting into position to throw ground and pound.

Her success and the dominant nature of her performances had fans demanding she take a step up in competition this year, and they got their wish when the 20-year-old was matched with Gina “Conviction” Iniong.

The leading women’s competitor from Filipino powerhouse gym Team Lakay has more than double the amount of in-cage experience as her upcoming opponent, and when she starts to get loose in the cage, there are few better strikers in any of ONE’s women’s weight classes.

At a glance, this would appear to be a classic striker-versus-grappler bout. However, Jihin has plenty of competitive stand-up experience, and Iniong is no stranger to throwing her rivals to the mat, so it is difficult to predict how this one will turn out.

The only sure thing is that both women like to move forward and attack, so we should be in store for an entertaining encounter.