4 Major Reasons To Watch ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS

When ONE Championship has visited Myanmar, fans have been treated to some incredible displays of skill, courage, and determination from the athletes competing in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS will not be any different this Friday, 26 October.

The event will be headlined by a ONE Middleweight World Title bout, and it will be supported by an undercard full of mixed martial arts and ONE Super Series kickboxing contests.

Here are four major reasons why you need to watch this special night of action from the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon.

#1 A World Title Defense On Home Soil

Myanmar national hero Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang (23-10, 1 NC) has never lost in front of his countrymen, having won all six of his bouts in “The Golden Land.”

The two-division kingpin won both his ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Championships in the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium.

It will take a monumental effort to topple the 33-year-old, but his latest challenger might be the man to do it. Mohammad “O Lutador” Karaki (9-0) brings a perfect slate with him to Myanmar, and he is a prolific finisher – in fact, only one of his adversaries made it to the final bell.

The Lebanese athlete’s strength and Aung La N Sang’s indomitable spirit should match up well to give fans a main-event thriller, especially if “The Burmese Python’s” recent showings are anything to go by.

#2 Local Talent Will Raise The Roof

Aung La N Sang is not the only athlete to represent the home nation, as Phoe “Bushido” Thaw (6-0), Ye Thway Ne (3-1), and Mite Yine (1-0) are all featured on the 11-bout card.

Phoe Thaw has a very intriguing bout with Malaysia’s Keanu Subba (6-3), which will serve as a good indicator of the Yangon native’s readiness for title contendership.

With an 83 percent knockout ratio, “Bushido” will ask questions of Subba with his blend of lethwei and karate striking. The Monarchy MMA product has a 100 percent finishing ratio, and he will test just how well-rounded Phoe Thaw’s skill set is.

Ye Thway Ne and Mite Yine will go head-to-head, and surely strike-for-strike, in an all-Myanmar battle. Both men are two-time Gold Belt Champions in lethwei, and have almost 150 contests between them in the country’s revered martial art.

The atmosphere in the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium is known as one of the best on the planet, and the presence of local heroes for the crowd to get behind should create a noise like no other in the martial arts world.

#3 Another Compelling Featherweight Showdown

Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen stands firm at the top of the featherweight division, but there are a host of challengers looking to separate themselves from the chasing pack to earn a shot at the sought-after World Title.

The Phoe Thaw versus Keanu Subba clash will give one man the chance to break through to the upper echelon, but there is another battle in which the winner could present himself as a bonafide contender, too.

Brazil’s Rafael “Indio” Nunes (11-2) will collide with unbeaten Russian Movlid “Killer” Khaibulaev (13-0) on the main card in Yangon, and emphatic victory would make a big statement.

Nunes returned from a four-year layoff in January, and he made a quick impact in his first match back.He submitted Eric Kelly with a fantastic display of his Brazilian jiu-jitsu prowess.

Meanwhile, Khaibulaev returns to The Home Of Martial Arts nearly a year and a half after he made his debut, when he defeated Herbert “The Blaze” Burns by a dominant unanimous decision to extend his perfect record.

#4 ONE Super Series Kickboxing

At this point, it is a given that the ONE Super Series bouts are essential viewing, as the world’s best strikers have consistently put on a show.

On Friday night, there will be three kickboxing contests at ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS.

A light heavyweight clash featuring Ibrahim “Mr. Cool” El Bouni (37-6-1) and Tarik Khbabez (43-5-1) is one of the standout attractions on the main card.

Also on the main card, China’s Han Zi Hao (58-15) will look to establish himself as a frontrunner in the bantamweight division when he takes on the Philippines’ Ryan “The Filipino Assassin” Jakiri (9-3).

Finally, the prelims will begin with a tilt between a pair of exciting young flyweights as Australia’s Josh “Timebomb” Tonna (31-16) welcomes Italy’s Joseph “The Hurricane” Lasiri (37-7) back to the cage.