TWO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUTS SET FOR
ONE: KINGDOM OF CHAMPIONS
07 April 2016 – Bangkok, Thailand: The
largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE)
will hold its historic inaugural Thailand event in the ancient city of
Bangkok. On 27 May,
the Impact Arena will play host to ONE: KINGDOM OF CHAMPIONS, marking
ONE Championship’s first foray into Thailand. The event features
hometown hero ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor
Amnuaysirichoke in the card’s headline bout against undefeated Japanese
champion Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito.
Tickets for ONE: KINGDOM OF CHAMPIONS will be available from Friday, 8 April at https://www.
President
of ONE Championship Thailand, Kamol ‘Sukie’ Sukosol Clapp (Right) stated: “This
is monumental progress for the sport of mixed martial arts in the world
and in Thailand, and also one giant step forward for ONE Championship
as we bring martial arts back home to the ancient city of Bangkok. There
is nothing like the atmosphere of a live ONE Championship event, and we
want to show fans exactly what is in store. With the country’s top rock
bands electrifying the stadium, ONE: KINGDOM OF CHAMPIONS is poised for
an incredible evening of adrenaline-pumping action.”
Yoshitaka
“Nobita” Naito of Chiba, Japan, is an unbeaten mixed martial artist
with a perfect 10-0 record. He has four wins by submission and one
knockout under his belt. The 32-year-old, who made a name for himself at
Japan’s world-famous Korakuen Hall competing as the Shooto
featherweight champion, will be fighting outside of his native Japan for
the first time, and it will be in a contest for the ONE Strawweight
World Championship against Thai titlist Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke.
Marat
“Cobra” Gafurov of Russia is the reigning ONE Featherweight World
Champion, and is undefeated with 13 wins. A former M-1 featherweight
champion, Gafurov defeated the top-ranked fighters in his weight class
with relative ease in his first four bouts with ONE Championship. Out of
his 13 victories, 9 have come by submission, proving that Gafurov is an
absolute force to be reckoned with on the ground. He will defend his
belt against Kazunori Yokota.
38-year-old
Kazunori Yokota of Chiba, Japan, is a mixed martial arts fixture with
over 12 years of professional fight experience under his belt. The
current Deep featherweight champion, Yokota is one of the toughest
fighters in the division. He sports a stellar record of 25 wins and just
five defeats, and will be making his ONE Championship debut in a title
bout against reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat Gafurov.
Russia’s
Timofey Nastyukhin has notched a series of ferocious finishes since
joining ONE Championship, including stoppage wins over top fighters
Eduard Folayang and Yusuke Kawanago. Although he fell short of victory
in his last bout against Herbert Burns, Nastyukhin now returns to action
against one of the biggest names in Asian MMA when he takes on striking
specialist Rob Lisita.
33-year-old
“Ruthless” Rob Lisita of Campbelltown, Australia, is making his
highly-anticipated return to the ONE Cage. Lisita last featured in a
submission loss to reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat
“Cobra” Gafurov in 2014, and took some time off from competition shortly
after. At 14-7, the ruthless striker Lisita is back, and promises an
overall improved mixed martial arts game. He’ll do battle against
Timofey Nastyukhin in what promises to be an instant classic.
29-year-old
Leandro Ataides of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will return to the ONE Cage
following a harrowing knockout loss to Aleksei Butorin in 2015. Ataides,
29, strung together eight straight victories before encountering his
first setback, but still remains a force to be reckoned with at
middleweight. With an enormous chip on his shoulder, Ataides looks to
get back on track by defeating his next opponent, Marcin Prachnio.
Marcin
Prachnio is a Polish mixed martial artist with an impressive 10-2
professional record. He’s won his last five bouts, four of which by
devastating technical knockouts. The attacking machine was victorious in
his first appearance inside the ONE Cage, ousting Alexandre Machado
just last February, and is making a quick turnaround to face the
returning Leandro Ataides.
Thailand’s
Anatpong “Mak Mak” Bunrad is one of the fiercest competitors at
flyweight. He has a standout 5-2 professional mixed martial arts record
and has defeated top fighters the likes of Geje Eustaquio and Marc
Marcellinus. Bunrad likes to pepper opponents with heavy-handed strikes
and powerful kicks, utilizing his world-class Muay Thai to earn
hard-fought victories. Bunrad’s next assignment is against Filipino
contender Eugene Toquero.
Flyweight
standout Eugene Toquero is a former celebrity mixed martial arts and
fitness coach in his native Manila, Philippines. The Filipino stalwart
has a knack for highlight-reel striking techniques and operates at a
pace which opponents find hard to keep up with. In his last bout,
Toquero narrowly missed out on a spectacular finish of former ONE
Flyweight World Champion Adriano Moraes, losing by submission in a tough
contest. Now he faces Thailand’s Anatpong Bunrad next.
41-year-old
Muay Thai veteran Yodsanan “Little Tyson” Sityodtong of Thailand is
making his return to professional mixed martial arts competition
following a brief stint in ONE Championship back in 2012. With the
opportunity to compete in Bangkok, Sityodtong just simply could not pass
up the chance to perform in front of his hometown crowd. He’ll take on
fellow striking specialist Chrech Kosal.
Cambodian
bantamweight prospect Chrech Kosal has two wins and only one loss as a
professional mixed martial artist. A Khun Khmer specialist, Kosal is
fast, quick on his feet, and powerful with his strikes. Thailand and
Cambodia are set to rekindle their rivalry when Kosal meets Muay Thai
specialist Yodsanan Sityodtong.
10 Live ONE events will officially be broadcasted throughout this year, aired every Saturday night at 10:00pm on Thairath TV.
For more updates on ONE Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow Twitter and Instagram @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA
About ONE Championship™
ONE
Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history.
Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts
organization hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world
champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media
broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship™ has partnered with FOX and STAR
Sports for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a
coverage that spans 70+ countries across the world.
About Thairath TVA household name familiar to all Thai news readers, Thairath is the most powerful daily newspaper in Thailand. With more than a million copies of consistent daily circulation since 1962, Thairath has established a strong foothold as a leader in Thai society for more than 60 years and counting. Dedicated, experienced, and skilled in delivering human-centric news and a variety of content relevant to the daily lives of Thais, Thairath reaches out to its massive reader base through both classic and cutting-edge channels. This includes print, websites, smartphone and tablet applications, SMS subscriptions, and social networks. Adding to its array of platforms, Thairath has also ventured into the broadcast business by officially joining the digital TV industry, creating and adding fresh perspectives to the Thai television industry through news and entertainment programs under the name “Thairath TV.” Since its launch in April 2014, Thairath TV has lifted the industry standard with innovative news presentation techniques including immersive graphics to help report compelling stories to the mass audience. Additionally, those cutting edge technologies are the main driving forces which put Thairath TV on top in live sport broadcasting. With these establishments and the eagerness to continue to grow, Thairath aims to eventually become a content provider on a global scale.
