On this opening weekend of October, the combat sports world serves up two nights of nothing but treats. Absent of any further postponements before the weekend begins, no less than five championship fights will take place between Bangkok and San Diego.
Singapore-based ONE Championship has placed the first two treats in the bag this Friday as the promotion returns to Amazon Prime Video for the second consecutive weekend for ONE on Prime Video 15. Live coverage of the card begins at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on the subscription-based streaming platform.
Interim Featherweight Supremacy at Stake in ONE on Prime Video 15 Main Event
All told, Friday’s show features seven total fights, barring any subsequent adjustments to the card and a championship doubleheader at the top of the bill. Immediately following the co-main event of the evening, the headliner features the battle for interim gold at 155 lbs.
No. 1 contender and former champion Thanh Le (13-3 MMA, 5-1 ONE Championship) returns to the cage for the first time in over 13 months when he takes on No. 3 contender Ilya Freymanov (12-2 MMA, 2-0 ONE Championship). Permanent champion Garry Tonon (8-1 MMA, 8-1 ONE Championship) awaits the winner at a later date. The ONE on Prime Video 15 main event is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.
🔥 THIS FRIDAY 🔥 ONE Fight Night 15 on @PrimeVideo will be headlined by a pair of World Title blockbusters! 👑👑 Which fights are you tuning in for?#ONEFightNight15 | October 6 at 8PM ET
🇺🇸🇨🇦 Watch live on Prime 👉 https://t.co/LF67g9KCVe
🌍 Live TV broadcast in 190+ countries pic.twitter.com/iVcdgRWL3u— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) October 3, 2023
ONE on Prime Video 15 Main Event Fighter Comparison
Heading into the ONE on Prime Video 15 main event this Friday, Ilya Freymanov stands as the taller man at 5-foot-10, compared to the 5-foot-9 frame of Thanh Le. The top-ranked Le owns a 2 1/2-inch reach advantage (74 1/2 inches to 72 inches even) over third-ranked Freymanov.
Le Poised to Finish Freymanov Inside the Distance
Thanh Le enters the ONE on Prime Video 15 main event on Friday night having gone 4-1 over the last five fights. Most recently, he saw a five-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of Kai Tang (18-2 MMA, 7-0 ONE Championship) at ONE 160 on Aug. 26, 2022 by unanimous decision.
Unlike the ONE 160 co-main event, Le doesn’t want to involve the scorecards as a determinant to his fate in the ONE on Prime Video 15 main event. He explained that he wants the fight to be decided on his terms and his terms alone.
“I’ll give you a two-part prediction,” Le began. I think if he comes out, feels a little bit of movement and power and doesn’t change his game plan, then it’ll be a first-rounder. If he is a smart fighter, if he makes his adjustments and doesn’t get put out early, I think it’s maybe a late third-round finish. But it’s going to be a finish.”
For the past year, Thanh Le has been smarting over the fact that the judges played a role in the official decision.
Can Freymanov Realize His Goal of a Championship?
In the other corner, Ilya Freymanov has posted a perfect 5-0 record over his last five contests. Last time out, he scored a second-round submission (rear-naked choke) of Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg (7-4 MMA, 6-3 ONE Championship) in ONE on Prime Video 11 back in June.
Now, he’s just one win away from becoming a champion in a top organization. Freymanov recalled that relocating to Thailand was a brilliant career move.
“The hardest part was taking risks, stepping out of my comfort zone, and going after my goals and dreams,” Freymanov said. “I only had enough money for a few months, so I was limited in terms of time. And the nice thing is that my risks paid off and the results speak for themselves. I achieved what I wanted and now I am doing professionally what I love.”
For the native Russian, a successful appearance in the ONE on Prime Video 15 main event would be the culmination of a dream.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, the ONE on Prime Video 15 main event looks to favor Thanh Le, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and 5th dan black belt in Taekwondo, compared to Ilya Freymanov’s status as a striker and kickboxer.
Le Can Get the Job Done Quickly
As previously mentioned, Garry Tonon is the permanent champion at featherweight. Luckily for Thanh Le, he has history against him and their first fight went swimmingly.
During the first round of a scheduled five, Tonon, a noted grappler, attempted to submit Le with a leg lock, but Le flipped the script. A flurry of ground and pound shots, punctuated by a right-handed punch to the orbital, knocked Tonon out before he knew what hit him.
Watch for Thanh Le to try and land punches in bunches right from the opening bell in the ONE on Prime Video 15 main event.
Freymanov Can Bring the Heat
In the other corner, Ilya Freymanov is an aggressive fighter in his own right. One need look no further than his 2016 fight against Ovanes Ormandzhyan.
During the second round of a scheduled three, Freymanov, already having given Ormandzhyan a pounding late in round one, had to fight off a submission attempt before reversing position and going to work with ground and pound shots.
As the round progressed, it became clear that Ormandzhyan wouldn’t have anything close to an answer for Freymanov’s strikes. The latter’s gameplan was a simple one: Seek and destroy, continuing with relentless ground and pound strikes.
Ormandzhyan was left absolutely defenseless against his adversary’s attacks, to the point where he was forced to quit on the stool in the one-minute break between rounds.
Final Thoughts
The ONE on Prime Video 15 main event has the potential to be a slobber-knocker on Friday. A word of advice as we bid you farewell: Get your popcorn ready. You don’t want to miss anything.
Prediction: Thanh Le by First-Round TKO.
Note: ONE on Prime Video 15 is available to subscribers of Amazon Prime inside the United States and Canada only. Outside of North America, this show is available as a pay-per-view on ONE’s Website under the alternate title of ONE Fight Night 15.
