ADDITIONAL BOUTS ANNOUNCED FOR ONE: ETERNAL GLORY SET FOR 19 JANUARY IN JAKARTA

Joshua “The Passion” Pacio, who hails from Baguio City, Philippines, captured the ONE Strawweight World Championship with a unanimous decision victory over former titleholder Yoshitaka Naito at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES last September. It was an epic rematch between the two warriors, as Pacio put together the performance of a lifetime to claim the prestigious title.

The 22-year-old Filipino has shown tremendous improvement over the past few years leading up to his title reign. With the ONE Strawweight World Championship firmly in his grasp, he looks to make a successful first defense at ONE’s first event of 2019.

Standing in his way is Japan’s Yosuke Saruta, a Shooto Strawweight World Champion who signed with ONE Championship after defeating several of the best athletes Shooto and Pancrase had to offer. Saruta has had one goal since he joined the world’s largest martial arts organization, and that is to become the ONE Strawweight World Champion. If he can defeat Pacio, he will have achieved his long-time goal.

Featherweight prodigy Christian “The Warrior” Lee of Singapore and veteran martial artist Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly of the Philippines first met at ONE: BEYOND THE HORIZON last September. However, their bout ended in controversy when Lee was disqualified for the inadvertent use of a suplex maneuver. At ONE: ETERNAL GLORY, the two athletes get the chance to set the record straight.

Lee is the younger brother of ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee and is one of the promotion’s top featherweight talents. Kelly is a member of the famed Team Lakay camp, and he trains alongside a collection of ONE World Champions including Pacio, Eduard Folayang, Geje Eustaquio, and Kevin Belingon. Both Lee and Kelly aim to shoot up the ranks, and a victory for either man in this highly-anticipated match-up would certainly move the winner up the ladder.

Indonesian national wushu champion Priscilla Hertati Lumban Goal had an exceptional 2018, competing for a total of six times and going 5-1 on the year. To kick off 2019, she will face Indian national wushu champion Puja Tomar in a women’s atomweight showdown.

Lumban Gaol has emerged as one of Indonesia’s fastest rising stars over the past 12 months, having turned in a series of spectacular performances to captivate the local audience. She aims to make a statement in her next bout and possibly a run at the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Title. Tomar, however, stands in her way and looks to steal the Indonesian’s thunder with a victory of her own.

Milan, Italy’s Joseph “The Hurricane” Lasiri is back in action against Jonathan Haggerty of England in a ONE Super Series Muay Thai contest.

Lasiri began training in Muay Thai at the age of 17 and went on to become a World Champion in the discipline. He is a former WBA Super Bantamweight and WBC Interim Super Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion. Haggerty, on the other hand, is an ISKA Super Featherweight World Champion and is considered one of the top prospects in the striking arena. The two are ready to bring the crowd to its feet in what should be an action-packed flyweight encounter.

Indonesia’s Stefer Rahardian is making his long-awaited return to action at home against the Philippines’ Robin “The Ilonggo” Catalan. The two are scheduled for a strawweight battle that provides fans with an interesting clash of styles.

Rahardian is the former ONE Indonesia Flyweight Tournament Champion and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist under the lineage of the legendary Carlson Gracie. The Indonesian warrior will need every bit of his grappling skills to face Catalan, a former wushu and Muay Thai World Champion who plans to test Rahardian’s striking.

Two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu No Gi World Champion Bruno Pucci of Brazil looks to put together the first win streak of his ONE Championship career when he takes on Japanese warrior Kotetsu “No Face” Boku in a featherweight contest.

Pucci defeated China’s Xie Chao last November, impressively claiming victory via first-round guillotine choke. The grappling specialist is always dangerous on the mat. However, Pucci will need every bit of his grappling ability in order to defeat the veteran Boku. “No Face” brings nearly two decades of competitive experience to the table, and he is also a former ONE Lightweight World Champion.

The Netherlands’ Anthony “The Archangel” Engelen made a successful return to the ONE Championship stage in 2018, finishing both Meas Meul and Jimmy Yabo in the first round. He will take on Cambodia’s Thai Rithy at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY.

Engelen, who is based out of Jakarta, joined ONE Championship in December 2015 after becoming the IFC Lightweight Champion. He looks to extend his two-bout win streak by defeating Rithy. Rithy is a KWC Featherweight Champion and a striking specialist well-versed in the Cambodian martial art of Kun Khmer.

Kickboxing world champion Florent Kaouachi of France will take on Steve “The Smashing Machine” McKinnon in a ONE Super Series kickboxing contest.

Kaouachi is a former French national kickboxing champion and is one of the world’s top strikers. He began training in martial arts at 15 years of age and proved to be a natural talent. McKinnon, in contrast, owns a black belt in Shotokan Karate and began his professional kickboxing career at age 16. Along the way, he has been decorated with accomplishments such as winning the 2008 WBC Muay Thai World Super Cruiserweight Title.

Former Afghan bantamweight and featherweight champion Ahmad Qais Jasoor will be taking on Japanese martial arts veteran Masakazu “Ashikan Judan” Imanari in a featherweight contest.

Jasoor is skilled in both boxing and combat sambo, and he is a two-division champion in regional promotion HFC. He joined ONE Championship in June 2018 as one of the top martial arts talents to emanate from the Middle East. Conversely, Imanari is an experienced veteran with over 50 professional mixed martial arts bouts on his record. Most recently, Imanari proved that he only gets better with age after finishing Radeem Rahman via first round submission.

Also, top lightweight talents are set to collide as Kharun “The Predator” Atlangeriev of Russia takes on Koji “The Commander” Ando of Japan.

The two incredibly talented athletes both feature a well-rounded skill set and will look to put on a show at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY. Atlangeriev is a former Russian sambo champion and is dangerous on the feet as well as on the mat. Ando sports a similar style but is more careful with his approach to both offense and defense. The Japanese martial artist defeated Roger Huerta in one of the best ever match-ups of 2015, and also owns victories over Rafael Nunes, Zorobabel Moreira, and former ONE Featherweight World Champion Narantungalag Jadambaa.

Veteran competitor from Indonesia, “The Iceman” Yohan Mulia Legowo, is set to return to action against Malaysia’s AJ “Pyro” Lias Mansor in a featherweight contest.

Legowo is a highly-versatile martial artist with experience in kung fu, sanda, boxing, wrestling, judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has also competed in professional Muay Thai in Thailand. Mansor is the well-respected head coach of the renowned Borneo Tribal Squad in Kota Kinabalu. He is responsible for guiding ONE Championship talents such as Ann “Athena” Osman, Audreylaura Boniface, and just recently the Philippines’ Jeremy Miado. After a lengthy absence from competition, “Pyro” makes his much-awaited return to the ONE Championship cage.

Local martial arts talents Riski “Kong” Umar and Aziz Calim are set to do battle in a three-round strawweight contest. 

The two Indonesian martial artists are known for their aggressive striking styles. Umar began his martial arts career with Muay Thai in Thailand, and he has spent time at both Bali MMA and Tiger Muay Thai. Conversely, Calim found a home at Han Academy under veteran Yohan Mulia Legowo where he honed his skills in a wide range of disciplines including boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

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.

ONE CHAMPIONSHIP ATHLETES HONORED WITH MULTIPLE AWARDS AT 2018 GLOBAL MARTIAL ARTS AWARDS

Filipino superstar Eduard Folayang took home the Martial Arts Hero of the Year award. Folayang is the former ONE Lightweight World Champion and has long been considered the face of Philippine mixed martial arts. He bagged a pair of victories in 2018 against previously unbeaten Russian adversaries Kharun Atlangeriev and Aziz Pahrudinov. The 34-year-old native of Baguio City, Philippines is scheduled to face Singaporean sensation Amir Khan in the main event of ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS on 23 November for the vacant ONE Lightweight World Championship.

ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang copped Male Athlete of the Year honors. Aung La N Sang is a superstar in Myanmar, and has a massive following unlike any other in his home country of Myanmar. Aung La N Sang scored three exhilarating knockouts in 2018, including a sensational one-punch finish of Ken Hasegawa last June.

Reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee won Female Athlete of the Year. The 22-year-old is one of the youngest mixed martial arts world champions in history, and has a huge fan following all across the globe. Her lone outing in 2018 is a successful defense of her atomweight title against Mei Yamaguchi this past May.

Five-division Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao of Evolve MMA in Singapore took home the Muay Thai Athlete of the Year citation. Nong-O joined ONE Championship in early 2018 as a marquee talent for ONE Super Series. The Muay Thai legend has since posted exciting victories over Fabio Pinca and Mehdi Zatout.

The epic clash between Aung La N Sang and Ken Hasegawa at ONE: SPIRIT OF A WARRIOR last June was hailed as Bout of the Year. Both men figured in one of the most exciting bouts in ONE Championship history, and an extremely close championship encounter. Drawing loud cheers from the raucous crowd, the two warriors unloaded blistering combinations that pushed each other to the limit. In the final moments of the fifth round, Aung La N Sang managed to sneak in a thunderous uppercut to shut the lights off on Hasegawa.

Reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio bagged Submission of the Year honors with his modified keylock victory over Pongsiri Mitsatit in July. Pacio then fondly dubbed his submission maneuver “The Passion Lock”, a product of Team Lakay’s Baguio Jiu-Jitsu.

Lee Ji Na of Andong, South Korea won the Ring Girl of the Year award. Lee is a popular model based in the capital city of Seoul. She began her modeling career in spectacular fashion, famously winning a Maxim bikini contest and landing a spread in the world-renowned men’s magazine. This exposure brought her to the attention of ONE Championship, where today she is one of the promotion’s most recognizable ring girls.

ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES, which took place at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand on 6 October was named Event of the Year. The stacked card featured world-class boxing in ONE Championship for the very first time, as WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai successfully defended his title against Iran Diaz of Mexico. The event garnered a record over 25 million viewers worldwide.

Gym of the Year award was bestowed to the Baguio City, Philippines-based Team Lakay. Team Lakay started off 2018 with zero world champions, but now has three in ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje Eustaquio, ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua Pacio, and ONE Interim Bantamweight World Champion Kevin Belingon.

ONE Championship veteran referee Olivier Coste was honored with the Referee of the Year award. Coste has been with the promotion from the very beginning, and has since led the officiating for ONE Championship.

Breakthrough Athlete of the Year honors went to Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex, a talent who emerged from Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series and recently joined ONE Super Series. Stamp defeated “Killer Bee” Kai Ting Chuang at ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES this past October to be crowned the new ONE Kickboxing Atomweight World Champion.

2018 Global Martial Arts Awards Official Winners:

Martial Arts Hero of the Year: Eduard Folayang

Male Athlete of the Year: Aung La N Sang

Female Athlete of the Year: Angela Lee

Muay Thai Athlete of the Year: Nong-O Gaiyanghadao

Kickboxing Athlete of the Year: Tenshin Nasukawa

Bout of the Year: Aung La N Sang vs Ken Hasegawa

Knockout of the Year: Brian Ortega (KO of Frankie Edgar)

Submission of the Year: Joshua Pacio via “The Passion Lock”

Martial Arts Journalist of the Year: Manabu Takashima of MMA Planet

Ring Girl of the Year: Lee Ji Na

Event of the Year: ONE: Kingdom of Heroes

Walkout of the Year: Andy Nguyen

Gym of the Year: Team Lakay

Referee of the Year: Olivier Coste

Coach of the Year: Mark Sangiao

Breakthrough Athlete of the Year: Stamp Fairtex

How Team Lakay's 'Baguio Jiu-Jitsu' Is Helping Kevin Belingon Prepare For Bibiano Fernandes' Ground Game

Hard-hitting Filipino dynamo Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon is in deep training for his second encounter against reigning ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes.

Both men are set to collide in the co-main event of ONE: HEART OF THE LION, which takes place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 9 November.

The 30-year-old Baguio City resident fell short in his first attempt to snatch Fernandes' world title in January 2016 after he was submitted in the opening round with a wrenching Kimura lock.

Belingon worked his way back to the top since that fateful night as he is currently riding a six-bout winning streak against top-tier competition.

In his most recent outing, Belingon defeated two-division champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen to capture the ONE Interim Bantamweight Title.

Unlike Nguyen, however, Fernandes is considered a much more dangerous foe on the ground, making the entire of Team Lakay work together to improve Belingon's grappling before the rematch.

"Training is going really well. I have the entire team with me on this as I work on my wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu. What we do is go down from the mountains to train with Coach John Baylon. We do the basics, gather what we can use in actual bouts, and then go back to Baguio to do it all over again. We trim down what can be used for our contests and what not," he said.

"It's so hard to roll with Coach John. He's difficult to control, and his technique is on another level. Despite his age, he's very strong and is very flexible. We, at Team Lakay, would usually get submitted by Coach John. Other than that, Eduard Folayang has also brought in new techniques he learned from his training camp in the US," Belingon added.

Former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang is one of Belingon's high-profile training partners in fine-tuning his ground game against the longtime kingpin of the 65.8-kilogram weight class.

Despite the team being composed of mostly white belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Folayang bared that they have built a system which has a practical and effective use when it comes to mixed martial arts.

"We focus on No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu and its practical uses in mixed martial arts. The American approach to grappling is a bit different. It is about going to a dominant position and not forcing to secure a submission. What I learned is to get to a dominant position and then score from there," Folayang explained.

"I think we have a good grappling base in Wushu. That is a huge factor because in Wushu. you do takedowns with a pair of gloves. Another factor is we now have the confidence that even if we go to the ground, we do not worry about getting easily submitted," the former lightweight titleholder continued.

Team Lakay's head coach Mark Sangiao, meanwhile, believes that his valued pupil is presently a much more complete martial artist compared to his first encounter with Fernandes.

"We all know that Bibiano is very good on the ground. We are preparing for that, and we are looking for high-level training partners that Kevin can roll with. Our base is Wushu, which has takedowns and striking, but we lack in grappling," Sangiao stated.

"Our fighters’ skill set is complete now. Jiu-Jitsu has the same techniques, but in a mixed martial arts contest, some of its techniques would work and some of it would not. What we did is pick what we can apply and what we cannot in actual bouts," the Team Lakay headmaster expounded further.

As their own blueprint to topple a versatile foe like Fernandes remains a top secret, the only information that Sangiao can give is that Belingon’s mindset is extremely determined to walk out of the cage as the undisputed ONE Bantamweight World Champion.

"He's very motivated. He wants to be the one true king of the bantamweight division. He will do everything just to win,” he ended.

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.

JOSHUA PACIO DETAILS HOW HE OVERCOME YOSHITAKA NAITO TO BECOME ONE STRAWWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION

It took two tries, but finally, Filipino strawweight star Joshua “The Passion” Pacio is now the ONE Strawweight World Champion.

The 22-year old Team Lakay stalwart used his superior striking and much-improved grappling defense to outpoint erstwhile champion Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito of Japan by unanimous decision in the main event of ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES at the Jakarta Convention Center in Jakarta, Indonesia last 22 September.

It was the perfect sequel to their 2016 encounter, as Pacio and Naito brought out the best in each other for an action-packed five round affair.

At the end, it was Pacio who left with his hand raised and the world title on his shoulder after earning the victory on all three of the judges’ scorecards.

“Yoshitaka Naito is a very patient inside the cage,” Pacio said after 25-minute bout. “Plus, he can absorb some hard shots without slowing down. He’s really hard to go against because he keeps moving forward, no matter what you throw at him.”

And while it was something that Pacio had to deal with, Naito’s toughness was not an unexpected aspect of the Japanese star’s game.

“I expected for him to be able to take my hardest shots,” Pacio explained. “If you look back at his match with Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke, he absorbed a lot of kicks and punches but he kept powering forward, so I expected that he’d be able to do the same against me.”

“I hurt him with a kick to the body in the first round and while it did have him on the defensive for a bit, he’s really strong and he kept pushing for the takedowns. I knew he could take those hard shots.” he added.

While Pacio did impose his will on standup department, it was his ground defense that ultimately may have secured him the championship.

Pacio did a good job of defending takedowns in the early rounds, but Naito eventually managed to take the Filipino down. From there however, Pacio managed to stifle any attempts at offense that Naito attempted.

“Yes, he did manage to take me down, but I kept him from passing my guard and gaining any positional advantage,” he elaborated. “Even if he scored the takedown, if he couldn’t pass guard or move into a better and more advantageous position, he wouldn’t be able to score any points because he was just stuck in guard.”

And even on his back, Pacio made sure to stay busy by punishing Naito with strikes from the bottom position.

“While on top, he was punching me a bit, but I was answering back with some elbows of my own, so I believe it was a close fight on the ground. Standing up, Naito was able to tag me a few times, so it shows that he really worked on his striking as well.”

That night however, belonged to Pacio, who becomes the third member of Team Lakay to become a ONE World Champion in 2018, joining reigning ONE Interim Bantamweight World Champion Kevin Belingon and reigning ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje Eustaquio.

“I’m so happy, I can’t explain what I’m feeling right now,” and elated Pacio admitted. “I did not know whether I was going cry or laugh when they announced the decision after the bout. It was an unexplainable feeling.”

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.

Ma Hao Bin hopes to elevate Chinese martial arts through his ONE Championship stint

China has a deep and rich history when it comes to martial arts. Over centuries, the Chinese have developed hundreds of styles of combat that fall under more the popular disciplines of Wushu and Kung Fu. 

On a mainstream standpoint, Chinese stars like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li have all become popular all over the world after brining their martial arts skills onto the silver screen. 

These have made China one of the Asian countries synonymous to martial arts. Recently, China has also made gigantic strides in the world of mixed martial arts. 

Earlier this year, the first mixed martial arts world champion was crowned, with “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan capturing the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship in clinical and dismantling fashion against previously-undefeated Singaporean Tiffany Teo back in January. 

Already with two successful title defenses this year, including a dominant knockout win over Brazilian champion Samara “Marituba” Santos in Shanghai in early September, Xiong is set to take on the biggest challenge of her career when she puts the ONE Women’s Strawweight Championship on the line against reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight Champions Angela Lee in a champion-versus-champion clash in Singapore this November. 

A win over Lee not only makes it three successful title defenses for Xiong in 2018, but it will also help put Chinese mixed martial arts on the map. 

While Xiong, being a world champion, has the biggest platform to help elevate the state of the sport in China, there are a handful of other Chinese mixed martial artists who are helping the cause as well. 

Among them is Chinese flyweight sensation “The Southern Eagle” Ma Hao Bin. 

The Nanchang, China-based grappler has had an impressive run on the ONE Championship stage, piling a remarkable 6-1 win-loss standing in the promotion. 

The ONE Changsha Bantamweight Tournament Champion will look to make it seven wins under the organization’s umbrella when he meets former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES on Saturday, 22 September in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

Before becoming one of China’s most promising mixed martial artists, Ma was an elite Greco-Roman wrestler who went on to become a Chinese National Wrestling Champion. 

In 2016, Ma took the leap into mixed martial arts and immediately made a splash in ONE Championship, winning his first two bouts via submission with a combined time of just one minute and 35 seconds. 

Now with a professional record of 11-3, Ma is looking to bounce back from his most recent defeat, and his next test against Akhmetov, a former world champion, is arguably his toughest to date. 

For the 24-year old Chinese prodigy, it’s simply part of the journey as he tries to follow the footsteps of Xiong and become a world champion as well. 

“I did not reach all of my goals in wrestling, so that is why I am chasing my dreams in the cage now,” Ma shared on ONE Championship’s official website. 

Reaching that level of success, Ma believes that his current stature will not only help take his career to new heights, but also help the martial arts scene in China as well. 

“I hope to see martial artists have a great future in China, so that more people will get to know and love martial arts,” he expressed. 

Competing in the biggest martial arts organization in the world will surely help, and Ma is out to make the most of that opportunity. 

“I want more people around me to know about martial arts through my efforts, and that means I am working for the honor of my country,” he declared.

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.

Jakarta Will Play Host to Maiden ONE Championship Appearances of Japanese Knockout Artists

From fearless strikers to elite submission grapplers, Japan has provided the forever-expanding world of mixed martial arts with a long list of extraordinary athletes with the likes of Caol Uno, Hayato Sakurai, Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, Takanori “Fireball Kid” Gomi and Kazushi Sakuraba.

Knowing the relevance of Japanese combatants in the sport, ONE Championship houses the best and brightest competitors from “The Land of the Rising Sun” as they form an integral part of the roster, with exciting prizefighters such as Koji Ando and Kotetsu Boku, as well as the legendary Shinya Aoki and ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka Naito.

Other Japanese members of the ONE Championship locker room are Mei Yamaguchi, Hayato Suzuki, Riku Shibuya, Tetsuya Yamada, Yuki Kondo, Kazunori Yokota, Nobutatsu Suzuki and Masakazu Imanari.

In preparation for its first venture into Japan in the first quarter of 2019, ONE Championship has bolstered its promising pool of world-class talents with the acquisition of Japanese prospects Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu and Koyomi Matsushima.

Both men will make their respective promotional debuts on the undercard of ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES, which takes place at the Jakarta Convention Center in Indonesia on 22 September.

Holding a professional record of 10-2, Wakamatsu is an aggressive knockout artist with shocking power.

With nine of his ten victories coming by way of knockout, the 23-year-old native of Kagoshima, Japan is a force to be reckoned with at flyweight.

“I am happy to be part of the growing ONE Championship family. I would also like to thank everyone who made this possible. I can’t wait to have my promotional debut and exhibit what I am capable of doing,” Wakamatsu stated.

A winner of ten of his last 11 bouts, Wakamatsu has decided to direct his career path to ONE Championship, locking horns with former ONE Flyweight World Championship challenger Danny “The King” Kingad in his first assignment under the promotion’s banner on 22 September.

“The fans must not blink every time I am inside the ring or cage because I could finish the contest at any time,” Wakamatsu promised.

On the other hand, Matsushima is one of the fastest rising mixed martial artists hailing from Kanagawa prefecture located in the Kantō region of Japan.

With a win-loss standing of 9-3, Matsushima has put together a handful of solid performances while competing in local Japanese promotions such as Pancrase and Shooto.

Having a penchant for scoring highlight-reel stoppages, Matsushima owns five victories by knockouts and has shared the cage with notable names outside of ONE Championship, including Rolando Gabriel Dy and Kyle Aguon.

“I am honored to be part of this world-class martial arts organization. With ONE Championship opening its doors for other martial artists like me to join and showcase our talent on a global stage, it means a lot to me as an athlete,” Matsushima said.

Matsushima brings his all-action style to ONE Championship when he makes his first appearance on 22 September against ex-featherweight kingpin Marat “The Cobra” Gafurov at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES.

“This is a new challenge, and I love challenges. I am looking forward to my debut in ONE Championship,” Matsushima declared.

ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES is headlined by a scheduled five-round strawweight championship rematch between division champion Naito and Filipino rival Joshua Pacio.

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.

Three Elite Martial Artists Set to Make their ONE Super Series Debut at ONE: BEYOND THE HORIZON

Since its debut back in April, ONE Super Series has become widely successful, providing fans the most exciting martial arts action from some of the world’s premier martial artists.

Bannered by Muay Thai and kickboxing icons such as Giorgio Petrosyan, Nong-O Gaiyanghadao and reigning ONE Kickboxing Atomweight World Champion Kai Ting Chuang just to name a few, ONE Championship has done a masterful job of bringing in the cream of the crop from the combat sports world.

As the highly-acclaimed ONE Super Series continues to grow in terms of popularity, more and more world class talent is set to come in.

At ONE: BEYOND THE HORIZON on Saturday, 8 September in Shanghai, China, three more elite martial artists are set to make their promotional debut.

At 25 years of age, Hakim Hamech is still relatively young, but he already has a wealth of experience in Muay Thai and kickboxing.

The native of Lyon, France is a former two-time world champion in Muay Thai and possesses an impressive 42-8 professional record.

A veteran of promotions such as K-1, Glory of Heroes and many others, Hamech will finally be taking his talents to the biggest martial arts stage in the world.

Welcoming him to ONE Championship will be Japanese Muay Thai star Yukinori Ogasawara, who is coming off a big knockout win over Rui Botelho in Macau this past June.

Hamech and Ogasawara will meet in a three-round ONE Super Series Flyweight Muay Thai contest.

“I’m extremely excited to finally be part of the ONE Championship family and get the chance to showcase my talents on the ONE Super Series stage,” said Hamech. “This is the big leagues, and I’m ready to show that I’m here to be the best.”

Also making his highly-anticipated ONE Championship debut will be Italian Muay Thai and kickboxing star Mustapha “The Flying Dragon” Haida.

The 29-year-old Haida boasts an impressive resume, which includes an ISKA World Championship to go along with a 38-7-3 professional record with 20 wins coming via knockout.

At one point in his career, Haida was considered as one of the top ten welterweight kickboxers in the world.

Haida has performed on big stages such as Glory, Kunlun Fight, Venum Victory World Series and most recently Bellator Kickboxing.

Now, Haida steps under the bright lights of the ONE Super Series, where he will be facing Australian martial arts star Daniel Dawson, who is also set to make his maiden ONE Championship appearance.

“It’s a big honor to be on a stage as big as ONE Championship, and I’m happy that I get to make my debut against someone as decorated and as experienced as Daniel Dawson,” Haida stated. “We will definitely give the fans in Shanghai an exciting show.”

Easily the most experienced of the three newcomers, Perth, Dawson brings with him an extensive combined boxing and kickboxing record of 112 bouts with 93 wins and 57 wins via knockout.

With 26 years of experience under his belt, Dawson has collected countless championships, including world championships in boxing and Muay Thai and eight world championship runs in kickboxing.

The 40-year-old Dawson has competed all over the world in promotions such as K-1, Shoot Boxing and Judgement Day.

Dawson finally steps onto the biggest stage of his career when he makes promotional debut.

“I’m really looking forward to be under the bright lights and in one of the biggest stages there is in martial arts,” Dawson expressed.

“Of course, for me to be able to compete on a stage like this, I’m one of those fighters that the bigger the crowd, the bigger the energy, the more I love it, so I’m just really excited and super pumped to be on this trip, on this show,” he added.

Haida and Dawson will square off against each other in a ONE Super Series 72.5-kilogram kickboxing clash.

Headlining ONE: BEYOND THE HORIZON will be China’s “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan, defending the ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship against Brazilian challenger Samara “Marituba” Santos.

Also featured on the card is a showdown between two of Asia’s top mixed martial arts stables as Singaporean knockout artist Amir Khan takes on former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario of the Philippines in a crucial lightweight contest.

Meanwhile, former ONE Featherweight World Championship contender Christian “The Warrior” Lee of Singapore dukes it out with the hard-hitting Filipino martial arts hero Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly.

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.

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.