What’s Next For The Big Winners Of ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON?

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This past Friday, 17 May, ONE Championship returned to “The Lion City” with one of the biggest cards in its history.

The promotion’s latest spectacle ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON electrified the Singapore Indoor Stadium with an explosive 16-bout card.

A pair of World Champions were crowned, five warriors advanced to the next round of their respective World Grands Prix, and several athletes shocked the world.

Now, we see what could be next for the night’s biggest winners.

Christian Lee

Age is nothing but a number to Christian “The Warrior” Lee.

The 20-year-old phenom defeated Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki with a jaw-dropping second-round TKO to claim the ONE Lightweight World Championship. In the process, he became the youngest male to win a ONE World Title.

This record-setting victory has also made Lee a marked man, and for his first World Title defense, he could potentially stand across the Circle from the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix Champion.

Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev punched his ticket to the finals by knocking out Amir Khan on Friday. He will face the winner of the other semifinal, which pits undefeated wrestler Lowen Tynanes against Russian mauler Timofey Nastyukhin.

Whoever becomes the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix Champion will undoubtedly provide Lee with a stiff challenge.

Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev

Arslanaliev showed once again why he may be the biggest threat in the entire ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix.

The Turkish warrior followed up his 25-second knockout of Ev Ting in the quarterfinals with a dynamic showing in the semifinals on Friday, as he knocked out Singapore’s own Amir Khan.

Now, he advances to the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix final and awaits the winner of the other semifinal bout, which features Tynanes squaring off against Nastyukhin.

Tynanes is a grappling powerhouse who rolled into the semifinals with a devastating first-round finish of Honorio Banario in January. Nastyukhin earned his spot by knocking out Eddie Alvarez in his ONE debut back in March.

Should it be Tynanes, then Arslanaliev’s wrestling could be tested. However, if it is Nastyukhin, “Dagi” could be extra motivated to prove his prior win over the Russian wasn’t a fluke.

Samy Sana & Dzhabar Askerov

The semifinalists in the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix were determined on Friday, and one of the most notable entrants include France’s Samy “AK47” Sana. 

He upset Muay Thai icon “The Boxing Computer” Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex, beating him via unanimous decision to advance to the next round.

Meanwhile, in the other quarterfinal bout on that side of the bracket, Russia’s Dzhabar “Genghis Khan” Askerov powered through Germany’s Enriko “The Hurricane” Kehl to claim a unanimous decision win.

Now, these two goliaths will meet in the next round of the World Grand Prix, with Sana’s long reach and high-octane attacks matching up against Askerov’s pinpoint boxing and enormous power.

Jo Nattawut & Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy

The second semifinal match-up will pit a pair of Muay Thai superstars against each other, as “Smokin’” Jo Nattawut takes on Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy.

Nattawut earned the only stoppage during the first round of the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix. He finished Sasha Moisa via TKO in the third round.

As for Petchmorakot, he pulled off the biggest upset of them all by edging out kickboxing legend Giorgio “The Doctor” Petrosyan in a three-round battle via split decision.

Now, Nattawut and Petchmorakot will face off in a crucial semifinal bout that promises some of the most electric kickboxing action in the entire tournament.

Garry Tonon

Submission grappler extraordinaire Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon passed the toughest test of his young mixed martial arts career with flying colors. He needed only 55 seconds to finish Japanese veteran Yoshiki Nakahara with a heel hook.

After moving to 5-0 in his career, the American immediately said he is transitioning from prospect to contender as he begins his march towards the ONE Featherweight World Title.

With that kind of mindset, Tonon could potentially face the division’s former king Marat “Cobra” Gafurov to prove he is ready for World Title contention.

The Dagestani has a reputable submission game of his own, and he would offer Tonon a threat on the ground like he has never faced before. That would certainly prove whether or not “The Lion Killer” is ready for a shot at Martin Nguyen’s crown.

Mei Yamaguchi

Mei “V.V.” Yamaguchi looked better than ever at ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON, as she submitted former ONE Strawweight World Title challenger Laura Balin via armbar in the first round of their atomweight clash.

The Japanese veteran is now on a three-bout win streak, and her latest victory could possibly lead to a trilogy bout with her longtime rival, ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee.

Lee is one of the best female martial artists in the world. In addition to defeating “V.V.” for the atomweight gold on two occasions, the well-rounded Singaporean came extremely close to adding the ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship to her trophy case back in March.

Though Yamaguchi did not lift the belt from Lee in their previous two encounters, she is the only athlete to go the distance with the division’s reigning queen. With her momentum and heightened skill set, the third time could be the charm.

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