ONE Fight Night 2 takes place this weekend at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore, and is the latest card to be shown at prime time in the USA. The stacked bill is sure to be something combat sports fans around the world will not want to miss – here are five reasons why……
1. Two incredible world title fights
Most fight fans would be delighted with a title-fight to headline a card but at ONE Fight Night 2 there will be two belts on the line – including the Strawweight World Championship, and the Flyweight Submission Grappling World Championship – this is a night not to be missed.
2. Champion v Champion: The Trilogy
When it comes to the great rivalries in women’s MMA, look no further than Xiong Jing Nan and Angela Lee. Strawweight Champion Xiong (17-2) will put her title on the line against current Atomweight queen Lee (11-2), to settle a trilogy which currently stands at one win each. Xiong took the first fight in March 2019 via TKO with a series of vicious body kicks and punches, while Lee evened the score with a submission win just over six months later. ‘Unstoppable’ Lee has only fought once since then, a win over Stamp Fairtex in March this year, while Xiong has three five-round decisions to her name reinforcing her position at the head of the 125lbs division.
3. A first submission-grappling champ will be crowned
In a first for ONE, this weekend will see the crowning of the first-ever submission grappling champion, in the flyweight division – and you could not ask for two better competitors. American Mikey Musumeci is widely regarded as the best American-born Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner on the planet, and he will have his skills tested by Sao Paolo’s Cleber Sousa. Musumeci is a five-time jiu-jitsu world champion (four gi and one no-gi), and currently holds a four-fight win streak and an overall 17-3 record, this will be his second ONE outing. Sousa will be making his ONE debut this weekend, but has a lengthy list of accomplishments in the sport, including a gold at the IBJJF Pan American Championships. The pair have faced each other twice previously, in 2017, with each man picking up a win – this rubber match will decide who goes home with a brand new title.
4. Turkish fighters ready to make a big splash
This card will have a lot of interest in the Middle East and surrounding area, with a strong Turkish presence featuring. Tayfun Ozcan will continue in his quest for a shot at the featherweight kickboxing world title in what is set to be a spectacular striking encounter against Marat Grigorian. Ozcan is of Dutch/Turkish origin and has enjoyed a stunning rise, losing just one of his last 15 bouts – including 5 KO/TKO finishes. He now has his sights set on getting closer to title glory.
Halil Amir will be familiar to Middle East MMA fans after his appearance at UAE Warriors in 2021. He will make his ONE debut this weekend against Timofey Nastyukhin – the co-owner of the record for fastest knockout at just six seconds.
5. A Pair Of Famous Former ONE World Champions Return
To go along with that, there are plenty of fighters with title experience and credentials on the card. Atomweight World Grand Prix champion Stamp Fairtex will take on Jihin Radzuan. Fairtex is a former ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title holder, and winner of the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Tournament. Last time out she failed in her bid to take the Atomweight MMA crown from Angela Lee and will be keen to get back in the win column.
Martin Nguyen, who battles Ilya Freymanov, is a former two-weight world champion – and almost a three-weight champion. Having signed with ONE in 2014, inside just six fights he has claimed gold in two divisions – the first fighter to complete the feat in ONE history. He’s lost two of his last three fights, but a win last time out over Kiril Gorobets put him back on track and the Australian will be looking to maintain that momentum this weekend.
ONE Fight Night 2 is not to be missed, for more information and to find out how you can watch see http://watch.onefc.com/
