While the MMA market is currently dominated by American-based companies such as the UFC and PFL, Asia has become a hotbed for producing some of the top talent in the sport.
From Rizin FF putting on spectacular shows in Japan, to ONE Championship standing as the premier competitive martial arts promotion, the eastern MMA scene has seen a surge in popularity over the past decade. The betting market has followed suit with sportsbooks enjoying huge success. A betting game 1xbet, for instance, is opening up to the Asian market and beyond.
And it just so happens that Asia will be playing host to several high-profile mixed martial arts bouts in March, featuring some of the best fighters in the world.
Here are five fights on the MMA calendar happening in Asia this March that you have to see
RIZIN 50: Naoki Inoue vs Yuki Motoya
Date: 3/29/25
Taking center stage in the main event of Rizin 50, company bantamweight champion Naoki Inoue looks to make the first successful defense of his strap against nearly 50 bout veteran Yuki Motoya.
Seizing the 135-lb throne over Soo Chul Kim last September by TKO, Inoue is currently in the midst of a two-fight win streak, suffering his last defeat to Juan Archuleta back in May 2023. Going into the contest, the champion already holds a victory over his challenger, with Inoue having bested Motoya almost five years ago at Rizin 26.
Over the past two years, Motoya has gone 4-2 in past six fights, with his only losses coming against current UFC fighters Kai Asakura and Vince Morales. Having fought for Rizin as far back as 2015, the Kaga, Ishikawa native has his eyes dead set on finally gaining hold of the bantamweight title.
RIZIN 50: Chihiro Suzuki vs. Karshyga Dautbek
Date: 3/29/25
Also taking place at RIZIN 50, accredited hard puncher Chihiro Suzuki will test himself in a main card scrap with Kazakhstan sensation Karshyga Dautbek.
In the realm of Japanese MMA, Suzuki holds a few notable honors, as he has captured several championships across various major promotions like Pancrase and RIZIN, earning the former’s featherweight strap in 2023. He successfully managed to defend it once before dropping it by unanimous decision to Kleber Koike Erbst in his final fight of 2024. Suzuki also holds a phenomenal victory over Patricio Pitbull, the man who was considered the pride of Bellator before the promotion’s dissolvement earlier this year.
In a country teeming with budding prospects such as Kazakhstan, Dautbek is poised to stake his own claim to MMA greatness should he bring down the venerable Suzuki. With many of his countrymen, such as UFC welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov, taking the sport by storm, Dautbek may just be part of the next wave of stalwart European mixed martial artists.
ONE 172: Adriano Moraes vs. Yuya Wakamatsu
Date: 3/23/25
Competing in his first fight of 2025, former ONE 135-lb king Adriano Moraes seeks to reclaim his championship by taking out Japanese knockout artist Yuya Wakamatsu.
At one point, Moraes was the two-time defending ONE Bantamweight Champion, which included a huge knockout win over the arguably greatest fighter of all time, Demetrious Johnson. However, “Mikinho” would end up losing his title to Johnson in a rematch the next year, as well as fall short in their third meeting to ultimately lose the trilogy. Getting back on track with a submission victory versus Danny Kingad, Moraes now is just a punch away from reasserting his dominance over the bantamweight division.
Previously faltering to then 135-lb title holder Moraes in his second title defense in 2022, Wakamatsu has since worked his way back into the championship picture with a 3-1 record in past four appearances to the ONE ring. While Moraes got the better of him in their first meeting, “Little Piranha” finally has the chance to rewrite a wrong from his past and claim ONE gold at the same time.
ONE 172: Shinya Aoki vs. Eduard Folayang
Date: 3/23/25
On the main card of ONE 172, Japanese fighting legend Shinya Aoki returns to action opposite Eduard Folayang.
Known today as one of the most skilled and popular competitors that Japan has ever produced, Aoki has been a mainstay of Asian MMA since 2003. With almost 60 professional belts on his record, the 41-year old “Tobikan Judan” has battled some of the top fighters from multiple eras of the sport countless times.
It is by no means a stretch to call Eduard Folayang a venerable name in the ONE lightweight class, having held the 155-lb championship on two different occasions. He also shares a competitive history with Aoki, as the two have met up three times before, with Aoki holding the lead in their match count at 2-1. Possessing such an exciting rivalry, the pair’s much-anticipated fourth clash will be a surefire contender for fight of the night.
ONE Fight Night 29: Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu vs. Jeremy Pacatiw
Date: 3/8/25
Locking horns in the world-famous Lumpinee Boxing Stadium next month, Mongolia’s Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu comes to blows with the Philippines’s Jeremy Pacatiw.
In recent times, Mongolia has started to turn out a handful of homegrown stars that have gone on to fight in major promotions all over the world. Among these stars is ONE Championships own Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu. Dating back to 2019, the Shandas Devjee representative has only lost once in the 12 bouts he has participated in since then, finishing eight of them.
While he may have only four contests under the ONE Championship banner since joining the company in 2021, Jeremy Pacatiw has all the makings for a prospective submission specialist, picking up two wins via rear naked and triangle choke. The only thing that is seemingly holding the 28-year old back is his lack of activity, as he tends to compete only once a year; he sat out the entirety of 2023.