ONE Championship‘s second installment of the Battleground series, a previously recorded event, takes place on Friday, August 13. It is a five-bout card filled with athletes looking to make their moves in their respective divisions.
3 Things to Expect at ONE: Battleground II
Former World Champions are hoping to get back to their former glory, while new faces hope to steal their thunder and usher in change. It is an event that could see brand new contenders enter the fray of the elite.
So, let’s get right to it.
Here is what’s at stake in three of the bouts at ONE: Battleground II.
A Changing Of The Guard?
Eduard “Landslide” Folayang has been a mainstay of the lightweight division for years and has been a former ONE Lightweight World Champion. However, in recent outings, he has struggled to find his footing against the division’s upper echelon.
Enter Zhang Lipeng. A hungry Chinese contender looking to kickstart his ONE tenure with a massive performance against one of the fan favorites. Will this matchup usher in another fresh face into the title picture?
It very well could. Folayang is still in the thick of things in spite of recent results. He has been taking on elite competition such as Shinya Aoki, but suffering a defeat to Zhang could put him too far behind the eight-ball to ascend back to a title tilt. And Zhang is looking to use his name to jump right into that same discussion.
This is a big-time lightweight main event that will help dictate where the future is going. It is one of the most talent-rich divisions, and having two exciting warriors go toe-to-toe should lead to an equally exciting result.
Strawweight Positioning
Speaking of contenders, #5-ranked strawweight contender Alex “Little Rock” Silva will be attempting to defend his position against Miao Li Tao in the co-main event.
For Miao, who is coming off a redeeming victory against Ryuto Sawada in April, the case is simple: defeat Silva and take his spot. But the former ONE Strawweight World Champion will not go down easily.
The Brazilian does not show his age inside the Circle. He has taken both #4-ranked Koha Minowa and current champ Joshua Pacio to the wire in extremely close battles. There is no doubt that Silva is still elite.
Silva’s path back to the top is within sight, but winning against the Chinese athlete is crucial for his cause. Miao’s motivation to enter the official ONE athlete rankings will give him everything to compete for and make this a possible Match of the Night candidate.
A New Flyweight Contender
In the flyweight division, Eko Roni Saputra is making waves and is ready for the next step in his bid to bring gold back to Indonesia.
The grappler has been lights out in his four recent outings, where he has finished each of his opponents inside the first round. If he can keep that going against Liu Peng Shuai, Saputra could have a case for a number by his name. Or, at the very least, position himself to compete against one of those ranked flyweights.
With Adriano Moraes‘ stunning knockout of Demetrious Johnson and the 2019 ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix, there has been a lot of focus on this division. Saputra working his way into the discussion of top contenders at this moment could make him a star. It is a huge accomplishment not only for him but for Indonesian mixed martial arts as well.
The Evolve MMA representative has flashed his grappling dominance already and continues to grow into the sport’s other facets. He is not a fly-by-night athlete, and the rest of the world may have to start taking notice if he scores another finish at ONE: Battleground II.
ONE: Battleground II airs on Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report YouTube, and the Bleacher Report app at 8:30 a.m. EST/5:30 a.m. PST on Friday, August 13.
