What’s Next For The Big Winners Of ONE: CLASH OF LEGENDS?

It was an action-packed night filled with several awe-inspiring performances on Saturday, 16 February at ONE: CLASH OF LEGENDS in Bangkok, Thailand.

The event had many memorable moments, as the inaugural ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion was crowned and several other talented athletes moved up the ranks in their respective divisions.

Now, just hours removed from the 12-bout spectacle at the Impact Arena, we take a look at the what could be next for some of the night’s biggest winners.

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao added another historic accolade to his resume on Saturday, as he defeated China’s Han Zi Hao in the main event to become the first ever ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion.

It was a spectacular outing from the Evolve representative, who competed in front of a home audience. The Thai landed multiple knockdowns and controlled the majority of the action throughout five rounds to earn a unanimous decision and the inaugural gold.

Following his latest victory, Nong-O will look to defend his World Title, and Japan’s own Hiroaki “Kaibutsukun” Suzuki could be the perfect opponent for him.

Suzuki has earned back-to-back wins in ONE Super Series, including a stunning third-round TKO against Mohammed “Jordan Boy” Bin Mahmoud in January. The Japanese powerhouse is an all-action Muay Thai practitioner, and his style could provide all sorts of fireworks in a clash with the Thai legend.

Shuya Kamikubo

Shuya “Stealth” Kamikubo claimed his third consecutive victory in The Home Of Martial Arts with another strong performance to topple “Ottogi” Dae Hwan Kim in a bantamweight contest.

The man from Kawasaki, Japan lived up to his reputation as a dominant grappler as he relentlessly took his South Korean rival to the mat and remained in control throughout virtually every second of the contest to earn a wide unanimous decision.

As “Stealth” climbs closer and closer to World Title contention, a match with Muin Gafurov might just be the kind of test he needs to pass to prove he is ready for the likes of ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon.

Gafurov is a devastating finisher who recently knocked out respected veteran Leandro Issa to notch his fifth consecutive first-round victory.

He has also spent 15 minutes in the cage with Belingon in the past, so he would be the ultimate measuring stick to find out where Kamikubo belongs in this weight class.

Mark Fairtex Abelardo

ONE Warrior Series winner Mark Fairtex Abelardo did not have an easy task ahead of him in Thailand, as he went up against previously-unbeaten bantamweight Daichi Takenaka. However, he still managed to leave the Impact Arena with a victory.

Following two rounds in which Takenaka got the better of him on the ground, the New Zealander managed to catch the Japanese bantamweight with a stiff right hand, which opened a cut on his mouth that would not allow him to continue.

Abelardo got the win, but obviously, he still wants the chance to prove himself, and a showdown with a high-octane talent like “Jungle Cat” Muhammad Aiman would certainly fit the bill.

The Malaysian is a battle-tested warrior who has won three of his last four bouts, including an impressive submission victory over the previously-undefeated “Rock Man” Chen Lei last September.

This pairing of well-rounded, high-energy martial artists could be a crowd-pleasing affair.

Amarsanaa Tsogookhuu

Mongolian lightweight Amarsanaa “Spear” Tsogookhuu played the spoiler in his promotional debut with a unanimous decision victory against hometown hero Shannon “OneShin” Wiratchai.

There were no jitters from 28-year-old as he beat the Thai martial arts pioneer to the punch in nearly every exchange.

Tsogookhuu is still young in his career, but after taking out someone as experienced as Wiratchai on his first day, perhaps he could face another true veteran of the sport such as Koji “The Commander” Ando.

Ando is a former ONE Lightweight World Title challenger, and his record reads like a who’s who list of top mixed martial artists. That is exactly the kind of competition the Mongolian needs as he looks to build on his first win in The Home Of Martial Arts.

Gina Iniong

Gina “Conviction” Iniong earned one of the most important wins of her career with a split decision victory against previously-undefeated Malaysian atomweight Jihin “Shadow Cat” Radzuan.

Iniong, a six-time Philippine wushu champion, showed off improved striking and strong grappling skills, before she held off a late surge from the wushu World Champion to get the job done.

The Filipina has looked like a future World Title contender at times, but she has struggled to find consistency. Meanwhile, Indian national wushu champion Puja Tomar is coming off the biggest victory of her career after defeating Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol in her most recent outing.

With both of them riding huge wins, the pair could be on a collision course. If they meet, it would be another fascinating battle between wushu champions turned mixed martial artists.

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