ONE Championship brings an exciting 13-bout card to your screens this Friday, June 3, with ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen.
3 Fights to Watch at ONE 158
The card is full of potential title contenders seeking to leave an impression inside the Circle and lay claim to a title shot. However, other rising talents are looking to upend them in their pursuit and take over their position.
Which matches should you circle on the bout sheet? Here are three matches you will not want to miss.
Kwon Won Il vs. Fabricio Andrade
Bantamweight title hopefuls Kwon Won Il and Fabricio Andrade will compete in what may potentially be the Match of the Night. The ranked contenders are pure finishers in their own right, and now they want to add one more to their record to make their case for a title bid.
The South Korean, currently the #2-ranked contender, has been lighting it up inside the Circle with three consecutive KO/TKO finishes. Meanwhile, it has been #4-ranked contender Fabricio Andrade who has captured most of the attention.
Andrade has been making waves through social media with callouts of all of the major bantamweights and champion John Lineker. Kwon wants to shut him up and put him at the back of the line.
This spectacular matchup has all of the makings of a classic — two motivated finishers with a lot to prove and a lot on the line.
Odie Delaney vs. Mehdi Barghi
American wrestling standout Odie Delaney is still young in his career, and his matchup at ONE 158 against Iranian Mehdi Barghi will be an excellent test to see where his skills are at.
In his ONE debut, Delaney impressed with a quick submission. If he can follow it up with another dominant performance, he may announce himself as a true threat on the heavyweight scene.
And that is why Barghi is the perfect opponent. Barghi is heavy-handed and has solid wrestling. He will be a good test, on paper, for the American Top Team representative. And it’s a great opportunity for him as well. Barghi puts himself right back in the mix if he can shut down the hype.
This is Delaney’s time to make himself a major player and show the world just how good he is on a global stage.
Reece McLaren vs. Xie Wei
This battle is one of two high-stakes bouts on the ONE 158 main card, but this one stands out because of the unique matchup that could end up stealing the show.
Reece McLaren is one of the division’s most exciting athletes, and now he is training at Boonchu Gym with John Wayne Parr to sharpen his stand-up. It is a much-needed skill against “The Hunter” Xie Wei, who has been tearing through the division as of late.
The Chinese star is looking to break through the official ONE athlete rankings at the expense of McLaren. If he can, and do so in an impressive fashion, he may be able to put himself right into the title hunt as well.
The flyweight division is immensely exciting, and this could be one of the wildest bouts of the year in its ranks.
ONE 158 airs on Friday, June 3, live and free from watch.onefc.com at 5:30 a.m. ET/2:30 a.m. PT.
