ONE Championship announced Wednesday night, Feb. 24, the complete cast of fighters in the atomweight division who will vie for a title shot soon against current champion Angela Lee.
The ONE Atomweight World Grand Prix will kick off on May 28. Matchup announcements are forthcoming.
In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know about the eight women competing in the tournament.
Meng Bo (17-5 MMA, 3-0 ONE)
China’s Meng Bo is the only woman with a win over UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang. She’s currently riding a trio of ONE wins over Laura Balin, Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol, and Samara Santos. With a well-rounded game and tons of experience, she immediately stands out as one of the favorites to win this tournament.
Seo Hee Ham (23-8 MMA, 0-0 ONE)
Rizin FF 2017 in Yokohoma: Sakura Preview and Predictions
“I want to bring world-class fighting back to Japan” Kyoji Horiguchi
That’s exactly what the top-five flyweight will be doing when he makes his much-anticipated debut at
Rizin 2017 in Yokohoma: Sakura on April 16.
The main event features Japanese MMA legend Tatsuya Kawajiri looking to defend his country’s honor against UFC veteran Anthony Birchak. Kawajiri makes his return to Rizin after a disappointing debut against highly skilled grappler Kron Gracie on last year’s New Year’s Eve event. Birchak is out to prove the UFC brass wrong the company cut him following a victory over Dileno Lopes at UFC Fight Night 90.
ONE: ‘Unbreakable III’ preview
Share this story
ONE: “Unbreakable” Part III will be broadcast on Friday. The event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium is headlined by an atomweight fight between Stamp Fairtex and Alyona Rassohnya.
The card consists exclusively of MMA fights and features two heavyweight newcomers as well as No. 2-ranked bantamweight Shoko Sato.
Tial Thang vs. Paul Lumihi (
Bantamweight
)
Tial Thang (2-0) trains with Aung La Nsang and is hoping to become a breakout star in his ancestral home of Myanmar. Both his fights have gone the distance and he faces a step up here, going up against an opponent with a winning record for the first time in his career.
(James Goyder is the owner/editor of AsianMMA.com)
Kyoji Horiguchi recaptured the Rizin bantamweight title with a first-round stoppage win over Kai Asakura at Rizin 26 on Friday. The UFC veteran was returning after a lengthy layoff and coming off a loss to the same opponent.
Horiguchi was back to his brilliant best and Asakura simply had no answer for his striking. The champion was on the receiving end of a series of right low kicks at the start of the fight.
Asakura tried to counter with a high kick, but Horiguchi made him miss and continued to punish the lead left leg. The champion was in visible discomfort and tried to turn the fight around with a flying knee.