ONE Championship’s “Prime Video” event this weekend will be headlined by a featherweight title fight that received some last-minute drama.
A weight miss Thursday meant that John Lineker is no longer the 145-pound MMA champ in ONE – a status he was originally aiming to maintain when he meets Fabricio de Andrade in the main event of this Friday’s card. Lineker was stripped of his belt and cannot gain it back with a win this weekend, although de Andrade still has the chance to become champion if he can win on Friday night.
This weekend is now all about Lineker maintaining top contender status despite not having a belt, or de Andrade scoring the biggest win of his career and becoming a champion.
Along with the MMA main event, ONE will crown new champions in Muay Thai and grappling bouts.
The card also marks ONE Championship’s first time holding an event outside of Singapore since 2020, as it will be held at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Here’s a preview of it all.
Click here to skip to a preview of the main card.
Lead Card (8:00PM EDT / 8:00AM MYT) (Prime Video)
Bout 1: Lea Bivins (0-0) vs. Noelle Grandjean (3-0) (115 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Lea Bivins will make her MMA debut in the opening bout of the card, facing Noelle Grandjean in a 115-pound matchup.
Little is known about Bivins, as MMA databases like Tapology and Sherdog reflect that she has never fought before. Her debut in ONE was first scheduled against Zeba Bano in July, although that bout ended up not happening.
Grandjean will also be making her first ONE appearance. She has scored three pro wins since October 2021 on the Thai regional scene. Her last victory came in June when she scored a stoppage win in just over a minute due to strikes.
Bout 2: Asa Ten Pow vs. Mehdi Zatout (145 lbs) (Muay Thai Bout)
Former GLORY Kickboxer Asa Ten Pow will make his ONE debut on the prelims against Mehdi Zatout.
Ten Pow competed on the GLORY roster from 2018 to 2019, attaining a five-fight winning streak at one point. He is joining ONE’s Muay Thai division after winning his MMA debut last year, proving successful in an incredibly lopsided matchup on a Titan FC card.
Ten Pow has stated that he hopes to compete in many different combat sports, including MMA, while with ONE.
Zatout is a tough first challenge for Ten Pow. He is coming off an unsuccessful Muay Thai title fight from September 2021, when he dropped a decision to Capitan Petchyindee Academy. He had a two-fight winning streak in ONE before then.
Bout 3: Amir Naseri vs. Taiki Naito (135 lbs) (Muay Thai Bout)
In another Muay Thai fight, Amir Naseri and Taiki Naito will square off.
Both fighters took a loss at ONE 157 in May as part of the promotion’s 135-pound four-man tournament. Naito dropped a decision to Superlek Kiatmoo9, and Naseri lost a fight to Savvas Michael.
The fight was Naseri’s sole ONE fight, meaning he is still searching for that first promotional victory. Naito, on the other hand, had a two-fight winning streak going before then (with one of the fights being held under kickboxing rules).
Bout 4: Jeremy Miado (11-4) vs. Danial Williams (6-1) (125 lbs) (MMA Bout)
The prelims are scheduled to wrap up with a fight between Jeremy Miado and Danial Williams.
Williams will be fighting to keep his strong year going. He has picked up three victories in ONE’s MMA divisions since February. Most recently, he scored a first-round stoppage win over Zhaxi Zelang in July.
Miado is also on a three-fight winning streak, albeit those wins have been spread across three years. His last victory came against Lito Adiwang due to a knee injury that occurred in the second round of their bout.
Main Card (10:00PM EDT / 10:00AM MYT) (Prime Video)
Bout 5: Kim Jae Woong (12-5) vs. Shamil Gasanov (12-0) (155 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Undefeated Shamil Gasanov will make his ONE debut against Kim Jae Woong in the opening bout of the main card.
Last month, ONE used its “Prime Video” main card to showcase the debut of two prospects. It looks like a similar situation will happen here, as Gasanov will get the spotlight of the main card in his first promotional appearance.
Gasanov has scored a dozen victories since debuting in 2014. His last two wins came in regional promotion Pro FC, where he beat experienced talents Akop Stepanyan and Akhmed Balkizov.
Kim’s last fight was a loss to Tang Kai in March. That bout later proved to be a title eliminator of sorts, because Tang went on to fight for a belt in his next appearance. Kim had the momentum of two finish victories prior to the loss.
Bout 6: Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong vs. Mohammed Boutasaa (155 lbs) (Kickboxing Bout)
In the final fight before the triple-header of title bouts, Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong and Mohammed Boutasaa will battle.
Sitthichai was a finalist in ONE’s 155-pound grand prix. He made it past the first two rounds of the tournament with decision wins, beating Tayfun Ozca and Davit Kiria. However, he lost in the finals this March to Chingiz Allazov. He’ll be aiming to bounce back with a victory this weekend.
Boutasaa is a 23-year-old kickboxing prospect. He won his ONE debut in May against the aforementioned Kiria, overcoming him on scorecards. He had victories in Enfusion before then.
Bout 7: Kade Ruotolo vs. Uali Kurzhev (Vacant ONE Grappling Lightweight Championship) (170 lbs)
Grappling experts Kade Ruotolo and Uali Kurzhev will look to become ONE’s first 170-pound grappling champion on the main card this weekend.
ONE crowned their first grappling champion ever last month, as Mikey Musumeci beat Cleber Sousa via decision to earn a belt at 135 pounds.
Like Musumeci, Ruotolo is someone who ONE has clearly pushed through their advertising and social media work. The young talent is an incredibly decorated grappler, having just won the gold medal for the 170-pound ADCC World Championship last month.
Ruotolo won his ONE debut in May, going to a decision against Shinya Aoki in a grappling bout.
Khurzhev will be appearing in his first-ever ONE bout this weekend. He has a background in judo, having competed in the sport at a high level since 2015. Unlike Ruotolo, there is little information about him online.
Bout 8: Regian Eersel vs. Sinsamut Klinmee (Vacant ONE Muay Thai Lightweight Championship) (170 lbs)
After ONE crowns their first grappling champion at 170 pounds, they’ll do the same thing in Muay Thai. Vying for the promotion’s new belt will be Regian Eersel and Sinsamut Klinmee.
Eersel has been ONE’s 170-pound kickboxing champ since 2019. He has comfortably controlled the division, defending his belt three times since first gaining it off Niekly Holzken. He will now move to ONE’s Muay Thai ruleset with the hopes of earning another belt.
Klinmee is in the title position after scoring two finish wins in ONE. He made his promotional debut in March, stopping Holzken with strikes. He last fought in July, finishing Liam Nolan. The 26-year-old will now have the chance to gain a belt in ONE despite only a few previous fights for the promotion.
Bout 9: John Lineker (35-9) vs. Fabricio de Andrade (8-2) (ONE MMA Bantamweight Championship) (145 lbs)
A title fight with some last-minute drama will headline the card. Competing in the main event, John Lineker and Fabricio de Andrade will close out the show.
Lineker was supposed to enter this fight as a champion, aiming to defend his belt for the first time. But after he missed weight by half a pound on Thursday, he is no longer the champion in ONE. A win for him this weekend will presumably maintain his status as a top fighter in the division and set him up for a title fight in the future, but under no circumstance will he leave the venue with a championship on Friday night.
The situation is much simpler for de Andrade. Just like before, a win makes him a champion.
Lineker was originally looking to defend his belt for the first time. He gained the title in March, scoring a second-round finish against promotional vet Bibiano Fernandes. The UFC alum climbed up ONE’s ranks for a title fight, scoring a trio of wins in previous years to get into the title picture.
De Andrade has a small record on paper but is undoubtedly deserving to be in a title picture this weekend. He has picked up five consecutive wins in ONE since joining the promotion in 2020. Of those victories, four have come via stoppage.
De Andrade’s last victory came against fellow contender Kwon Won Il, who he stopped in just over a minute with strikes.
Tomorrow’s main event has much more complicated circumstances around it than before. A win for one fighter will produce a much more satisfying result than a win for the other. However, for both it is still an incredibly important matchup at the top of the promotion’s 145-pound division.
Postlims
Bout 10: Agilan Thani (10-7) vs. Ilja Stojanov (7-0-1) (185 lbs) (MMA Bout)
ONE will be doing something this weekend that is unusual for them in recent years: postlims. After the airing of Friday’s main event, two more fights will take place in Kuala Lumpur. However, per a statement from the promotion’s public relations, the pair of fights will not be broadcasted.
In the first of two matchups, Agilan Thani will face Ilja Stojanov.
Stojanov is joining ONE with an undefeated record of seven wins and one draw, with most of those victories coming from the regional scene in Germany. He has slowly attained this record since debuting back in 2014. His last victory was in July 2021, when he beat Shota Gvasalia via split decision.
Thani’s entire pro career has taken place inside the ONE cage. He is currently on a three-fight losing streak, which is the longest of his career so far. His third straight loss came earlier this year when Jin Tae Ho submitted him with a kimura.
Bout 11: Keanu Subba (9-5) vs. Yoon Chang Min (5-2) (155 lbs) (MMA Bout)
The evening is scheduled to come to an end with a 155-pound fight between Keanu Subba and Yoon Chang Min.
Subba is riding the momentum of two low-level wins in ONE. In the first victory, he handed James Yang his first pro loss. He then returned in August to stop Amir Khan with strikes in the first round.
Yoon is coming off a loss to Tang Kai last year. That defeat has aged well for Yoon, as Tang has gone on to become a champion recently. We’ll see this weekend whether he can return to the win column.
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