Filipino fans might already be focused on ONE Championship’s return to the Philippines with ONE Fight Night 5 and ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks on December 3, but that doesn’t mean that November’s going to be a slow month for fight fans.
In fact, there are a plethora of amazing fights in store when ONE returns to the Singapore Indoor Stadium for ONE 163: Akimoto vs. Petchtanong and ONE Fight Night 4: Abbasov vs. Lee on November 18 and 19, respectively.
We look at three of the most exciting mixed martial bouts that we’ll witness before the massive Manila year-ender.
1. (#5 BW) Stephen Loman vs. (#3 BW) Bibiano Fernandes || ONE Fight Night 4
The biggest fight for Filipinos outside of the Manila events will be the clash between two ranked contenders in Stephen Loman and Bibiano Fernandes.
Loman for the longest time was considered the best Filipino fighter outside of ONE before joining The Home of Martial Arts. He quickly proved why he’s regarded as such by beating two big names in Yusup Saadulaev and Shoko Sato.
Now he meets someone who’s been the face of the division for nearly a decade and trying to prove that he still belongs among the top fighters in this division.
With a young hungry challenger taking on a proud champion, this certainly has the makings of an instant classic as it either makes a new star or keeps an old one.
2. (#4 LW) Saygid Izagakhmaev vs. (#5 LW) Shinya Aoki || ONE 163
This is a dream match for every grappling purist out there.
Former ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya Aoki is known as one of the greatest submission artists in MMA history, but will his technical expertise off his back be enough to stop the Dagestani wrestling machine in Saygid Izagakhmaev?
Izagakhmaev has been nothing short of dominant in his two wins in the promotion, dominating James Nakashima and Zhang Lipeng, and if he can do the same to Aoki, then he’ll definitely pose as the next challenger to the ONE Lightweight World Title.
Aoki, on the other hand, will come in highly motivated, especially with all the talk coming from the Russian powerhouse entering this contest.
3. (C WW) Kiamrian Abbasov vs. (C LW) Christian Lee || ONE Fight Night 4
Topping this list is the champ versus champ clash between ONE Welterweight World Champion Kiamrian Abbasov and reigning Lightweight World Champion Christian Lee.
With his confidence at an all-time high following his quick destruction of Ok Rae Yoon, Lee moves up to welterweight to try and join the short list of two-division ONE World Champions.
That won’t be easy against Abbasov, who’ll definitely push Lee to the limit with his well-roundedness and ability to finish the fight on the feet or on the ground.
Whether it’s Lee’s speed and explosiveness or Abbasov’s size and power that prevails, fans will never know until they witness the two take centerstage on November 19.
Meanwhile, tickets for ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks at the Mall of Asia Arena on December 3 are already available at https://smtickets.com/events/view/11439.
Also, catch “Globe Presents ONE Warrior Series Philippines” every Sunday night on GTV, the ONE Super App, and watch.onefc.com. Weekly replays air on Tap Go, ONE Championship Philippines Facebook, and ONE Championship’s official YouTube channel.