Malaysia has been the site for many a memorable moment for ONE Championship.
Several significant events have taken place in Kuala Lumpur, and ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY, which takes place at the Axiata Arena on 12 July is shaping up to be another must-see spectacle.
Here are 7 reasons why you can’t miss this upcoming showcase:
Bi Nguyen’s Second ONE Championship Bout
After a successful debut with ONE Championship, Vietnamese-American Bi “Killer Bee” Nguyen is back and is looking to move to 2-0 with the promotion.
In her debut match, Nguyen stopped Dwi Ani Retno Wulan in the first round with punches, her first professional career win via TKO. Nguyen will be looking for another statement-making victory in Malaysia, where she will lock horns with Myanmar’s Bozhena Antoniyar.
In that matchup, Nguyen has the edge in professional mixed martial arts experience.
This upcoming bout will be the ninth of Nguyen’s career, while Antoniyar has only had three matches.
Antoniyar however, has been very active since turning pro in February 2018, and she is coming off a win over Audreylaura Boniface Raphael.
Someone’s winning streak is going to end, and it’s highly likely that this one doesn’t go the distance.
Atomweight striking stars go head-to-head
On her road to becoming ONE’s first-ever two-sport world champion, reigning ONE Atomweight Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion Stamp Fairtex has defeated two world-class competitors in former champion Kai Ting Chuang and Janet Todd.
At ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY, Kai and Todd cross paths as they both look to get a second crack at the reigning champion.
This will be Kai’s first bout back since losing to Stamp back in October and make no mistake about it, the former ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion will be looking to have her hands raised.
Todd, on the other hand, was already able to bounce back with a win over Wan Chin Long and will be looking to make it two in a row against a former world champion.
The Return of Jihin Radzuan
Though she’s had just five professional bouts, Jihin “Shadowcat” Radzuan is already one of Malaysia’s top mixed martial arts prospects.
The talented 20-year old is coming off her first career loss, a tough decision defeat to Team Lakay’s Gina Iniong.
Now, she is looking to bounce back in her home country at ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY against another Filipina in Jomary Torres.
The young “Shadow Cat” is indeed still very young and is a work in progress in terms of her mixed martial arts abilities, but her potential is also very high.
Against Torres, we will get an opportunity to see what she has learned from her defeat to Iniong.
Ev Ting versus Daichi Abe has the makings of an absolute slugfest
If you’re looking for a match that will feature plenty of action, even if it doesn’t last the three scheduled rounds, look no further than the lightweight battle between former title contender Ev Ting and Daichi Abe.
Both of these competitors love to mix it up, but they have also been known to leave themselves vulnerable. Whenever there is a matchup like that on the card, fans should buckle up and enjoy the action.
Angela Lee Gets Another Shot at a Strawweight Win
ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela “Unstoppable” Lee appears to have some unfinished business in the strawweight division.
Back in March, Lee fell short in her attempt to become the third athlete in ONE history to hold titles in multiple weight classes after losing to reigning ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan.
After controlling the bout with “The Panda” for most of the bout and nearly submitting her in the fourth, Lee gassed out and left herself vulnerable to a still-aggressive Xiong. The defending champion capitalized on the situation and became the first to hand Lee a loss in her professional career.
Lee could have easily gone back down to the women’s atomweight division where she has practically dominated, but instead, Lee is taking another crack at the women’s strawweight division and continuing her march toward a second title.
At ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY, Lee will take on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Michelle Nicolini.
The loss to Xiong was Lee’s first, so all eyes will be on the latter to see how she responds from her first defeat.
The Highly-anticipated Giorgio Petrosyan – Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy Rematch
https://www.onefc.com/videos/giorgio-petrosyan-vs-petchmorakot-petchyindee-academy-2/
Kickboxing legends Giorgio “The Doctor” Petrosyan and Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy battled to a controversial ending in their first ONE Super Series bout.
Initially, Petchmorakot was deemed the winner of the bout, but a review of the judges’ decision was ordered and after the investigation, the match was called a No Contest. Now Petrosyan and Petchmorakot will climb back into the ring for the main event to determine who the superior kickboxer is in this contest and more importantly, a spot in the semifinals of the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix.
Both men are legends in their own right. They are the kinds of bucket list performers that you want to have seen perform live if you appreciate kickboxing. Seeing them clash for a second time is a double treat for fans.
The Malaysian Crowd
Fans in Malaysia have a healthy appreciation of martial arts of all kinds. The card is stacked with a variety of combat sports. With four Malaysians in action, expect to see and hear a raucous crowd cheering for the home country performers.
All the action begins at 6 am ET on Friday from Kuala Lumpur. The event can be seen LIVE on the ONE app or on B/R Live where it is available.
