Cebuano fighter Vaughn Donayre and wushu veteran Rene Catalan will be the two Filipinos seeing action in the ONE Championship’s first venture in the year 2017 with the ONE: Quest for Power at the Jakarta Convention Center on January 15 in Indonesia.
Donayre is a Filipino mixed martial artist based in Dubai.
Due to his passion for martial arts, the Cebu-native quit his mechanical engineering job to become a fighter. With a comprehensive set of stand-up and mat skills, Donayre is highly regarded as an exciting mixed martial artist constantly in pursuit of the finish. In his next bout, Donayre takes on Dutch-Indonesian MMA veteran Vincent Latoel.
Catalan is a former 2006 Asian Games gold medalist in wushu. He made his ONE Championship debut in 2013 against Brazil’s Alex Silva. In September of 2016, Catalan notched his first victory in the promotion with a unanimous decision over Zhang You Liang. Catalan is now set to face Indonesia’s Adrian Matheis.
Headlining the spectacular fight card is ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash as he defends his title against Polish fighter Marcin Prachnio.
“2017 is shaping up to be a phenomenal year for ONE Championship. We have an exciting lineup of world-class events all across iconic cities in Asia, and we are thrilled to kick things off in Jakarta,” said Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Championship. :Get ready for the biggest year in MMA history.”
Bigdash, one of the most exciting fighters in the promotion, is set to make his highly-anticipated return to the ONE Championship cage against a worthy challenger in Prachnio.
“The last time Vitaly was in the cage, he took the title from former champion Igor Svirid by force, rallying from a series knockdowns to score an epic come-from-behind victory. Will he be able to handle Prachnio’s blunt power? This is a fight the fans will not want to miss,” added Cui.
Bigdash, a native of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, will be making the first defense of his title since winning the belt back in October of 2015. With a resounding technical knockout victory over former champion Igor Svirid, Bigdash displayed true grit and determination in one of the most action-packed fights in ONE Championship history.
Bigdash showcased tremendous heart and resolve, overcoming a devastating attack by Svirid to score the upset. Now, he takes on his first challenger as champion in Marcin Prachnio.
Marcin Prachnio is a Polish mixed martial artist with an impressive 12-2 professional MMA record. He’s on a seven bout win-streak, five by devastating technical knockout. He is currently unbeaten in ONE Championship, overcoming three tough challenges in Alexandre Machado, Leandro Ataides, and most recently Jake Butler. Prachnio is now ready for his biggest challenge.
Kazunori Yokota of Chiba, Japan is a mixed martial arts fixture with over 12 years of professional fight experience under his belt. A champion of Japanese promotion, DEEP, Yokota is one of the toughest fighters at featherweight as he has constantly punished his opponents and grinded out victories.
He sports a stellar record of 25 wins and just six defeats with three draws. In his most recent bout, he challenged ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat Gafurov. Now, he is set to take on rising star Martin Nguyen.
Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Sydney, Australia is a former featherweight title challenger with a 7-1 professional mixed martial arts record. His only loss came at the hands of reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat Gafurov.
None of Nguyen’s victories have gone to a decision, giving him four solid wins by technical knockout as well as three victories by submission. In his last bout, Nguyen defeated touted prospect Christian Lee with one of the best submissions of 2016. Nguyen’s all-around skillset allows him to compete at the highest level as a professional. He’ll take on Kazunori Yokota next.
Anthony “The Archangel” Engelen is a Dutch-Indonesian mixed martial artist who spends his days training full-time in Indonesia. He is an exceptional grappler and a well-rounded striker capable of ending fights quickly and decisively.
With a young 5-2 professional MMA record, Engelen prides himself in being an exciting fighter, willing to please the crowd by always seeking the highlight-reel finish. The talented featherweight will do battle with AJ “Pyro” Lias Mansor.
AJ “Pyro” Lias Mansor is one of the finest mixed martial arts coaches in the region. Based out of Borneo Tribal Squad in Sabah, Malaysia, Lias Mansor is responsible for training athletes like female fighting sensation Ann “Athena” Osman.
With a complete striking and grappling arsenal, Lias Mansor sports a professional MMA record of two wins and three losses. In his last bout, Lias Mansor defeated Melvin Yeoh by unanimous decision to become ONE Malaysia Featherweight Tournament Champion. The well-rounded mixed martial artist is set to make his much-awaited return to the ONE Championship cage to face Anthony Engelen.
Vincent “Magnivincent” Latoel is a Dutch-Indonesian mixed martial arts veteran with over 30 professional bouts on his record. A lightweight standout in one of ONE Championship’s deepest divisions, Latoel’s experience against the very best fighters in his weight class has made him a dangerous opponent for anyone. Latoel is in his 15th year as a professional fighter and is looking for success in his next bout, this time against the Philippines’ Vaughn Donayre.
Unbeaten Indonesian Flyweight prospect Stefer Rahardian impressed the local crowd in his ONE Championship debut by winning the ONE: TITLES & TITANS Flyweight Tournament in August of 2016. Rahardian finished both Yotha Hutagalung and Hendrick Wijaya by first round rear naked choke. The Indonesian mixed martial artist sports an unblemished record of four wins and no losses. Rahardian will put his unbeaten record on the line when he goes up against Jerome S. Paye.
Mixed martial arts prospect Jerome S. Paye made his ONE Championship debut in February of 2016 against China’s Li Hao Jie. In the bout, Paye showcased a well-rounded set of techniques, stifling his opponent with an array of striking combinations. With the ability to make fights difficult for any challenger, Paye will make his return to the ONE Championship cage in Jakarta, Indonesia to face prospect Stefer Rahardian.
Adrian Matheis of Jakarta, Indonesia is a mixed martial artist competing in ONE Championship’s strawweight division. With a professional record of three wins and only one loss, Matheis participated in the ONE: TITLES & TITANS strawweight tournament in August of 2016, defeating both Rustam Hutajulu and Roso Nugroho via scintillating knockouts. This time Matheis will take on Filipino wushu veteran Rene Catalan.
Indonesian mixed martial artist “The Terminator” Sunoto is a ONE Championship bantamweight with a 5-3 professional MMA record. With a penchant for grappling, three of Sunoto’s five victories have come by submission. The 31-year-old is a known as an aggressive fighter who never backs down from a challenge. His next bout will be against Chan Heng.
Cambodian Khun Khmer practitioner Chan Heng is a mixed martial artist competing in ONE Championship’s bantamweight division. He sports an 8-3 professional MMA record which includes a whopping six wins by submission and one by knockout. Always looking to finish on the mat, Heng is a dangerous grappler who is capable of ending fights in a variety of ways. Heng will step back inside the ONE Championship cage against Indonesian, Sunoto.