ONE Championship has officially added five must-see martial arts contests to its first U.S. primetime event of 2024, completing the lineup for ONE Fight Night 18: Gasanov vs. Oh on Prime Video.
Take a look at the entire lineup for ONE Championship's first U.S. primetime event on Friday!
ONE Championship has officially added five must-see martial arts contests to its first U.S. primetime event of 2024, completing the lineup for ONE Fight Night 18: Gasanov vs. Oh on Prime Video.
In addition to the previously announced matchups, the global fan base can look forward to seeing a trio of Muay Thai clashes, a light heavyweight kickboxing showdown, and a heavyweight MMA barnburner at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium this Friday, January 12.
Surging knockout artist Suablack Tor Pran49 will make his U.S. primetime debut in the co-main event, and he has looked unstoppable during his time in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
The 27-year-old enjoyed a breakout year on ONE Friday Fights, as he stopped four opponents – including his most recent victim, Craig Coakley, at the promotion’s final event of 2023 a few weeks ago – to earn a six-figure contract.
Suablack will try to keep that momentum going, but Stefan Korodi has all the motivation in the world to stop the Thai in his tracks.
Korodi, who will make his first promotional appearance in this bantamweight Muay Thai showdown, will look to get some payback for Coakley, a friend and training partner from Dublin Combat Academy.
Suablack’s compatriot, Rungrawee “Legatron” Sitsongpeenong, will also compete at ONE Fight Night 18.
After reeling off three straight victories to start his ONE tenure, the Sitsongpeenong representative’s meteoric rise stalled in his most recent outing when he suffered a knockout loss to former World Title challenger Dmitry Menshikov last September.
Though Rungrawee will attempt to get back on track in this lightweight Muay Thai affair, Shakir Al-Tekreeti will try to get some redemption for his family.
Al-Tekreeti, who is considered one of the Middle East’s most promising and talented strikers today, displayed brilliant skills, heart, and gamesmanship to take a hard-fought decision over Bampara Kouyate at ONE Fight Night 15 last October.
Now, the Iraqi will look to string together some momentum and earn some revenge for his older brother Mustafa, who Rungrawee defeated last year.
And in other lightweight Muay Thai action, British star “Lethal” Liam Nolan will make his highly anticipated return.
Nolan was scheduled to square off against former ONE World Title challenger Sinsamut Klinmee in a rematch last November, but he fell ill in the days leading up to ONE Fight Night 16 and wasn’t able to compete.
But now, he is healthy and ready to make a run at two-sport king Regian “The Immortal” Eersel‘s ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Championship. Another victory could potentially secure that title shot.
That won’t be an easy task against Ali Aliev, a promotional newcomer who puts in work at Venum Training Camp in Pattaya, Thailand, under the watchful eye of Mehdi Zatout, and the entire team has been on a roll.
Both Aliev and the aforementioned Al-Tekreeti will attempt to get the team off to a solid start in 2024.
Besides the trio of Muay Thai battles, light heavyweight kickboxers Beybulat Isaev and Yuri Farcas are set to throw down in a contest that’s unlikely to see the final bell.
The Russian, who owns a victory over former Enfusion Champion Bogdan Stoica and a shocking highlight-reel win over Mihajlo Kecojevic, has all the show-stopping power and elite technical acumen to make a serious run at Roman Kryklia‘s ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Title.
However, Farcas will try to make a statement in his promotional debut.
The 29-year-old Romanian is a talented athlete who earned this opportunity after winning a Road To ONE tournament in Europe last year.
Finally, heavyweight mixed martial artists “Mighty Warrior” Kang Ji Won and Mikhail Jamal Abdul-Latif will throw down in a true clash of titans.
The South Korean behemoth is an incredibly dangerous striker with a granite chin, having earned all six of his career wins via first-round knockout, including a pair of memorable comebacks against the likes of Iranian grappling stars Amir Aliakbari and Mehdi Barghi.
Though he suffered a submission loss in his most recent appearance to undefeated Canadian wrecking ball Ben Tynan, Kang plans to return to winning ways and score another spectacular finish when he locks horns with his forthcoming unbeaten American rival.
Given each man’s thunderous power and willingness to brawl, fans can look forward to white-knuckle action for as long as this bout lasts.
Take a look at the full card for ONE Fight Night 18: Gasanov vs. Oh on Prime Video.