Friday, August 31, 2018

COMPLETE CARD ANNOUNCED FOR ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES

Reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito is one of the most successful martial artists to ever emerge from Japan. In just four short years since debuting in 2012, Naito conquered the notoriously competitive Japanese martial arts scene, capturing the Shooto Flyweight Title. Since making his ONE Championship debut in 2016, Naito has captured the ONE Strawweight World Championship on two occasions, defeating former champions Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke and Alex Silva. Naito is now set to defend his title against former opponent Joshua Pacio in an epic rematch.

Former ONE World Title challenger Joshua “The Passion” Pacio of Baguio City, Philippines was inspired to take up martial arts ever since he was 12 years old. After an undefeated amateur career, Pacio soon made his professional debut, where he went 6-0 before making it to the global stage of ONE Championship. In 2016, he got his chance against reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito, falling just short of victory. Now riding a three-bout winning streak, Pacio has earned a rematch against the champion, and will now face Naito for his second shot at the ONE Strawweight World Championship.

ONE Indonesia Flyweight Tournament Champion Stefer Rahardian has been on a tear ever since he debuted on the global stage of ONE Championship, and quickly became Indonesia’s foremost martial arts star with a sensational professional record. An elite BJJ specialist under the lineage of the legendary Carlson Gracie, Rahardian has claimed gold in various BJJ tournaments around the region. He has utilized his grappling wizardry to sterling success in the ONE cage, running up an impressive record with only one loss and the majority of his victories coming by way of submission. Rahardian is now set to face Peng Xue Wen in his next contest.

Growing up, Chinese National Greco-Roman Wrestling Silver Medalist Peng Xue Wen played football and practiced kung fu, but soon fell in love with wrestling after he began training and competing in the sport. He then went on to win several accolades in the discipline, and set his sights on mixed martial arts after he saw more and more of his seniors making their professional debuts. Peng believes his wrestling skills and flexibility are his keys to victory, and will be relying on them to achieve international fame under the bright lights of ONE Championship. He returns to action in Jakarta to face Stefer Rahardian.

Lion Fight Muay Thai World Lightweight Champion and two-time W5 World Champion, Sergio “Little One” Wielzen of Suriname is a Dutch-based martial artist training out of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. With a professional kickboxing record of 46-19-2 (1 NC), Wielzen has built a reputation as being an explosive striker with stunning knockout power. Despite being physically smaller than most of his opponents, Wielzen has won many of his bouts by knockout. He is also a former It’s Showtime 61MAX World Champion. Wielzen is set to return to ONE Super Series after a failed title bid in his last bout, this time opposite Muay Thai star Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

Rodtang Jitmuangnon is one of Thailand’s fastest rising stars in the art of Muay Thai. Nicknamed “The Iron Man,” Rodtang is a two-time Omnoi Stadium World Champion. Known for his exciting Muay Mat style, Rodtang specializes in delivering powerful striking combinations and is known for his aggression, constantly putting the pressure on his opponents while looking to do damage. With a professional Muay Thai record of 252-40-10, Rodtang makes his ONE Super Series debut against former ONE World Title challenger Sergio Wielzen.

23-year-old Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu is a mixed martial artist from Kagoshima, Japan. Holding a professional record of 10-2, Wakamatsu is an aggressive knockout artist with shocking power. With nine of his 10 victories coming by way of knockout, Wakamatsu is a force to be reckoned with at flyweight. A winner of 10 of his last 11 bouts, Wakamatsu has decided to take his talents to the ONE Championship cage. He makes his promotional debut against Danny Kingad.

Danny “The King” Kingad, a premier flyweight talent from the famed Team Lakay of Baguio City, is a Filipino wushu champion with a professional mixed martial arts record of 10-1. A true warrior from the mountains of the Philippines, the 22-year-old is a tremendous striker who possesses well-rounded grappling skills. In November 2017, Kingad challenged reigning ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano Moraes, and fell short in his quest of capturing the world title. In his most recent bout, “The King” moved forward by defeating rising Chinese star Ma Hao Bin by unanimous decision. Up next, he returns to action against newcomer Yuya Wakamatsu.

25-year-old featherweight prospect “Moushigo” Koyomi Matsushima is one of the fastest rising martial artists hailing from Kanagawa prefecture located in the Kantō region of Japan. With a professional mixed martial arts record of 9-3, Matsushima has put together a handful of solid performances while competing in local Japanese martial arts promotions Pancrase and Shooto. With a penchant for scoring highlight-reel knockouts, Matsushima owns five victories by KO. He brings his all-action style to ONE Championship when he makes his promotional debut against former ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat Gafurov.

Marat “Cobra” Gafurov of Dagestan, Russia, is the former ONE Featherweight World Champion. Gafurov, who holds a 16-1 record, is a high-level grappler, as a dozen of his wins come by impressive submissions over top-caliber opponents. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Gafurov captured the ONE Featherweight World Title in 2015 with a gutsy victory over former champion Narantungalag Jadambaa in an epic battle. In his last bout, Gafurov placed himself firmly back on the winning track with a submission win over Emilio Urrutia. Gafurov would like nothing more than to regain his championship mettle, and in his next bout he will be taking on newcomer Koyomi Matsushima.

Talented Turkish lightweight contender by way of Dagestan, Russia, Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev is rapidly making a name for himself as an unstoppable force inside the ONE Championship cage. He has just five victories and only one loss so far in his young martial arts career, but they are five of the most explosive and impressive finishes in the promotion. Three of Saygid’s wins have come by technical knockout and two by submission, with most of his wins in the very first round. The 23-year-old from Istanbul will take on Timofey Nastyukhin in his next challenge.

28-year-old Timofey Nastyukhin is a martial artist from Russia competing in ONE Championship’s stacked lightweight division. He owns a professional mixed martial arts record of 12-3, with all but two of his wins coming by spectacular finish. With four submissions and six knockouts on his resume, Nastyukhin is considered one of the finest offensive forces in the promotion. He announced his arrival on Asia’s biggest stage with an emphatic flying knee knockout victory over Eduard Folayang in 2014, and also owns stoppage wins over top talents Amir Khan and Koji Ando. This time, Nastyukhin is set to face Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev.

Former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov was inspired by his father, an amateur champion in Greco-Roman wrestling. Akhmetov began training in martial arts in 2000, and proved to be as talented as his father, eventually becoming a three-time National Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion. Akhmetov then joined ONE Championship in 2015, shocking former flyweight champion Adriano Moraes to capture the title. He eventually surrendered the belt back to Moraes in a rematch and has since been on a quest to return to title contention. With an impressive professional mixed martial arts record of 24-2, Akhmetov can get one step closer to his goal if he can get past his next opponent, Ma Hao Bin.

“The Southern Eagle” Ma Hao Bin is one of the top flyweight talents in ONE Championship. Ma, a Chinese national freestyle wrestling champion, made his professional debut in January 2016, where he defeated Wu Ting Shen and Bu Huo You Ga in a single evening of action to claim the ONE Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Championship. Since then, the 24-year-old has strung together an impressive 11-3 professional record, which includes four wins by submission and two by knockout. Ma now returns to action against Kairat Akhmetov.

Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol began training in wushu at the age of 17, after taking up an opportunity to compete for the Indonesian national team. She was highly successful in this regard, capturing both an Indonesian National Wushu Championship and a local boxing title. She even won a bronze medal in wushu at the Southeast Asian Games, with her striking success spurring her towards a career in mixed martial arts. Lumban Gaol is today one of the top female talents in ONE Championship, and she is set to face Jomary Torres in her next outing.

Undefeated Filipino talent Jomary Torres is from Sindangan, in the Zamboanga del Norte province of the Philippines. With an unblemished professional record of 4-0, Torres currently sharpens her skills under the watchful eye of famed Wushu World Champion, ONE veteran Rene Catalan. Torres is riding a wave of momentum, having won the first four bouts of her career, including three inside the ONE Championship cage. In her most recent outing, Torres stunned Team Lakay star April Osenio to win by first round knockout. Her next assignment is against Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol.

”The Funky Drummer” Fabrice Fairtex Delannon is one of the top Muay Thai practitioners from France. He is a former Gold and Silver Belt holder and a 3-time MAX Muay Thai World Champion. With a professional Muay Thai record of 55-9, Delannon has built his reputation as one of the fastest rising superstars in the sport. Delannon is ready to lend his talents to the most prestigious global stage of competition, when he performs under ONE Super Series against Yodpanomrung Jitmuangnon.

24-year-old Yodpanomrung Jitmuangnon is considered by many Thai boxing experts as one of the top pound-for-pound Muay Thai practitioners today. With more than 300 professional Muay Thai contests on his resume, Yodpanomrung has built a solid reputation as an explosive striker with thunderous knockout power. He has won multiple world titles during his career and is a six-time Muay Thai world champion, which includes winning the WMC and WPMF World Championships. He will be making his ONE Super Series debut against Fabrice Fairtex Delannon.

Besides capturing the IBC Featherweight Championship, Victorio “Indra” Senduk competed in wushu at the Southeast Asian Games, medaling in 2007 and 2011. He first began training in karate at age 14, and within three short years, proved talented enough to become a professional martial artist. His run of success in the cage, as well as in the wushu arena, brought him to the attention of ONE Championship, and he soon achieved his dream of competing on the global stage by making a successful debut at ONE’s inaugural Indonesia event in 2012. He now faces off against the veteran Sunoto.

WKF Indonesia Champion “The Terminator” Sunoto is from East Java, but moved to Jakarta in 2012 to pursue his martial arts dreams. He first started training in taekwondo as a child, but soon picked up other disciplines while travelling around the country to compete in several tournaments. Besides becoming a regional sanda champion, Sunoto also currently holds the rank of brown belt in traditional Japanese jiu-jitsu, and is a member of the Indonesian national sambo team, belying his growing all-around skills. Sunoto signed with ONE Championship in 2015, and has since put on many thrilling displays. Sunoto will take on Victorio Senduk in his next outing.

ONE Strawweight Indonesian Tournament Champion Adrian Mattheis was born in the Maluku islands of Indonesia, and is one of the fastest rising stars in ONE Championship today. After first training in karate as a child, Mattheis later met famed coach Zuli Silawanto while studying at a university in Jakarta. He made his ONE Championship debut in August 2016, defeating two opponents via knockout in the same night to win the four-man tournament. One of the top strawweights from Indonesia, Mattheis has faced some of the biggest names in ONE Championship. Mattheis now returns to action to face newcomer Angelo Bimaodji.

21-year-old Angelo “The Unicorn King” Bimaodji is a professional mixed martial artist and former Garuda Fight League Champion from Jakarta, Indonesia. He lends his striking skills from his time spent training as a boxer, but also adds grappling skills by way of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Representing Team Phantom MMA and Indogym, Bimaodji is set to make his ONE Championship debut opposite countryman Adrian Mattheis.

Striking specialist Riski “Kong” Umar is a 25-year-old ONE Championship strawweight contender from Ternate, Indonesia. A Muay Thai and taekwondo practitioner, Umar has travelled across Asia, honing his talent out of various martial arts outfits. He now currently trains at the prestigious Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand, alongside Asia’s top martial arts talents. With a professional mixed martial arts record of 3-1, Umar is a capable finisher with all three of his victories coming by stoppage. Known for his toughness and superior striking skill, Umar is set to return in his fifth appearance inside the ONE cage, this time against Egi Rozten in an epic rematch of their first encounter.

30-year-old Egi Rozten is a professional mixed martial artist and former regional boxing champion from Jakarta, Indonesia. He made his ONE Championship debut in January 2018 against countryman Riski Umar, in what was an action-packed one round affair that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Displaying incredible toughness and resolve, Rozten proved to the world that he has the willpower to hang with the best talents in Asia. Now, he gets the opportunity to go for his first victory in ONE Championship, when he rematches Umar at home in Jakarta.


ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES
Saturday, 22 September
Jakarta Convention Center, Jakarta, Indonesia

Main Event
ONE Strawweight World Championship
Yoshitaka Naito vs Joshua Pacio
Mixed Martial Arts: 56.7kg

Stefer Rahardian vs Peng Xue Wen
Mixed Martial Arts: 56.7kg

Sergio Wielzen vs Rodtang Jitmuangnon
ONE Super Series Muay Thai: 61.2kg

Yuya Wakamatsu vs Danny Kingad
Mixed Martial Arts: 61.2kg

Koyomi Matsushima vs Marat Gafurov
Mixed Martial Arts: 70.3kg

Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev vs Timofey Nastyukhin
Mixed Martial Arts: 77.1kg

Kairat Akhmetov vs Ma Hao Bin
Mixed Martial Arts: 61.2kg

Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol vs Jomary Torres
Mixed Martial Arts: 52.2kg

Fabrice Fairtex Delannon vs Yodpanomrung Jitmuangnon
ONE Super Series Muay Thai: 65.8kg

Victorio Senduk vs Sunoto
Mixed Martial Arts: 65.8kg

Adrian Mattheis vs Angelo Bimaodji
Mixed Martial Arts: 56.7kg

Riski Umar vs Egi Rozten
Mixed Martial Arts: 59.0kg (Catch Weight)

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest global sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Championship is the home of martial arts and is the world's largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world's best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.

Monday, August 13, 2018

Giorgio Petrosyan, the Michael Jordan of kickboxing, joins Evolve Fight Team


Regarded as one of the top professional martial arts squads in Asia, Evolve Fight Team has bolstered its deep roster of talented athletes by heralding kickboxing superstar Giorgio Petrosyan as its newest member.

Evolve Fight Team, the official competition unit of the Singapore-based training facility Evolve MMA, houses the best and the brightest combat sports personalities such as Ben Askren, Angela Lee, Shinya Aoki, Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke, Roger Gracie, Michelle Nicolini, Sam-A Gaiyanghadao and Rafael dos Anjos.

The aforementioned group made a blockbuster announcement on Friday, 10 August, revealing the addition of Petrosyan to its already-stacked cast.

When making a comparison between two highly successful people these days, often times basketball legend Michael Jordan is used as a metaphor for someone who is the best at his or her craft.

Whether it is a discussion about players on the basketball court or chefs in the kitchen, the phrase so and so is “the Michael Jordan” of blank has been a description used to explain greatness.

If there is someone who replicated the significance and success of a hard-court great like Jordan inside the kickboxing ring, it is Petrosyan.

The 32-year-old Italian’s name carries a special weight to kickboxing fans as for four years, Petrosyan was the undeniable pound-for-pound king of the sport.

Nicknamed "The Doctor” for his supreme technical skills, ring generalship and defensive prowess which has seen him defeat some of the best strikers in the world while taking little-to-no damage, Petrosyan has been lacing up the gloves since he was 16 years of age.


Over the course of a stellar kickboxing career, Petrosyan has amassed a phenomenal record of 88-2-2 (2 NC) and is famed for his six-year, 42-bout winning streak.

From 2009 to 2013, Petrosyan established himself as the world's top middleweight with two consecutive K-1 World MAX World Championship tournament titles.

Following It's Showtime and K-1's demise, Petrosyan then joined Glory in 2012 and further cemented his place as the best 154-pound kickboxer by winning the Glory 2012 Lightweight Slam tourney.

Petrosyan made his much-awaited ONE Championship debut last April as part of the promotion’s ONE Super Series, which was created with the purpose of showcasing the purest forms of striking arts such as Muay Thai and kickboxing on the biggest and most prestigious platform of competition.

In his maiden assignment under the ONE Championship banner, he outworked former Lion Fight World Champion “Smokin’” Jo Nattawut of Thailand in three rounds to score a unanimous decision victory.

Petrosyan, who recently notched another dominant win in a different kickboxing league this past July, is scheduled to make his return to the ONE Championship stage later this year.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.