Preview: One Championship 'Kingdom of Heroes'

Prelims

Alain Ngalani (25-8-1 2NC) vs. Andre Meunier (42-8-0)
ONE Super Series Kickboxing, Heavyweights

From the outset, this bout looks destined for a knockout finish. Both men have claimed multiple Kickboxing and muay Thai heavyweight world titles, and while they are in their early forties and at the tail end of their careers, each man is still more than capable of landing a lights-out shot on his opponent. There is a reason why the ONE matchmakers put this bout at the top of the preliminary card, and it wasn’t because they thought that heading into the business end of the evening the crowd would enjoy an intricate war of attrition between two counter-strikers.

Ngalani is originally from Cameroon but is now based full-time in Hong Kong, where he trains out of Impakt Academy of Mixed Martial Arts. Ngalani last fought for ONE back in June at ONE: Pinnacle of Power in a kickboxing bout which he lost via third round TKO. This will be Andre Meunier's second fight for the promotion. In his debut bout in July at ONE: Battle for the Heavens he found himself on the receiving end of a first-round KO loss to Moroccan Ibrahim El Bouni.

Ngalani’s speed will give him a slight edge going into the contest but with the power that both men generate it seems like a case of who lands clean first will take home the win.

Petchmorrakot Wor. Sangprapai (156-33-2) vs. Alaverdi Ramazanov (57-3-0)
ONE Super Series Muay Thai, Bantamweights

Petchmorrakot Wor. Sangprapai is regarded as one of top muay Thai fighters currently competing which is no surprise considering he comes out of the highly rated Petchyindee Academy. The 24-year-old two-division Lumpinee Stadium Champion and WMC Champion made his impressive ONE debut back in June at ONE: Pinnacle of Power, stopping Frenchman Fabrice Fairtex Delannon in the second round. Before making a move to ONE Championship, Petchmorrakot had claimed victories over some of the biggest names in the sport including Saenchai PKSaenchaimuaythaigym.

In Ramazanov, he faces off against another young fighter eager to prove himself on the ONE Championship stage. The 23-year-old three-time IFMA champion is from Russia but fights out of Thailand’s Venum Training Camp. The chance to compete against a fighter of Petchmorrakot’s standing should ensure we see a focused and fired up Ramazanov emerge from the dressing room. A victory for the Russian would be unexpected, but with only three losses to his name and with a solid set of skills accompanying him to the ring, Ramazanov is capable of pulling off an upset.

Hayato Suzuki (18-1-2) vs. Robin Catalan (8-3-0), Strawweights

Depending on the mood of the ONE matchmakers a win in Bangkok could help set up Hayato Suzuki for a title shot. The Japanese submission expert already holds one win over the current strawweight champion, Joshua Pacio, and now that the Filipino has the belt around his waist Suzuki would no doubt want another crack at his former opponent.

This will be the Suzuki’s fourth fight for the promotion; he made his ONE debut in August 2017, putting on an impressive display to defeat Pacio via first-round submission. The 32-year-old followed up his win over Pacio with a first-round loss to Brazilian Alex Silva, a defeat which temporarily put a halt on any talk of a potential title challenge. He started 2018 with a submission victory over Brazilian Yago Bryan Farias de Morais, a bout in which he would have been expected to win, and he now has the chance to begin mounting a push for the title if he can get past Robin Catalan.

Robin is the younger brother of Rene Catalan, the original opponent that Suzuki was scheduled to face in Bangkok. The bout was shaping up as a potential title eliminator for the strawweight belt, but with Rene out, the fight does lose some of its allure. Robin is a former IFMA World Muay Thai Champion but has not had the same level of success in MMA as his older brother. Suzuki’s stand-up game should be solid enough to deal with any threats posed by Catalan while the fight is on its feet, but when it hits the ground, that will be the time that he will take over and begin to dominate proceedings.

Singtongnoi Por Telakun (221-80-0) vs. Masahide Kudo (17-7-3)
ONE Super Series Kickboxing, Flyweights

Two years ago, muay Thai veteran and Evolve MMA instructor Singtongnoi Por Telakun was in the fight of his life, battling a cancerous tumor discovered after a routine check-up. After 36 sessions of radiation therapy and seven sessions of chemotherapy, the 38-year old Thai was declared cancer-free. This past May he made an emotional return to the cage and defeated Italy’s Joseph Lasiri a WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion and multi-time WMO World Champion, at ONE: UNSTOPPABLE DREAMS. Singtongnoi won the bout via TKO stoppage in the second round.

This weekend the former Lumpinee & WMC Muay Thai World Champion will compete on home soil, and it would be fair to say there will be more than a few local fans shedding a tear when Singtongnoi makes his entrance. The gulf in experience between Singtongnoi and his Japanese opponent Kudo is vast, but the 27-year-old RISE Featherweight Champion will have youth, if not the crowd on his side.

However, as Lasiri discovered back in May, against a fighter as good as Singtongnoi, the advantages of youth do not make much of a difference when paired against overwhelming experience.

Rika Ishige (3-2-0) vs. Bozhena Antoniyar (1-0), Atomweights

Thailand’s Rika Ishige will be looking to get back into the winning column this weekend when she takes on Myanmar’s Bozhena Antoniyar. Ishige suffered an upset loss in her last outing when she was outpointed by fellow Thai Angelie Sabanal back in March at ONE: Iron Will.

The popular Ishige, who goes by the moniker “Tiny Doll,” could struggle against the more powerful Antoniyar. Ishige has demonstrated that she is vulnerable when she forced to stand and trade with her opponents. The 29-year-old is strong in the clinch or on the ground, but against some of the bigger punchers of the division such as Jomary Torres, she struggles to stay in the contest if she is unable to close the distance.

Unfortunately for her, she has been paired with a fighter who has the ability to exploit her weaknesses. Antoniyar is a two time Myanmar national boxing champion and is training out of Bali MMA. She made an impressive start to her ONE Championship and MMA career with a 24-second TKO stoppage of Shwe Sin back in February. Ishige, who trains out of Bangkok Fight Lab and Tiger Muay Thai, will provide a sterner test for the 23-year-old, and we have yet to see how her abilities stack up when she is in the clinch or forced to fight off her back. However, if she can turn the fight into a stand-up contest her power and boxing background should prove too much for Ishige.

Petchdam Gaiyanghadao (91-13-7) vs. Kenny Tse (39-5-0)
ONE Super Series Muay Thai, Flyweights

Thailand’s Petchdam Gaiyanghadao should expect a rousing reception when he steps into the ring this weekend for his ONE debut. The 20-year-old will be the first of the seven Thai fighters competing on the card to have his name ring out around Impact Arena, and as well as this he is also a Bangkok native.

Gaiyanghadao fights out of the renowned Petchyindee Academy. A WBC Muay Thai World Champion Gaiyanghadao will go into his bout with China’s Kenny Tse as the favorite. Tse, who represents Team Ultimate Australia, is a K1 commonwealth champion. The 23-year-old who lives and trains in Melbourne, Australia is a fighter who likes to force the action, and if he is allowed to establish his rhythm early is capable of creating real problems for Gaiyanghadao. However, as long as Gaiyanghadao is not overwhelmed by the occasion, you would have to back the Thai national to take home the victory.

Fu Chang Xin (8-1-0) vs. Rin Saroth (3-5-0), Bantamweights

China’s Fu Chang Xin made his ONE debut in July at ONE: Battle for the Heavens and continued his run of good form by claiming a first-round stoppage victory over Kazakhstan's Rustem Ensebayev. The 26-year-old comes into this bout on the back of a four-fight winning streak which includes wins over the likes of Frans Mlambo. Chang Xin leans heavily on his striking background with four of his eight wins coming via KO.

In Saroth, he will be facing an opponent who is unlikely to challenge the top tier fighters of the division but is still dangerous enough to cause him problems. Before switching to MMA, Saroth competed in over a hundred Kun Khmer bouts, and the 25-year-old did go the distance with striking specialist Muhammad Aiman in March. His most recent ONE Championship outing was a TKO victory over Indonesia’s Mario Satya Wirawan in June at ONE: Pinnacle of Power. The bout may not be high on the radar of people who will be tuning in to watch the event, but it could prove to an entertaining contest between two tough and committed fighters.

Dodi Mardian (2-3-0) vs. Ramon Gonzales (2-2-0), Flyweights

The night’s opening bout between Indonesia’s Dodi Mardian and Roman Gonzales from the Philippines will most likely be standing up the battle as both fighters come from striking backgrounds. Mardian originally trained in Muay Thai and Sanda before making the switch to MMA while Gonzales is a national Kyokushin Karate champion. Mardian’s last outing was a first-round submission loss to Elipitua Siregar back in May at ONE: Grit& Glory. The 34-year-old was taken down early in the round, and his lack of grappling abilities meant that a submission loss appeared to be almost a formality.

In Gonzales case, it has been over a year since the 31-year-old appeared at a ONE Championship event. The Filipino last fought in September 2017 where he defeated China’s Deligerihu Liu via submission. In the interim Gonzales competed at a Fight Nights Global event picking up a decision win over Shuhrat Hakimov from Tajikistan. If the fight stays standing Mardian will have a chance to pick up his first ONE Championship win, but the Gonzales looks to have more attacking options in his toolkit than the Indonesian may know how to handle.