ONE Championship returns to the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, January 28, with a jam-packed card of martial arts action with ONE: Only The Brave.
3 Fights To Watch at ONE: Only The Brave
Atop the bill will be the semifinals to the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix. Sitthichai and Davit Kiria collide for the third time in their career while Smokin’ Jo Nattawut enters from his alternate position to meet Chingiz Allazov.
But there are plenty more matchups to satisfy your cravings.
Outside of the exciting ONE Super Series action coming your way, here are three mixed martial arts bouts you need to see at ONE: Only The Brave.
Hiroba Minowa vs. Jarred Brooks
A strawweight title eliminator will get the main card underway when #3-ranked strawweight contender Jarred Brooks meets #4-ranked Hiroba Minowa in the center of the Circle.
The importance of the bout alone makes it a must-watch, but the skill of each man brings it to center stage. The matchup could easily steal the show as the Match of the Night and earn one or both a $50,000 bonus check.
With a budding rivalry against Team Lakay and ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua Pacio, the eyes are firmly upon Brooks. However, Minowa also has a win over Team Lakay’s Lito Adiwang to add a little spice to his candidacy. So whoever wins will have a good story to line up with Pacio later in 2022.
Elite technique, aggressive athletes, and high stakes. What more could you want?
Hiroyuki Tetsuka vs. Edson Marques
On the lead card, Hiroyuki Tetsuka was supposed to get his chance against former divisional king Zebaztian Kadestam. However, a late-notice change puts Brazil’s Edson Marques on the opposite end of the Circle.
And that will be an intriguing shift to watch. Marques will bring a different style to Tetsuka and may see this opportunity as a chance to go for broke as soon as the bell rings. It could lead to the match being one of the sleepers of the night.
For Tetsuka, a win would put him in prime position for a big 2022. The Japanese warrior is not far off from throwing his name into the discussion for a title challenge. An emphatic victory would go a long way to helping his cause.
Kim Jae Woong vs. Tang Kai
Similar to the strawweight battle, featherweights Kim Jae Woong and Tang Kai could be competing for a title bid as well. The #1-ranked featherweight contender, Woong, defends his spot in the division against one of the most exhilarating finishers in the world.
The Chinese athlete has been on a tear as of late and quickly ascended into the rankings himself, and if he can add to his 85% finishing rate by toppling “The Fighting God,” he will be in line for the winner of Thanh Le vs. Garry Tonon.
It looked like Woong had cemented his title bid with a first-round KO over Martin Nguyen, but the scheduling did not work out, and he is back to stay active. A win over Tang will keep the South Korean at the top of the division and prove his status as the next rightful challenger.
ONE: Only The Brave will air live on Friday, January 28. The lead card action begins on ONE’s Facebook page at 5:30 a.m. EST/2:30 a.m. PST before main card action starts on Bleacher Report’s YouTube channel at 7:30 a.m. EST/4:30 a.m. PST.
