If ONE Championship had a “Fighter of the Year,” it could possibly be Reinier de Ridder. The two-division champion has prevailed in a pair of title fights this year and has a chance to score a third victory this weekend. But looking to stop him from that big achievement is heavyweight titleholder Anatoly Malykhin, who is dropping down a weight class to compete in Friday’s main event from the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.
The 225-pound title fight is scheduled to headline a nine-fight card. The lineup also includes a grappling title bout and the ONE debut of former KSW star Roberto Soldic. Here’s a full preview of the evening.
Click here to skip to a preview of the main card.
Lead Card (8:00PM EST / 9:00AM PHST) (Prime Video)
Bout 1: Lin Heqin (15-4-1) vs. Denice Zamboanga (8-2) (115 lbs) (MMA Bout)
115-pound fighters Lin Heqin and Denice Zamboanga will kick off the evening. Both fighters are aiming to get back into the win column.
Zamboanga is coming off a two-fight rivalry against Ham Seo Hee, where she lost in both instances. The first fight, a September 2021 meeting, was a close victory for Ham that some disagreed with. Ham’s second victory was a much more decisive unanimous victory.
Zamboanga had yet to lose as a pro before that pair of appearances.
Lin took a loss in August this year against Itsuki Hirata. She had a win in both MMA and kickboxing earlier in the year before then.
Bout 2: Tye Ruotolo vs. Marat Gafurov (179 lbs) (Grappling Bout)
Hours before his brother Kade will compete, Tye Ruotolo will face Marat Gafurov in a grappling bout.
Ruotolo won his ONE debut in May, submitting Garry Tonon in the second minute of their bout with a darce choke. He has since competed at the 2022 ADCC World Championships, finishing that tournament with two wins and two losses.
Gafurov will be making his first grappling appearance in ONE. He has a lengthy career in the promotion as an MMA fighter, including being their champion up until 2017.
Bout 3: Amber Kitchen vs. Jackie Buntan (125 lbs) (Muay Thai Bout)
Jackie Buntan will return this weekend for a Muay Thai bout against Amber Kitchen.
Buntan’s last appearance saw her face Smilla Sundell to become the promotion’s first-ever 125-pound Muay Thai titleholder. She went five rounds against Sundell but lost via unanimous decision in the end. Before then, Buntan had a trio of wins in the promotion.
Kitchen is still hunting for her first ONE victory. She has lost twice since 2019, dropping bouts to Viktoria Lipianska and Diandra Martin.
Bout 4: Eduard Folayang (22-12) vs. Edson Marques (10-2) (170 lbs) (MMA Bout)
The prelims are scheduled to wrap up with a fight between veteran Eduard Folayang and Edson Marques.
Folayang is still looking for his first MMA win since 2019. He has suffered four losses since then. It’s worth noting that he won a Muay Thai fight this year, overcoming vet John Wayne Parr at “ONE X” in March.
Marques scored his first ONE victory earlier this year, beating Kim Kyung Rok on scorecards. His promotional record is now one win and two losses. He’ll look to build off that mild momentum this weekend.
Main Card (10:00PM EST / 11:00AM PHST) (Prime Video)
Bout 5: Park Dae Sung (11-3) vs. Lowen Tynanes (10-1) (170 lbs) (MMA Bout)
170-pound fighters Park Dae Sung and Lowen Tynanes will start the main card this weekend.
Tynanes is making his return this weekend, appearing for the first time since late 2020. He had his undefeated record broken in his last fight, dropping a split decision to Marat Gafurov. He previously attained 10 pro wins, including four in the ONE cage.
Similarly, Park suffered his first promotional defeat in his last appearance. He appeared in April when he suffered a finish defeat against Abraao Amorim. He previously had four victories in the promotion.
Bout 6: Roberto Soldic (20-3) vs. Murad Ramazanov (11-0) (185 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Former KSW two-division champion Roberto Soldic will make his ONE Championship debut this weekend. His first appearance in the promotion is by no means an easy one, as he will take on undefeated prospect Murad Ramazanov.
Soldic is a 27-year-old fighter that has gained prominence in the Polish promotion KSW. He started his second reign as their welterweight champion in 2018 and has defended that belt two times. He also gained a middleweight belt in his last fight, defeating Mamed Khalidov in late 2021.
Ramazanov will be aiming to stop the momentum of the ONE newcomer. He currently has a perfect pro record of 10 wins, including three in the ONE cage. His last fight was, similar to Soldic, late last year. In that fight, he beat Zebaztian Kadestam on scorecards.
Bout 7: Zhasur Mirzamukhamedov (6-0) vs. Oumar Kane (4-1) (265 lbs) (MMA Bout)
A heavyweight fight between Zhasur Mirzamukhamedov and Oumar Kane will take place as part of this weekend’s card. The bout was originally scheduled to be part of ONE’s numbered event later this weekend but was moved ahead after a title fight between Janet Todd and Allycia Rodrigues departed the card.
Kane bounced back from his sole pro loss just two months back, earning a finish victory against Batradz Gazzaev. His prior fight came more than a year before against Kirill Grishenko.
Mirzamukhamedov, still undefeated, has six victories since he debuted in 2017. His ONE debut was just five months ago when he beat Duke Didier on scorecards.
Bout 8: Kade Ruotolo vs. Matheus Gabriel (ONE Grappling Lightweight Championship) (170 lbs)
Kade Ruotolo will look to become the first ONE grappler to defend his belt when he takes on Matheus Gabriel this weekend.
Ruotolo became a grappling champion in October when he submitted Uali Kurzhev with a heel hook. This came after a flawless run in the 2022 ADCC World Championships, and a win over Shinya Aoki in his ONE debut.
Similar to a lot of people appearing in grappling title bouts in ONE, Gabriel is making his promotional debut in this circumstance. The 25-year-old has a fair amount of experience and success in ONE, including two first-place positions in the IBJJF World Championship (2019 and 2021).
Bout 9: Reinier de Ridder (16-0) vs. Anatoly Malykhin (11-0) (ONE MMA Light Heavyweight Championship) (225 lbs)
Two-division champion Reinier de Ridder will attempt to defend his 225-pound belt for the first time when he takes on undefeated challenger Anatoly Malykhin in the main event.
De Ridder gained his 225-pound belt in April 2021 when he dethroned Aung La N Sang, beating the rival for the second time. He has since remained focused on the promotion’s 205-pound division, where he has defended his belt twice since earning it off La N Sang last year.
A win for de Ridder this weekend would be his third successive appearance as a champion this year alone. He showcased impressive grappling skills in his two appearances in recent months, submitting both Kiamrian Abbasov and Vitaly Bigdash in recent months.
Malykhin has the chance to stop one of the better storylines of 2022 and remain undefeated with a win this weekend.
Malykhin is already a champion. He earned an interim heavyweight belt in his last fight, putting away Kirill Grishenko with strikes in February. He was scheduled to unify heavyweight belts with Arjan Bhullar in September but plans changed after Bhullar suffered an injury and withdrew from the card.
Whoever exits this weekend’s card will do so as an undefeated fighter and a two-division champion. Who exactly that will be is yet to be known.
Knockdown News 