The 6 Best Highlights From ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES

Some of ONE Championship’s brightest superstars shone on the global stage on Saturday, 22 September.

The world’s largest martial arts organization returned to Indonesia’s Jakarta Convention Center for ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES , and the world’s best martial artists created memories that won’t soon be forgotten.

A new World Champion was crowned, new World Title contenders emerged, and some spectacular stoppages stunned fans across the globe.

Here are five of the best moments from an action-filled night in Jakarta.

Joshua Pacio Finally Striking Gold

Joshua “The Passion” Pacio did not have the grappling chops to contend with Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito in October 2016.

However, in their highly anticipated rematch, he proved to be the best, and most well-rounded, strawweight on the planet.

The Filipino dethroned the Japanese king with a clever mix of wushu-based striking, stellar takedown defense, and his ability to contend with his rival on the ground.

Pacio was more patient and methodical in his attack and stuck with his game plan – even biding his time when he seemed to hurt his adversary with a body kick early in the contest.

In doing so, he stayed out of danger for just about the entire 25-minute bout, but maintained his offense from start to finish.

In the past two years, we have witnessed the Baguio City wunderkind mature before our eyes. He has gained new skills, greater confidence, and now, the ONE Strawweight World Title.

The best thing is that he is still likely to be several years away from his athletic prime.

A Back-And-Forth Bout Of The Night

Not even the main event could match Danny “The King” Kingad and Yuya Wakamatsu’s three-round tilt for thrilling twists and turns.

Japan’s Wakamatsu was making his ONE debut in this flyweight battle, and he lived up to his reputation as a power-punching phenomenon by planting his Filipino on the canvas with a right hand in the opening moments.

Kingad, however, is made of stern stuff, and the Team Lakay star did not hesitate to push forward to get back into the contest. By the end of the first round, he had hit a few stunning takedowns and threatened with a rear-naked choke.

At points, the encounter threatened to turn into a back-and-forth, toe-to-toe slugfest, but Kingad’s focus on strategic strikes – like well-placed kicks to Wakamatsu’s lead leg – saw him pull away on the judges’ scorecards.

Though it was competitive for 15 minutes, there was little doubt about the winner after three rounds, and each judge scored the match-up in “The King’s” favor.

With another win over a talented young athlete, Kingad took one step closer to the top of a crowded flyweight division. Though his hand was not raised this time, Wakamatsu surely won many fans, and his return to action will be eagerly anticipated.

Koyomi Matsushima’s Stunning Introduction

There is a new contender in the featherweight division.

Many expected former ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov to continue his march back to the gold, but promotional newcomer Koyomi “Moushigo” Matsushima stopped him in his tracks.

At the midway point of the opening stanza, the Japanese combatant displayed how dangerous he can be with his counter-striking. When Gafurov threw a kick with his left hand down, the 25-year-old stepped to the side and fired a massive right hook. The punch instantly dropped “Cobra,” and a series of follow-up shots ended his night.

Matsushima is only the second man to defeat the Dagestani after Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen in August 2017, but he actually knocked him out a whole round quicker than the division’s reigning king.

As a result, “Moushigo” made a strong case to be the next challenger for the belt.

Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev’s TKO

Turkey’s Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev appeared to possess the skills and the talent to defeat anyone, but to see him beat Timofey Nastyukhin in the manner in which he did was breathtaking.

The Russian knockout artist – who is revered for his durability, power, and granite chin – had already ripped through some of the most talented athletes in the lightweight division, but that did not faze the 23-year-old Turk.

Despite taking a few hard shots early, Arslanaliev fearlessly pushed forward for the takedown, swept Nastyukhin, and as his adversary tried to get back up, “Dagi” unleashed a melee of hooks.

Not even the toughest of warriors could have endured that kind of assault, and referee Olivier Coste had to stop the contest.

In addition to getting his fifth first-round finish, Arslanaliev became the first man to defeat Nastyukhin with strikes. This was a breakout performance for the Turk, which undoubtedly pushes him into the World Title picture.

Kairat Akhmetov’s Masterful Grappling

Former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat Akhmetov put on a breathtaking grappling display against rising flyweight contender “The Southern Eagle” Ma Hao Bin.

In a battle of elite wrestlers, it was “The Kazakh” who reigned supreme in one of the most dominant decision victories of his career.

The 30-year-old landed a plethora of takedowns on the Chinese national wrestling champion, including a pair of earth-shaking slams, then smoothly advanced his position on the ground, and even picked “The Southern Eagle” apart on the feet.

Ma is considered to be one of the top talents in the division, but by out-dueling him in every area of the game, Akhmetov proved that he is indeed a class above – and one of the world’s best mixed martial artists in his weight class.

Adrian Mattheis’ Mighty Uppercut

Adrian “Papua Badboy” Mattheis engaged with Angelo “The Unicorn King” Bimoadji in a battle for dominance on the ground at first, but he quickly turned the tide of their strawweight clash with his stand-up skills as he unleashed a lightning-quick knockout.

Just two and a half minutes into the contest, the 25-year-old Mattheis charged at his adversary with a left hook, and then caught Bimoadji with a thunderous uppercut straight out of a video game. The blow dropped his compatriot like a pile of bricks, and sealed the win.

With his fifth finish in his sixth strawweight victory, “Papua Badboy” set the record for most wins and most stoppages in the weight class.

Mattheis first became known to fans because of his punching power, and after a few submission successes, he reminded the world how dangerous he can be with his fists.