ONE Championship brings another fun card to the masses in U.S. primetime on Friday, November 3rd, on Prime Video. Ten bouts fill out the card live from Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. It will be capped off by two sensational title tilts.
In the main event, ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Fabricio Andrade meets ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Jonathan Haggerty for the vacant ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title. It is the main reason to watch. And in the co-main event, Tye Ruotolo collides with Magomed Abdulkadirov for the inaugural ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Championship.
But the remaining eight bouts offer plenty of outstanding martial arts action. Let’s put aside the two title tilts and look at those for what else to have your eyes on this Friday night. Here are three bouts to watch at ONE Fight Night 16.
Three Can’t Miss Fights on Friday Night
Halil Amir vs. Ahmed Mujtaba
While the lightweight division works itself out, the matchup between Halil Amir and Ahmed Mujtaba will play a pivotal role in what it looks like heading into the new year. Amir will try to defend his #4 ranking in the division while proving he is worthy of a title shot. Mujtaba, on the other hand, is out for redemption.
Mujtaba was quickly tapped out by Sage Northcutt at ONE Fight Night 10. But his prior performances show how dangerous he can be under ONE’s bright lights. In a return performance, he can silence the doubters and get himself right back in the thick of the hunt.
How this match plays out will be telling for where the division goes next. If Mujtaba returns to form, Northcutt’s outing will look all the more impressive and bring Mujtaba closer to the official rankings. If the Turk shines against another dangerous foe, he could claim to be the top contender.
There are a lot of fantastic matches on the card, but this one could be the true sleeper of the night. It has all of the makings of a Fight of the Night type bout but also brings in heavy implications with two motivated finishers. Keep this matchup highlighted on your bout sheet.
Meng Bo vs. Ayaka Miura
“The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan needs a new contender for her ONE Strawweight MMA World Championship. Meng Bo could be that woman. However, Ayaka Miura will be there to try and stop her and bring herself closer to contending once more.
The focus is undoubtedly on Meng. Her heavy-handed striking has allowed her to notch eight career victories by KO/TKO, including three in ONE. That makes a match against “The Panda” incredibly exciting, especially with both women representing China.
But Miura’s judo game will be a stern test for Meng. The Chinese athlete will have to prove she can defend those positions and keep her distance. If she can prove her evolution as a mixed martial artist and launch her patented haymakers, Meng could book her ticket to a golden matchup with Xiong in 2024.
Kang Ji Won vs. Ben Tynan
Heavyweight MMA is almost always intriguing. However, this particular matchup promises to be exciting while having significant stakes in ONE’s heavyweight division. Kang Ji Won and Ben Tynan should have an explosive matchup inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
The matchup itself will force both men to evolve their game. Tynan has to tighten up his striking, and Kang must improve his takedown defense. But the true mark of this heavyweight collision will be how both men love to finish fights inside the first round.
“Mighty Warrior” has finished all three of his ONE victories inside the first round, including two impressive wins over noted grapplers. In Tynan’s short career, he has finished all four of his matches, three of which came inside the first five minutes. All signs point to this being a short bout where the winner takes the next step into title contention.
ONE Fight Night 16 airs live on Friday, November 3rd. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Prime Video. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.
