MMASucka’s ‘ONE Championship: Reign of Valor’ Staff Picks
This weekend, live from the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar, the powerhouse that is ONE Championship returns with a loaded fight card.
Per usual, the staff here at MMASucka made picks for the four main fights taking place at ‘ONE Championship: Reign of Valor’, and the results are interesting.
The Fights
In the night’s main event, newly crowned welterweight king Zebaztian Kadestam will look to defend his title and put an end to the 14-fight win streak of Kazakhstan’s Georgiy Kichigin.
Since losing to Ben Askren, we have seen “The Bandit” put on two incredible showcases in which he finished his foe in the final round of both by way of KO. Back in November, the Swede took on Tyler McGuire for the vacant welterweight title. Here he ended his undefeated opponent over 24-minutes into the bout, with less than 30-seconds remaining in the fifth and final round.
Making his ONE première, “Knight” will look to gain the welterweight strap, hot off the heels of a brutal first-round knockout of UFC veteran Rousimar Palhares. This will be Kichigin’s first bout in a truly world-class, major mixed martial arts promotion. And he’s sure to give Kadestam all he can handle in his first ONE title defense.
Also on the card; a heavyweight tilt as former Cage Warriors champ, Mauro Cerilli, looks to rebound from a disappointing loss to Brandon Vera in his ONE debut. He faces 43-year-old Cameroonian striker, Alain Ngalani. Former strawweight title-holder Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito looks to end the five-fight unbeaten streak of Rene Catalan. And finally, Finland’s “Dynamite” Toni Tauru looks to recover from a rough stretch that has seen him win just one of his last six bouts as he welcomes Indo-Canadian fighter Gary “Saint Lion” Mangat to ONE Championship.
STAFF PICKS
Throughout the year, staff picks will be composed of four different MMA promotions: UFC, Bellator, ONE, and RIZIN. Main cards will make up both UFC and Bellator picks, while the biggest fights to make up ONE and RIZIN events will be used. The WINNER of staff picks will have a choice between receiving a championship belt from ProAmBelts or a championship chain from Championship Chains. The 2018 winner was awarded to Michael DeSantis, compiling a record of 202-101.
Check out our MMASucka staff picks for ONE Championship: Reign of Valor below.
Staff Records after UFC 235:
1. Michael DeSantis: 49-18
2. Ed Gallo: 47-20
3. Connor Deitrich: 45-22
4. Wesley Riddle: 44-23
5. Brian Gerson: 43-24
6T. Mike Skytte: 42-25
6T. Ryan Wagner: 42-17
6T. Mitchell Banuelos: 42-20
7. Justin Pierrot: 41-25
8T. Omar Villagrana: 40-27
8T. Matt Bricker: 40-27
9. Jeremy Brand: 39-28
10. Ash Camyab: 36-15
11. Patrick Auger: 35-27
12. Sasha Moksyakov: 27-14
13. Suraj Sukumar: 23-12
14. Idrees Crawley: 0-0
Zebaztian Kadestam (11-4) vs. Georgiy Kichigin (20-5)
Jeremy Brand: Kadestam via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Kichigin via SD
Mike Skytte: Kichigin via Round 2 SUB
Justin Pierrot: Kadestam via UD
Michael DeSantis: Kadestam via Round 2 TKO
Ryan Wagner: Kadestam via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Kadestam via UD
Ed Gallo: Kadestam via UD
Omar Villagrana: Kadestam via UD
Brian Gerson: Kadestam via Round 2 TKO
Matt Bricker: Kadestam via UD
Connor Deitrich: Kadestam via Round 3 TKO
Patrick Auger: Kadestam via UD
Ash Camyab: Kadestam via UD
Idrees Crawley: Kichigin via Round 2 SUB
Staff picking Kadestam: 12
Staff picking Kichigin: 3
Alain Ngalani (4-4) vs. Mauro Cerilli (12-3)
Jeremy Brand: Ngalani via Round 1 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Cerilli via Round 1 TKO
Mike Skytte: Cerilli via UD
Justin Pierrot: Ngalani via UD
Michael DeSantis: Cerilli via Round 1 TKO
Ryan Wagner: Ngalani via Round 1 TKO
Mitchell Banuelos: Ngalani via Round 3 TKO
Ed Gallo: Cerilli via Round 2 TKO
Omar Villagrana: Cerilli via UD
Brian Gerson: Cerilli via Round 2 TKO
Matt Bricker: Cerilli via UD
Connor Deitrich: Cerilli via Round 1 TKO
Patrick Auger: Cerilli via UD
Ash Camyab: Ngalani via Round 2 TKO
Idrees Crawley: Cerilli via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Ngalani: 5
Staff picking Cerilli: 10
Yoshitaka Naito (13-2) vs. Rene Catalan (5-2)
Jeremy Brand: Naito via Round 1 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Naito via Round 2 SUB
Mike Skytte: Naito via Round 3 SUB
Justin Pierrot: Catalan via UD
Michael DeSantis: Naito via UD
Ryan Wagner: Naito via Round 2 SUB
Mitchell Banuelos: Naito via UD
Ed Gallo: Naito via UD
Omar Villagrana: Naito via UD
Brian Gerson: Naito via UD
Matt Bricker: Naito via UD
Connor Deitrich: Naito via Round 3 SUB
Patrick Auger: Naito via UD
Ash Camyab: Naito via UD
Idrees Crawley: Naito via Round 1 SUB
Staff picking Naito: 14
Staff picking Catalan: 1
Toni Tauru (11-6-1) vs. Gary Mangat (13-2)
Jeremy Brand: Mangat via UD
Wesley Riddle: Mangat via Round 1 TKO
Mike Skytte: Tauru via Round 2 TKO
Justin Pierrot: Mangat via Round 3 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Mangat via Round 2 TKO
Ryan Wagner: Mangat via Round 2 TKO
Mitchell Banuelos: Mangat via Round 2 TKO
Ed Gallo: Tauru via Round 1 TKO
Omar Villagrana: Tauru via UD
Brian Gerson: Tauru via UD
Matt Bricker: Mangat via Round 1 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Mangat via Round 1 TKO
Patrick Auger: Tauru via UD
Ash Camyab: Mangat via UD
Idrees Crawley: Mangat via UD
Staff picking Tauru: 5
Staff picking Mangat: 10
