The stage is finally set for ONE Fighting Championship’s first visit to Cambodia.
While it’s no secret that the sport of Khun Khumer, which vastly resembles Muay Thai, is popular in those parts, on September 12, Mixed Martial Arts will be taking the spotlight instead.
ONE FC 20: Rise of the Kingdom will be held at the Koh Pich Theatre in Cambodia’s capital city, Phnom Penh.
With the event being held in Cambodia, it will only be fitting for the Cambodian fighters to be given opportunities to shine on their home stretch. As such, ONE FC has slated nine of the country’s top billings to the running order.
But the promotion has taken a step further by slating a one night, four-man Featherweight Grand Prix tournament to the mix. This comes after ONE FC’s inaugural 145-lbs tourney which was held over the course of 2013, to crown a national champ in Malaysia. AJ Lias Mansor garnered that title, and now ONE FC will be bringing a similar format to Cambodia.
The competitors involved in the tournament’s brackets are Chan Rothana (1-0), Prak Chansin (4-4), Chin Heng (1-2) and Chan Reach (0-0).
Women’s MMA in ONE FC has been surging in recent times and once again, the promotion has put together another match-up in the female ranks; a catchweight bout, that will see 24-year-old Tharoth Sam (1-0) up against fellow compatriot, Vy Srey Chai (0-0).
Two of Evolve MMA’s Singaporean starlets will be set for action as well, with Radeem Rahman (2-0) taking on Taiwanese MMA pioneer Ming Yen Sung (3-1) and Amir Khan (0-0) locking horns with Malaysia’s Jian Kai Chee (4-4). Rahman makes his debut on foreign soil after stoppage finishes in his previous two appearances in Singapore. Sung, on the other hand, will be looking to add another victim from the Lion City on his win column, following his submission triumph over Nicholas Lee in his ONE FC debut.
Not to be confused with famed Boxer Amir Khan, this Singaporean fighter makes his pro MMA debut at a tender age of 20. Khan is known for his trademark striking traits, but fighting Chee won’t be an easy task, with the Malaysian already boasting eight pro bouts to his credit. It’ll be interesting to see if Khan can live up to the bill come fight night.
Elsewhere on the card, the charismatic Arnaud Lepont (10-4) returns in hopes of snapping a three-fight losing skid when he clashes with Suasday Chau (4-3), while former UFC vet Caros Fodor (9-4) looks to get back in the mix at 155-lbs as he tussles with the Netherlands’ Vincent Latoel (15-14-2).
The main event will be for the inaugural Flyweight championship title. Brazil’s Adriano Moraes (11-1), who’s coming off consecutive victories over Yasuhiro Urushitani and Kousuke Suzuki, contests Team Lakay stand-out Geje Eustaquio (6-2).
Check out the fight card in its entirety below:
MAIN CARD (LIVESPORT.tv, FOX Sports 3)
- Adriano Moraes vs. Geje Eustaquio (For inaugural ONE FC Flyweight Championship title)
- Caros Fodor vs. Vincent Latoel
- *ONE FC Featherweight Grand Prix Final*
- Sung Ming Yen vs. Radeem Rahman
- Chin Heng vs. Chan Reach (ONE FC Featherweight Grand Prix semi-final bout)
- Chan Rothana vs. Prak Chansin (ONE FC Featherweight Grand Prix semi-final bout)
- Arnaud Lepont vs. Suasday Chau
PRELIMS (LIVESPORT.tv)
- Jian Kai Chee vs. Amir Khan
- Meas Meu vs. Chan Heng
- Vy Srey Chai vs. Tharoth Sam
Follow Thinesh on Twitter (@ThineshJohnMMA), and keep up with the latest MMA news from MMASucka via Twitter (@MMASucka) and Facebook
