(PRESS RELEASE) -- Yangon, Myanmar: Asia’s largest and the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has announced that on 18 July 2015, ONE: KINGDOM OF WARRIORS will take place at the Thuwunna National Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar. Fight fans will be treated to a night of world-class mixed martial arts action as ONE: KINGDOM OF WARRIORS will be headlined by a battle between current ONE Bantamweight World Champion, Bibiano Fernandes and a Finland’s Toni Tauru. The card will also feature the best local and international mixed martial arts heroes.
Bibiano Fernandes is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who grew up on the hardened streets of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. He has multiple world Jiu-Jitsu tournament wins and is currently riding a nine-fight win streak, being so far unbeaten inside the ONE Championship cage since debuting for the promotion in 2012. Fernandes became the ONE Bantamweight World Champion after he impressively dominated the tough Korean fighter, Soo Chul Kim, winning by unanimous decision. He then defended his title against two other contenders, Japan’s Masakatsu Ueda and Korea’s Dae Hwan Kim. This time, Fernandes faces his toughest challenger yet, ONE Championship’s new signing, Toni Tauru.
Toni “Dynamite” Tauru is also on a roll with a ten-fight win streak and is a Cage Warrior Fighting Championship (CWFC) Bantamweight Champion. He is the first Finnish national to win the title in CWFC. Tauru is set to prove himself worthy of the ONE World champion title. Known as a world class grappler who won seven out of his ten wins via submission, Tauru will test his grappling skills against a contender who has established himself as one of the world’s best. This match will likely see two grapplers proving their dominance on the ground.
ONE Championship will stage the largest sporting event to come to Myanmar, which is a testament to the unprecedented growth of mixed martial arts in the country. This will also be the first time the Thuwunna National Indoor Stadium hosts a world-class mixed martial arts event.
CEO of ONE Championship™, Victor Cui, stated, “ONE Championship is the first major world class event in Myanmar with the invitation and support from the Ministry of Sports and we are delighted to finally get the chance to bring our unique brand of adrenaline-pumping mixed martial arts action, live to fight fans in Myanmar.”
Cui further added, “It is part of our growth plan to bring opportunities to countries with a rich history in martial arts and combat sports such as Myanmar. Hence, we’re building an absolutely explosive fight card and it is our goal to leave a lasting impression with fans across the country.”
The Minister of Sports of Myanmar, His Excellency U Tint Hsan said, “Myanmar is now considered a hub for international sports events. With ONE Championship, Asia’s largest and the world’s most exciting martial arts event being hosted here in Myanmar, it will definitely bring a lot of excitement to our people and will help promote the country and encourage more people to visit our beautiful nation.”
Zay Thiha, Vice-Chairman of Zaykabar Corporation also said, “We are thrilled to partner with ONE Championship for their upcoming Myanmar event in July. We have hosted hundreds of international events but this is our first time to work on such a large scale. We look forward to bringing world-class entertainment and excitement to the millions of fans here in Myanmar.”
Full fight card and ticketing information will be announced at a later date.
For more updates on ONE Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow Twitter and Instagram @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA
About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship™ is Asia's largest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship™ has partnered with FOX and STAR Sports for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a coverage that spans 70+ countries across the world.