ONE Championship returns to Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, October 4, with ONE Fight Night 25. The card continues ONE’s exciting blend of martial arts action with kickboxing,MMA, and Muay Thai contests. It is a great way to relax on a Friday fall evening.
ONE Fight Night 25 airs for free on Prime Video. Before the athletes walk down the aisle in Lumpinee Stadium, let’s take a deeper look into the biggest reasons to check out the event. Here are three matches to be sure to check out in U.S. primetime.
Alexis Nicolas vs. Regian Eersel
The main event is a rematch from ONE Fight Night 21. Alexis Nicolas entered as a huge underdog and upset Regian Eersel to become the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Champion. Eersel is fired up to regain his crown, but Nicolas has a prime opportunity to show the world the first meeting was no mistake.
“The Immortal” was known as a pound-for-pound great before being removed from his throne, and he is dead set on getting that acclaim back with a resounding performance. If Eersel is motivated to that degree, it makes the main event that much more exciting to watch. The 31-year-old has near-perfect technique that has led to devastating results, and if that shows up in Bangkok everyone is in for a treat.
But Nicolas cannot be counted out. Not only because he has already proven to be able to defeat “The Immortal” across five rounds but also because he did so with a brilliant game plan. If Nicolas shows tactical superiority, he will have to be taken seriously as one of the premier minds in the sport.
John Lineker vs. Alexey Balyko
John Lineker made a splash in his Muay Thai debut at ONE 168: Denver against Asa Ten Pow. He can show the world that his crushing power is perfect for the sport with a follow-up showing against Alexey Balyko. And the Russian provides an intriguing challenge for “Hands of Stone.”
Balyko is 3-1 in ONE competition. After suffering the first promotional loss, he quickly rebounded with a KO performance. Balyko has the experience and power to be a threat at every turn.
Lineker will not back down from Balyko, which will make this bantamweight clash exciting with every strike thrown. While it could go the full nine minutes, fans will be on the edge of their seat, knowing the end could come abruptly. This matchup has the potential to steal the show inside Lumpinee Stadium.
Johan Estupinan vs. Zakaria El Jamari
Johan Estupinan has quickly become a must-watch athlete in ONE. The 22-year-old burst onto the scene in May and has already piled up three victories on the global stage. As the flyweight continues to gain fans, Zakaria El Jamari comes in looking to steal his thunder.
El Jamari has struggled to find consistency under the bright lights, but he has shown to be competitive against elite strikers. The Moroccan defeated Thongpoon PK Saenchai in May in a three-round war. Estupinan cannot be careless.
If nothing else, Estupinan is going to push the pace and force the action. There will not be a dull moment once the bell rings. However, both men can rattle the cage of the flyweight elite with a victory in U.S. primetime and look to break into the next level of the title hunt.
ONE Fight Night 25 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, October 4. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event is free for all Amazon Prime members in the U.S. and Canada.
In a recent episode of the Couch Warrior Podcast, host Mike welcomed Charalampos Grigoriou, who recently won a contract during season 7 of Dana White's Contender Series after knocking out Cameron Smotherman one minute into the fight. The conversation delved into Grigoriou's martial arts journey, his feelings on representing Cyprus and Greece, and future plans.
