The Extremely High Stakes For The Stars Of ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES

ONE Championship is just a few days away from holding the biggest martial arts spectacle in the organization’s history.

This Saturday, 6 October, the promotion will bring ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES to the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, and the event will feature many of the world’s best athletes in boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and mixed martial arts.

At the elite level, the margins for error are minuscule, but everybody who steps into the ring will be well prepared. Here is what’s at stake for eight of the superstars competing in the Thai capital on Saturday night.

#1 The WBC Super Flyweight World Title

Thailand’s national hero Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (46-4-1) will defend his WBC Super Flyweight World Championship for the third time, and he will have the support of his passionate countrymen to spur him on.

The 31-year-old knockout artist wants to continue building his legacy, and he is keen to advance his position as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers on the planet. However, for every dominant champion, there is a hungry challenger, and that is where Iran “MagnifiKO” Diaz (14-2-3) comes in.

Diaz has already faced some of the sport’s best, and won. But now, the World Title is on the line, and he is more motivated than ever to leave “The Land Of Smiles” with the gold.

It would be an epic feat to overcome Srisaket and the thousands of partisan fans in Bangkok, and that is what the Mexican pugilist is trying to do. He is drawing on knowledge from famous champion Juan Manuel Marquez and his team of coaches in an effort to pull off the upset.

#2 The ONE Kickboxing Atomweight World Title

“Killer Bee” Kai Ting Chuang (17-5) puts her ONE Kickboxing Atomweight World Title on the line for the first time since beating Yodcherry Sityodtong to claim the inaugural crown in July.

This weekend, she will face another Thai adversary.

Stamp Fairtex (60-15-5) trains in Pattaya, Thailand alongside stablemates Yodsanklai Fairtex and Saemapetch Fairtex, and she will be thoroughly prepared for the enormous opportunity ahead of her.

Like Yodcherry before her, Stamp is a Muay Thai practitioner with a significant advantage in competition experience. However, under the kickboxing rule set, she will not have some of the Thai discipline’s weapons at her disposal. As a result, “Killer Bee” can level the playing field with her strong boxing.

Becoming World Champion has been a huge breakthrough in Chuang’s career, but the modest 23-year-old vows only to give her best. That was good enough in Guangzhou, China, and it could be the same in Bangkok.

However, her Thai opponent is also eager to get her hands on one of the most coveted prizes in martial arts.

#3 A ONE Lightweight World Title Shot

Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki (41-8, 1 NC) is a former ONE Lightweight World Champion, and Ev Ting (16-4) is a former ONE World Title challenger, so they are not strangers to the biggest battles at the top of the weight class. 

As it stands, neither man is in possession of the sought-after prize, but the winner of their upcoming clash in Thailand will become the number one contender to the lightweight crown.

The pair has 17 promotional victories between them, all coming against stiff opposition. Now, it is time to convert that success into a championship opportunity.

The recently announced bout between Eduard Folayang and Amir Khan will decide the division’s new World Champion following Martin Nguyen‘s abdication. Whoever wins that November contest will defend the title against the Bangkok victor in Tokyo, Japan in March 2018.

#4 A Potential Bantamweight World Title Challenger

Evolve’s Leandro “Brodinho” Issa (16-6) and Tajikistan’s Muin “Tajik” Gafurov (15-2) have already been at the top of the tree in different disciplines, having claimed World Titles in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and combat sambo, respectively.

Now, the ONE Bantamweight World Championship is the prize they want. Their eyes are firmly fixed on the division’s longtime king Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes, who is scheduled to meet interim titleholder Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon in a title unification match at ONE: HEART OF THE LION.

Issa returned to ONE in August 2017, and he has since posted three straight wins. That brings his slate with the promotion to an impressive 6-1 overall, and most of the other challengers have already had their chance at either Fernandes or Belingon.

Gafurov has been out of the organization since a 2016 defeat to “The Silencer,” but he has not been inactive. He has competed on his home turf and picked up four consecutive first-round finishes. If he can continue that trend when the level of competition rises again, he will cement his status as a threat to anybody in the weight class.

With a win at ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES, the victor could potentially earn a title shot.