ONE Championship

The biggest event in ONE Championship history happens this weekend, with ONE: Century featuring four world championship matches and three world grand prix finals between Saturday and Sunday. It's the first time ONE is hosting two separate cards for a single event.

Notable matches include former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson facing Danny Kingad for the flyweight world grand prix crown, Angela Lee taking on Xiong Jing Nan in a much-anticipated rematch for the former's atomweight championship, and a megafight between heavyweight champion Brandon Vera and light heavyweight/middleweight champion Aung La N Sang. 

Here is everything you need to know about ONE: Century.

     

Where and How to Watch

The event will be held at Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

ONE: Century is split into two cards. The first begins with preliminary matches on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 8 p.m. ET, and the main card immediately follows at 11 p.m. Those in the U.S. can watch the main card on TNT and both the main card and prelims on B/R Live. 

The second card begins its prelims on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 4 a.m., with the main card immediately following at 6:30 a.m. You can watch on B/R Live.

     

ONE: Century Part I Card: Oct. 12

Main Card: 11 p.m. ET on TNT and B/R Live

Xiong Jing Nan (c) vs. Angela Lee (atomweight world championship)

Demetrious Johnson vs. Danny Kingad (flyweight world grand prix final)

Janet Todd vs. Ekaterina Vandaryeva (muay thai)

Christian Lee vs. Saygid Arslanaliev (lightweight world grand prix final)

Preliminary Card: 8 p.m. ET on B/R Live

Yuya Wakamatsu vs. Dae Hwan Kim

Sam-A Gaiyanghadao vs. Daren Rolland (muay thai)

Yushin Okami vs. Agilan Thani

Itsuki Hirata vs. Rika Ishige

Senzo Ikeda vs. Lito Adiwang 

Phoe Thaw vs. Yoon Chang Min

Sunoto vs. Kwon Won Il

        

ONE: Century Part II Card: Oct. 13

Main Card: 6:30 a.m. ET on B/R Live

Aung La N Sang (c) vs. Brandon Vera (light heavyweight world championship)

Shinya Aoki vs. Honorio Banario 

Bibiano Fernandes (c) vs. Kevin Belingon (bantamweight world championship)

Rodtang Jitmuangnon (c) vs. Walter Goncalves (flyweight muay thai world championship)

Giorgio Petrosyan vs. Samy Sana (featherweight kickboxing world grand prix final, winner earns $1 million)

Mauro Cerilli vs. Arjan Bhullar

Preliminary Card: 4 a.m. ET on B/R Live

Mei Yamaguchi vs. Jenny Huang

Yosuke Saruta vs. Daichi Kitakata

Shoko Sato vs. Rafael Silva

Hernani Perpetuo vs. Hiroyuki Tetsuka

Koshi Matsumoto vs. Takasuke Kume

      

Christian Lee vs. Saygid Arslanaliev: Lightweight World Grand Prix Final

Christian Lee

Age: 21

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 170 pounds

Stance: Orthodox

Record: 12-3

ONE Record: 12-3

Originally meant to be a bout between Saygid "Dagi" Arslanaliev and former UFC titleholder Eddie Alvarez, lightweight world champion Christian Lee stepped in with less than three weeks notice after Alvarez pulled out due to injury.

Although Lee is the division's champ, the lightweight title won't be on the line, as a commemorative world grand prix belt will be given to the winner instead. However, an Arslanaliev victory would guarantee the Turk a lightweight championship match against Lee in the future.

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"Warrior" Lee defeated Japanese legend Shinya Aoki in May to earn the lightweight belt for the first time, making him the youngest male champion at a major MMA organization in history. 

Lee is excited to face one of the fastest rising stars at ONE in Arslanaliev, referring to him as a "hungry killer." He knows Dagi wants a marquee win, but Lee says he has even bigger aspirations.

"I don't think he knows how badly I want to cement my legacy."

   

Saygid Arslanaliev

Age: 24

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 170 pounds

Stance: Orthodox

Record: 8-1

ONE Record: 7-1

Eight wins, eight finishes, and seven of those came in the first round. Arslanaliev tends to not waste time against his opponents, as five of his eight victories have come in less than two minutes.

Dagi has been nearly flawless during his time at ONE, with his lone loss coming by disqualification due to an illegal strike.

Even considering all of that, the scariest aspect to Arslanaliev might be Eddie Alvarez—fellow ONE lightweight, former UFC champion and one of the toughest fighters in MMA history—saying he was "genuinely afraid" of what the Turk is capable of leading up to the originally planned world grand prix final between both men. That alone tells one how highly thought of Arslanaliev is.

With that being said, can he pick up the biggest win of his career to date against the lightweight champion?

    

Prediction

This match has the potential to steal the show as an opener to Part I of ONE: Century's main card. It's a showcase of two of the brightest young stars at ONE who both have something to prove, as Lee just earned the lightweight belt a few months ago and Arslanaliev bulldozed through the competition up to this point but still needs a marquee win to solidify his resume.

Throughout his career, Lee has struggled against opponents with knockout power like Martin Nguyen, to whom he's lost twice. Arslanaliev is his biggest test since in that regard, and history shows he tends to be overly passive when faced with strikers like him. This won't be the only time we see Lee and Arslanaliev meet.

Arslanaliev def. Lee by third-round TKO

      

Demetrious Johnson vs. Danny Kingad: Flyweight World Grand Prix Final

Demetrious Johnson

Age: 33

Height: 5'3"

Weight: 135 pounds

Stance: Orthodox

Record: 29-3-1

ONE Record: 2-0

For six years, Johnson dominated the UFC flyweight division as its champion. This Saturday, he can become the No. 1 contender for ONE's flyweight title, the first former UFC titleholder to do so at ONE. 

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1180845413454110720

He is a master wrestler, a submission specialist and one of the most creative martial artists in recent memory. Last August, he showcased his grappling ability by defeating a game Tatsumitsu Wada by unanimous decision.

"Mighty Mouse" is the overwhelming favorite in the world grand prix final, but he learned after receiving a powerful shot to the eye from Yuya Wakamatsu in the quarterfinals and a tough grappling exchange against Wada that his opponents are motivated to knock the flyweight king off his throne. 

Johnson has won 15 of his last 16 bouts and could further make his case in the "greatest of all time" conversation with a world grand prix championship and his 30th career victory.

      

Danny Kingad

Age: 23

Height: 5'5"

Weight: 135 pounds

Stance: Orthodox

Record: 13-1

ONE Record: 9-1

Twenty-three-year-old Filipino Kingad is 13-1 and on a six-match win streak. Known for his quick and clever striking, Kingad earned decision victories over Senzo Ikeda and Reece McLaren in previous stages of the world grand prix. His lone loss came against current ONE flyweight champion Adriano Moraes. 

One advantage Kingad may have on Johnson is how consistently he fights on short notice. The nine weeks Johnson had between the Wada match and his upcoming one against Kingad is the shortest amount of time he's been given to prepare for a bout since 2010. Meanwhile, "The King" has competed in four matches since 2015 with less preparation time and is undefeated in said bouts.

Could this be the advantage the young up-and-comer needs against a savvy veteran?

     

Prediction

Johnson struggled at times against both of his previous ONE opponents. Against Wakamatsu, Johnson got clipped in the eye by a wicked strike. Against Wada, Mighty Mouse was often kept in check by the Japanese's wrestling and length.

The issue for Kingad is he possesses neither knockout power nor a strong grappling arsenal—the latter a notorious deficiency at Team Lakay, Kingad's home gym.

Even in the previous round of the world grand prix, Kingad was dominated by McLaren when the match was on the mat. One can only imagine what a world-class wrestler like Johnson can do against him when given the opportunity. This might not take very long.

Johnson def. Kingad by first-round submission

      

Xiong Jing Nan vs. Angela Lee: Atomweight World Championship

Xiong Jing Nan

Age: 31

Height: 5'5"

Weight: 115 pounds

Stance: Orthodox

Record: 14-1

ONE Record: 5-0

Xiong is ONE's first-ever Chinese mixed martial arts champion, and now she must go up against a vengeful Lee in a rematch of their thrilling bout last March. The former will be attempting to add her name to the record book again by becoming the first two-division women's champion in ONE history.

Xiong is a feared striker, first being introduced to the sport through boxing. An intriguing contrast in styles against submission specialist Lee was on full display in their previous meeting when Lee nearly forced Xiong to tap to an armbar. However, Xiong spoiled the hype around the rising 23-year-old, who at the time was undefeated, by landing a wicked body shot in the fifth round and eventually forcing the referee to stop the match.

Having retained her strawweight title that night, Xiong now has her eyes set on Lee's atomweight championship.

   

Angela Lee

Age: 23

Height: 5'4"

Weight: 115 pounds

Stance: Orthodox

Record: 9-2

ONE Record: 9-2

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1181207801617506306

Lee is at a crossroads in her career. After picking up a heap of momentum with a 9-0 start, she's now lost back-to-back matches for the first time. 

Her unsuccessful attempt to claim the strawweight title last March opened the door for Xiong to jump down to atomweight and do what Lee couldn't: become the first two-division women's champion in ONE history.

A third straight loss for Lee and no belt around her waist would likely put the Waipahu, Hawaii, resident out of the main event picture for the foreseeable future. 

Lee desperately needs a win in the atomweight division she's sat on the throne of for over three years. Her brother, Christian Lee, believes this is the most determined Angela has ever been as she attempts to steer her career back on the right track.

"She has to defend her belt and she's taking it very personally," Christian told Bleacher Report. "There will be fireworks. It's more than the belt on the line for her. It's her legacy."

    

Prediction

As shown by the five-round thriller they had earlier in the year where Lee nearly defeated Xiong by submission before the Chinese rallied to earn a finish, this match could genuinely go either way. 

It feels as though it'll be decided by one singular moment. If that's the case, someone with the knockout power of Xiong should have more opportunities to make an impact. Her strikes add up late in the championship rounds, as shown by Lee's fatigue last March, and that should be a cause for concern against a cardio machine like Xiong.

Xiong def. Lee by fourth-round TKO

   

Giorgio Petrosyan vs. Samy Sana: Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Final

Giorgio Petrosyan

Age: 33

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 155 pounds

Stance: Southpaw

Record: 102-2-2

ONE Record: 4-0

$1 million. That is what's at stake for two of the best kickboxers in the world as they go head-to-head for the featherweight world grand prix crown.

Giorgio Petrosyan, who hasn't lost in six years, came into the tournament a heavy favorite. The two-time K-1 World Championship winner defeated Petchmorakot Academy by unanimous decision in the quarterfinals before knocking out Jo Nattawut in the next round.

"The Doctor" has absolutely lived up to his nickname with world-class precision striking, but can he continue his dominance against one of ONE's most brash competitors?

   

Samy Sana

Age: 30

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 155 pounds

Stance: Orthodox

Record: 135-11-2

ONE Record: 3-2

In just over a year, Samy Sana has found unique ways to stand out at ONE, both inside and outside the cage. Whether it's his sporting of various NBA gear during his walkout or talking trash to his opponents, the Frenchman is not short on flair. 

"AK47" earned the biggest upset of the world grand prix after defeating Yodsanklai Fairtex in the quarterfinals to hand the Thai legend his first loss since 2011. He followed the victory up with a win against Dzhabar Askerov in the semifinals to book his spot in the final against another legend in Petrosyan. 

What makes Sana so difficult to engage with is his length. There are few featherweights in the world who are 6'3", and allowing him to stand and strike is asking for trouble.

Sana is literally the biggest opponent Petrosyan has gone up against to this point, so utilizing his stature and making the Italian uncomfortable is his best bet of pulling off another shocking upset.

      

Prediction

Sana had an inspiring run to the world grand prix final after losing two of his previous three bouts before the tournament began, but Petrosyan is one of the best defensive kickboxers to ever do it. He should be able to tack on points throughout the bout all while Sana struggles to get into a consistent groove.

Petrosyan def. Sana by unanimous decision

   

Bibiano Fernandes vs. Kevin Belingon: Bantamweight World Championship

Bibiano Fernandes

Age: 39

Height: 5'7"

Weight: 145 pounds

Stance: Orthodox

Record: 22-4

ONE Record: 10-1

The fourth match of the greatest rivalry in ONE history takes place on Sunday. Bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes looks to defend the title for a record ninth time, adding to what is already a ONE record for defenses. 

After losing the belt last November to Kevin Belingon and thus ending his five-year reign as champion, Fernandes rematched the Filipino in March.

What followed was a disappointing result for fans, as Belingon was disqualified for an illegal elbow to Fernandes' head in the third round. The Brazilian subsequently regained his title and now must keep it from going back into Belingon's hands at ONE: Century. 

Although initially hesitant to go at it for a fourth time against the same opponent, something that has never been done at ONE before, Fernandes said it had to be done.

"A lot of people want to see this fight," Fernandes told JM Siasat of GMA News. "That's the reason it's happening. The fight is not for me, it's for the fans. I give this fight to the fans—it's for you guys.

"If the third fight didn't end in that way, I would not care about Kevin anymore, but I believe a lot of Filipinos are not happy. A lot of people want to see the fight."

   

Kevin Belingon

Age: 31

Height: 5'5"

Weight: 145 pounds

Stance: Orthodox

Record: 20-6

ONE Record: 12-5

Kevin Belingon shocked the world last November, handing Bibiano Fernandes his first loss in almost eight years in a title unification bout to become the undisputed bantamweight champion.

With his win, Belingon ended the longest championship reign in ONE history. The Filipino is one of the most exciting athletes on the roster, utilizing a devastating spinning back kick as a key aspect to his overall game.

Where Belingon has improved greatly over the past year is his overall defending. This was on full display against Fernandes when he broke out of the Brazilian's armbar on two separate occasions during his title-winning match. 

Disappointed after his disqualification loss last March, Belingon is eager to leave no doubt about who the best ONE bantamweight is.

"It is hard to tell how it will end, but I'm looking for a knockout so that all talks will be settled," Belingon told ESPN. "It's hard to leave this to the judges because there would be doubts there. I have to get that knockout win."

    

Prediction

On paper, this should be one of the closest matches of the night. Both athletes seem to feed off of each other in poetic fashion, and the almost certain conclusion to this rivalry between arguably the two best bantamweights in ONE history should be nothing short of magic.

With that said, it's hard to imagine Fernandes losing to Belingon again. Even in defeat, Fernandes had multiple chances to finish Belingon. Expect a more composed, cerebral showing from the 39-year-old this time around.

Soak in what is probably the final match of this rivalry while you can, folks.

Fernandes def. Belingon by majority decision

   

Aung La N Sang vs. Brandon Vera: Light Heavyweight World Championship

Aung La N Sang

Age: 34

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 225 pounds

Stance: Orthodox

Record: 24-10

ONE Record: 10-1

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1181932577134907399

For the first time in ONE history, the heavyweight champion is dropping down a weight class to take on the light heavyweight champion. Sang's belt and six-match win streak are on the line.

The first simultaneous two-division champion in ONE history, the light heavyweight/middleweight titleholder Sang is a straightforward brawler. He loves throwing punches and sometimes takes as many as he gives out.

Sometimes, though, Sang appears so infatuated with putting on a good performance that he keeps his foot on the gas for the duration of the bout and looks for the finish at all times. The issue here? His defensive guard lacks and opponents also get their fair share of punches in.

This is a terrifying proposition against a man like Vera.

   

Brandon Vera

Age: 42

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 225 pounds

Stance: Orthodox

Record: 16-7

ONE Record: 4-0

Vera fought some of the biggest names in UFC history during his time with the company from 2005 to 2013, including Frank Mir, Tim Sylvia, Fabricio Werdum, Randy Couture and Jon Jones.

Since joining ONE in 2014, Vera has run rampant through their heavyweight division by earning first-round finishes in all four matches. Having wiped the division clean of all worthy challengers, Vera dropped down to light heavyweight and challenged Sang in an attempt to become just the third ONE athlete to hold two titles at once.

Perhaps Vera's biggest issue is his relative inactivity over the years, having only competed four times in five years since joining ONE. The 42-year-old will be fighting for the first time since November of last year when he takes on Sang this Sunday.

       

Prediction

This is the toughest and most notable matchup that either of these competitors have faced during their time at ONE. Although Vera's inactivity is cause for concern, Sang's fighting style and knack for neglecting any defense suits the UFC veteran's savvy and brute strength.

Vera already caught Mauro Cerilli reaching far too often during his last match and made him pay the ultimate price with a first-round knockout. Expect similar in this bout.

Vera def. Sang by second-round TKO

ONE Championship flyweight and former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson returns to the cage, where he'll attempt to win the world grand prix final against Danny Kingad on Saturday at ONE: Century in Tokyo, Japan. In the United States, watch his match on Part I of the Century card on Saturday night on TNT and B/R Live, along with Part II of the card on Sunday morning, also on B/R Live.

     

For six years, Demetrious Johnson dominated the UFC flyweight division as its champion. This Saturday, Oct. 12 at ONE: Century in Tokyo, he has the opportunity to become the No. 1 contender for ONE Championship's flyweight title. Doing so would make him the first former UFC champion to earn a championship shot at the Singapore-based organization. 

Johnson's path to being the first 125-pounder in history to win titles at the world's two largest mixed martial arts promotions has continued to cement his legacy as one of the most dominant competitors ever. As Mighty Mouse told Bleacher Report, his move to ONE was something he always dreamed of, especially as he sensed his time in the UFC coming to a close.

"The North American audience isn't very fond of lighter weight divisions, so when I had the opportunity to make the journey over to ONE Championship and start competing in Asia, it wasn't an offer I could pass up," he said. "I've always wanted to travel the world and compete, and [I] actually grew up watching Asian mixed martial arts with Pride."

Johnson got off on the right foot with his new promotion in March, defeating Yuya Wakamatsu by guillotine choke in the second round of the flyweight world grand prix quarterfinals. It wasn't an easy win, though, as Wakamatsu's power gave Johnson fits early on with a heavy shot to the eye. Ultimately, the American's experience and quick decision-making were too much for the young Japanese.

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1180845413454110720

His world grand prix semifinal matchup came against the lanky Tatsumitsu Wada in what turned out to be a different kind of bout than his previous one, as both competitors held their own in a grueling three-round grappling masterclass. Wada showed he was more than capable of hanging with Johnson, but ultimately the 33-year-old wrestling standout prevailed by unanimous decision.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWHvbBcMcLs

Johnson reflects on his two impressive, yet different victories. He broke down both opponents like the 13-year veteran he is.

"Looking back, neither victory outweighs the other significantly," Johnson said. "Obviously the finish is always better. I'm always going to go for the finish, but you have to take into consideration that Wakamatsu is still a young athlete. His style is more aggressive, and he's going to try and knock you out. When someone has that type of power, they want to use it. I can fight in a way to take advantage of that.

"Then there's a guy like Wada who isn't very powerful in the stand-up but very tricky on the ground with his grappling exchanges. I basically went to the realm where he's best at and competed with him there. On the feet, he was very long and got my back. He has long legs so it was hard to get mine untangled from him. He was a tough, resilient, game opponent. He's a three-time DEEP world champion, so he probably has just as much experience as I do. It was an interesting fight. It was a great grappling exchange, and I got some great cardio out of it."

Now the Kirkland, Washington, resident prepares to take on 23-year-old Danny Kingad, who is 13-1 and on a six-match win streak. Known for his quick and clever striking, the Filipino earned decision victories over Senzo Ikeda and Reece McLaren in the world grand prix quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. The nine weeks Johnson had between the Wada match and Saturday's fight against Kingad is the shortest amount of time he's been given to prepare for a bout since 2010, while with World Extreme Cagefighting.

Mighty Mouse has won 15 of his past 16 bouts and could further make his case in the GOAT conversation with a world grand prix championship and his 30th career MMA victory. A win would crown Johnson as the No. 1 contender to the ONE flyweight title held by Adriano Moraes, the only fighter to win a ONE belt on three occasions.

After making his ONE debut in Tokyo last March, Johnson is excited to put on a show in the city once again on Saturday, especially with his entrance. 

"I tell people, 'If you aren't watching ONE, let me just show you the production value of my f--king walkout. If you're not watching it, you're crazy.'"

Johnson admits there's been one big change he's had to make in his entrance since joining ONE.

"In ONE, you can't have profanity in your walkout songs at all. I like hardcore rap, so I can't really use that now. That's something I've kind of struggled with is to find a song to pump me up. The last song I picked was 'The Immigrant' by Led Zeppelin. I was watching Thor: Ragnarok and told myself, 'I need to come out to this f--king song.'

"As for my new celebration, I'm really big into video games, and it's a collaboration of a lot of them. When I close my fist, it's me harnessing all the martial art forms I know, absorbing it and then going out there and fighting."

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1157282667651588097

There aren't many guarantees at ONE: Century other than that Johnson's entrance will be one of many highlights.

ONE atomweight champion Angela Lee returns to defend the title she's held for more than three years when she takes on women's strawweight champion Xiong Jing Nan on Oct. 12 at ONE: Century in Tokyo, Japan. In the United States, watch her match on Part I of the Century card the night of Oct. 12 on TNT and B/R Live and Part II of the card the morning of Oct. 13 on B/R Live.

Angela Lee is at a crossroads for the first time in her career ahead of her much-anticipated rematch against Xiong Jing Nan.

"After last July's match, I was just lost," Lee told Bleacher Report. "I asked myself, 'Am I doing anything right?' Everything felt like it was falling apart. It was a stressful time for me."

The match Lee references is her most recent bout against Michelle Nicolini, to whom she lost by unanimous decision. Lee has now lost back-to-back matches after starting her career as a 9-0 phenom at ONE Championship, being named Newcomer of the Year at the World MMA Awards in 2015, and becoming the youngest MMA champion in history at a major organization.

In fairness to the ONE atomweight champion, both losses came in a strawweight division she moved up to in an attempt to become the first two-division women's champion in the organization's history. It's not an easy task to go up against competitors that are naturally bigger.

However, what many expected to be a celebratory evening in Tokyo last March against strawweight champion Xiong turned into the "Unstoppable" Lee's first setback.

Toward the end of their back-and-forth bout, which could be named ONE's match of the year, Xiong landed a wicked punch to Lee's body. Clearly in pain, the 23-year-old was forced to retreat in an attempt to recover. Xiong didn't let up though, and the knockout artist continued her onslaught to force referee Olivier Coste to stop the match. 

Xiong Jing Nan stops the "Unstoppable!" The 🐼 showcases her trademark power in a stunning TKO of Angela Lee at 1:37 of Round 5! #WeAreONE #ANewEra #Tokyo #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/FCZ7bf3YJL

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) March 31, 2019

"First, it was kind of a shock," Lee said of her first professional loss. "Then, it was a big wave of disappointment. Ever since I was young, I always had big expectations for myself, and if I couldn’t live up to them, it was very discouraging and disappointing. For me, I’ve always known how much potential I have. But on the nights that matter most, can it show? I think that’s a tough thing to deal with."

The doubt grew when she picked up a second straight loss less than four months later to Nicolini.

Lee's locomotive-like momentum she had built over four years withered, and she needed an escape to get her head right. It came from a familiar place.

The Waipahu, Hawaii, resident is a coach at her family gym, United MMA, just outside of Honolulu. Angela trains alongside ONE lightweight world champion and brother Christian Lee, and fellow ONE athlete and husband Bruno Pucci under the tutelage of their father, Ken.

Part of their training includes coaching children of all ages who are there for recreational and/or competitive purposes. It was while training an exceptional group of students that Lee found new inspiration for her rematch against Xiong.

"This is a huge job," Angela said. "For me, I started in martial arts growing up as a young kid learning self-defense. Now, it's my profession. I think it's really important to pass on this knowledge I've developed to the next generation of kids because it develops so much not only physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It's amazing watching them from the first day they step into training and how they grow so much.

"What really lifted my spirits after the July loss though was accompanying a youth team from this gym halfway across the world to Europe to compete in a tournament."

The inaugural edition of the Youth MMA World Championships took place last August in Rome, Italy, and featured 269 competitors from 12 to 17 years old representing 90 different nations. One of those nations was the U.S., coached by members of the Lee family including Angela. Two of the competitors on Team USA included her younger siblings, Adrian and Victoria, the latter of whom was named the most outstanding fighter in her division.

The U.S. earned 27 medals at the competition, 16 of which were gold. Both results topped the tournament's standings.

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1180165936180891648

"To see them so bright-eyed, hungry and excited to compete, it reminded me of my younger days when I started," Lee said. "To coach them to victory was amazing and reignited a hunger in me. They’re a huge motivating factor for me in my next fight."

After that successful coaching experience, Lee returned stateside and continued what she described as the most in-depth training camp she's had yet in preparation for her rematch with Xiong.

"The preparation for Angela’s camp has been amazing," Christian Lee said as he prepares for his own match at ONE: Century alongside his sister. "I've seen how hard she's worked for this. I've seen how many miles she's put on the treadmill and the hundreds of rounds she's put in the cage. I know come Oct. 12 that she'll be ready."

In their rematch on Oct. 12, Xiong looks to become the first multi-division women's champion in ONE history by knocking Angela off the atomweight throne she's sat on for more than three years.

A third straight loss for Lee would be devastating. No championship around her waist likely means that the biggest name in ONE's women's division would have to start from scratch and build her credibility again before getting another title opportunity. That's quite the contrast considering where she was earlier this year as an undefeated champion with the most momentum on the ONE roster.

Lee needs a win. If she wasn't already feeling the pressure, she'll have to earn a victory in the main event of the first ONE card to be nationally televised in the U.S.

"It's crazy, you don't really think about how big of a deal this is until someone says it like that," Lee said. "It's a huge honor for me. It's an amazing opportunity for me to defend my title, to get this rematch back, and I'm not going to let this opportunity slip."

Christian Lee believes this is the most determined Angela has ever been as she attempts to steer her career back on the right track.

"She has to defend her belt and she's taking it very personally," Christian said. "There will be fireworks. It's more than the belt on the line for her. It's her legacy."

Not often is the legacy of a 23-year-old on the line, but this must-win match bodes long-term consequences, win or lose, for Angela Lee.

Emmanuel Onyedikachi earned a unanimous points decision win over De'von Morris on Saturday in the main event of the ONE Warrior Series 8 in Tokyo.

For Onyedikachi, the win represented some redemption after he was beaten by Morris when the duo previously faced off at ONE Warrior Series 4 in Singapore in February.

In the other high-profile contests, there was a unanimous decision success for Ryoji Kudo in his featherweight showdown with Jerry Olsim, while Sandra Godvik beat Ayaka Miyauchi in their atomweight Muay Thai clash via the same method.

Here are the results from the Bellesalle Shibuya Garden and a look at some of the standout moments from the card.

      

Results

Welterweight - Emmanuel Onyedikachi bt. De'von Morris (Unanimous Decision)

Featherweight - Ryoji Kudo bt. Jerry Olsim (Unanimous Decision)

Muay Thai Atomweight - Sandra Godvik bt. Ayaka Miyauchi (Unanimous Decision)

Bantamweight - Min Jong Song bt. Kodai Murata (Unanimous Decision)

Flyweight - Nobutaka Naito bt. Alex Schild (Unanimous Decision)

Bantamweight - Hikaru Yoshino bt. Chan Samart (Unanimous Decision)

Atomweight - So Yul Kim bt. Satomi Takano (Unanimous Decision)

Lightweight - Otgonbaatar Nergui bt. Takuya Nagata Submission (Guillotine Choke, Round 1)

Featherweight - Asuka Tsubaki bt. Long La (TKO strikes, Round 2)

Lightweight - Ahmed Faez Anuar bt. Ryuichi Yamashita (Triangle Choke, Round 1)

Kickboxing Lightweight - Sean Rush bt. Koki Shimokawa (TKO, Round 2)

Atomweight - Yuko Suzuki bt. Edilah Johany (Armbar, Round 1)

Catchweight - Hiroyasu Sakurai bt. Shimamura Naoki (Split Decision)

Kickboxing Catchweight - Shoa Arii bt. Lehe (TKO, Round 3)

Kickboxing Strawweight - Kanta Motoyama bt. Cep Holik (Unanimous Decision)

      

Results available via the ONE Championship website.

     

The show in full is available via the ONE Championship YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJMrDH5M4XA

Recap

In the main event, the big question was always going to be whether Morris was able to handle the power of his opponent. 

In the early stages, Onyedikachi was able to make a couple of early statements. Within the first minute of the fight, he had been able to rock his rival a couple of times with left hooks, making Morris wary of coming forward too often for the rest of the contest.

The Nigerian lost to Morris via TKO in the second round in their first fight, so he would have been concerned when his rival started to land some cleaner shots in the second round. However, Onyedikachi managed the remainder of the contest well to earn an impressive win.

The penultimate fight of the night saw Kudo earn one of the biggest wins of his career against the dangerous Olsim.

Coming into this contest, the latter hadn't lost any bouts in his professional MMA career. However, the Japanese wasn't daunted, able to stay out of range of Olsim's strikes and pick his opportunities throughout the bout. 

The Warrior Series returns again in December when the competitors will head back to Singapore for the year-ending event.  

ONE lightweight champion Christian Lee returns to the cage to take on Saygid "Dagi" Arslanaliev in the lightweight world grand prix final on Oct. 12 at ONE: Century in Tokyo. In the United States, you can watch his match on Part I of the Century card the night of Oct. 12 on TNT and B/R Live and Part II of the card the morning of Oct. 13 on B/R Live.

     

It was originally supposed to be a training exercise for the cameras. While about a dozen media personnel circled around the training mat in the United MMA gym in Waipahu, Hawaii, to take photos and video, Christian Lee engaged in pad work with one of his coaches. It was only meant to be a seven-minute workout.

"Let's keep going," Lee said.

Despite his coaches telling the 21-year-old ONE lightweight world champion his media duties were done, Lee was insistent.

"I know," he said. "I want to do a few more minutes."

And that was before he knew he had a bout in the next month.

The workhorse, originally set to face the winner of the lightweight world grand prix between Saygid "Dagi" Arslanaliev and former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez later next year, is now preparing for an Oct. 12 match against Arslanaliev in which he had less than three weeks' notice due to Alvarez pulling out with an injury. 

As has been the case throughout his young career, Lee won't back down from any challenge that comes his way regardless of how little time he gets to prepare for it. Clearly, Lee's love for the sport introduced to him at an incredibly young age hasn't withered. 

Before he became world champion, Christian Lee was a three-year-old beginning his mixed martial arts training with sister and now fellow ONE titleholder, Angela. As they've grown up, Lee told Bleacher Report he better appreciates training at such a young age because it paid off in the long run for a raw 17-year-old who made his professional MMA debut on the ONE Championship stage in 2015.

What gave him an edge was the mental toughness he molded during his childhood.

"At the time, I was still in high school," Lee said. "I would go to school and come back for my fights. I never really felt too much pressure, though. Of course there are going to be emotions going into such a big promotion like ONE, but I always went in with the mindset of a champion. I believed since the start I was a champion, that I was the best in the world. That mindset actually helped take a lot of the pressure off because I was never really chasing that goal. I felt like I was already there."

That approach paid off early on as Lee got off to a 5-0 start at ONE before he even turned 18. It wasn't just that he was winning, though, but the dominant fashion the Warrior won in. All five matches were first-round finishes, each being stopped by punches, kimura lock, ground-and-pound, anaconda choke and strikes, respectively.

In six months, a teenager became the talk of ONE Championship.

When he's not competing, Lee is a coach at United MMA and a lead instructor for adult and child classes. As winner of five world titles at the 2013 Amateur Wrestling World Championships and the tournament's Most Outstanding Athlete award, he understands the importance of laying the foundation for others at a young age. 

"It's cliche, but kids are the future of our sport," the Canadian-born Lee said. "It's important to teach them early on about respect and determination so they carry it with them as they grow up. We're not teaching these kids just how to fight, and we're not teaching them to be bullies."

Bruno Pucci, a fellow ONE athlete and coach at United MMA, calls Christian the most mature 21-year-old he's ever seen.

"He's beyond his years," said Pucci, who is married to Angela. "One thing I can say about him is he's always willing to help. Even if he has a fight coming up, he takes his time to help me or Angela. He's younger than us, but he teaches us so much."

After that 5-0 start, the inexperienced Lee was taught a lesson by Martin Nguyen, an eventual two-division champion at ONE, in August 2016. Despite Nguyen's notoriety as one of the more dangerous competitors in the promotion, Lee attempted to go punch-for-punch with him. It didn't go well, as the Situ-Asian returned a strong right hand from Lee in the first round with an even stronger left that dropped the then-18-year-old and allowed Nguyen to find a guillotine choke for the win.

In previous matches, Lee completely overwhelmed his opponents with offense. Patience wasn't needed to pick up wins. The realization that a steady hand is crucial for any top-tier fighter was vital for Lee despite the wunderkind's first loss.

Lee went on to win his next four bouts by knockout or submission. The Warrior's reward was a rematch with Nguyen, this time for the ONE featherweight world championship and a chance to redeem his lone defeat with a much different approach.

Nguyen didn't have it so easy against a now-composed, even-tempered Lee the second time around in May 2018. Biding his time, Lee attempted fewer strikes than he normally would but was much more effective at keeping the defending champion from landing major shots himself. After five standstill rounds, the match went to a judges' decision for the first time in Lee's career.

He kept his hand raised during the announcement in belief that his performance was enough to earn his first ONE title.

"Judge No. 1 scores this bout in favor of Nguyen," ONE ring announcer Dominic Lau declared to the crowd in Singapore.

"Judge No. 2 scores this bout in favor of Lee.

"And judge No. 3 calls this bout in favor of your winner by split decision...and still ONE featherweight world champion, Martin Nguyen!"

It wasn't meant to be for Lee that night, but a much improved effort against one of the best ONE competitors ever sent a strong statement to fans that he wasn't just a flash in the pan. Christian Lee had champion potential.

Last May, he earned another title shot after two more first-round finishes, this time for Japanese legend Shinya Aoki's lightweight belt. The submission specialist was 43-8 entering the match and by far Lee's most experienced opponent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_hR69-3rVo

The first round almost ended in another quick defeat for Lee, who had no answer to Aoki's grappling. It appeared Aoki would successfully defend his belt after he got the 20-year-old challenger in a deep armbar early in the match, but Lee managed to wiggle free and escape the opening round with no further consequences.

"I think the adversity I faced with him the first round was a test of how bad I wanted it," Lee said. "The second round is when my training really came into play."

Despite Aoki's attempts in the second round, Lee refused to allow the fight to get back on the canvas. Instead, Lee found the opening he was looking for and landed a heavy left, wobbling the 36-year-old. He landed another punch...and another...and another. After an array of strikes reigned down on Aoki, referee Olivier Coste stopped the fight.

Lee sprinted to his corner in excitement as the youngest male champion at a major organization in MMA history. He no longer had to visualize being a champion like he did at the start of his career. He was one.

"I've trained my whole life to be the lightweight champion," Lee said while reflecting on his win. "I've trained thousands and thousands of hours just for that one moment."

Angela Lee couldn't hold back the emotion while watching her brother be crowned a champion.

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1129411665320194049

"I was at a loss for words," Angela said. "I was so happy for Christian because at that moment, I thought 'This is what we've worked toward.' We were just kids when we talked about being the first brother/sister world champions. Even when we were amateurs, we had that vision. At that moment, everything fell into place."

Christian Lee faces his first test as champion Oct. 12 at ONE: Century against Arslanaliev in a non-title match to be crowned the world grand prix champion. Although given less than three weeks' notice, Lee is excited to face one of the fastest rising stars at ONE in Arslanaliev, calling him a "hungry killer" eager for a massive win against the division's champion that would almost certainly result in a title shot.

ONE atomweight champion Angela Lee returns to defend the title she's held for more than three years when she takes on women's strawweight champion Xiong Jing Nan on Oct. 12 at ONE: Century in Tokyo, Japan. In the United States, watch her match on Part I of the Century card the night of Oct. 12 on TNT and B/R Live and Part II of the card the morning of Oct. 13 on B/R Live.

     

Angela Lee's story is one of unexpected success, a stratospheric rise to the top, a humbling fall and an opportunity to steer her career back on the right track.

Not much was known about the then-18-year-old Lee when she made her ONE Championship debut in May of 2015. 

"One minute and 20 seconds into the match," former ONE lead commentator Steve Dawson exclaimed after Lee defeated Aya Saber in her professional debut with an armbar early in the first round. "Angela Lee introduces herself to the world!"

Since before she could walk, Angela Lee has been surrounded by martial arts. She was born in Vancouver, Canada, to Ken and Jewelz Lee. The former is a respected figure in the sport's community who previously oversaw the Canadian sports associations for jiu-jitsu and pankration and is now the owner and head coach of Angela's home gym, United MMA, just outside of Honolulu. Meanwhile, the latter is a two-time Canadian silver medalist and black belt in taekwondo who specializes in training young children at United MMA.

Those familiar with her background knew the 2012 world pankration amateur champion had martial arts skill, a good wrestling foundation as a high school champion in Hawaii and potential in the cage after picking up an amateur MMA belt in her home state just two years later.

However, no one could have known how she would handle being under the bright lights of ONE Championship. It turned out the future atomweight champion was just fine.

Following her debut win, the Hawaii resident dropped out of college and moved to Singapore, where she joined Evolve MMA gym to pursue the sport full time. 

Angela grew into a bonafide submission specialist under the tutelage of team members and father Ken. 

The remainder of 2015 saw "Unstoppable" improve to 4-0 in style, as it included a defeat of Natalie Hills by twister in her third bout—the first time in ONE history a competitor was able to utilize the submission hold successfully. The Women's MMA Press Association later named that finish the Submission of the Year. 

MUST WATCH: Angela Lee's twister sub from ONE: PRIDE OF LIONS! #ONEFightNight pic.twitter.com/lfO1b34Jdr

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 14, 2015

Accolades continued to pour in from both the Women's MMA Press Association, who named Lee the Newcomer of the Year in 2015, and the World MMA Awards, who nominated her for Female Fighter of the Year at just 19 years old.

After starting her career 5-0, all wins via submission, Lee earned a shot at the inaugural ONE atomweight world championship midway through 2016 against 24-match veteran Mei Yamaguchi, by far her most experienced opponent to that point.

What followed was ONE's Bout of the Year, as both competitors went back and forth through five rounds to determine a champion. In the end, it was Lee who earned the judges' decision.

After becoming the youngest MMA champion at a major organization, an emotional Lee was comforted by Yamaguchi, who let ONE's newest titleholder know what everyone at Singapore Indoor Stadium was likely already thinking that night.

"You're gonna be a star, girl."

Yamaguchi wasn't wrong.

During the post-match interview, Lee, normally bubbly in demeanor, put the world on notice and reminded the crowd that she was here to stay with an impassioned statement: "I told you guys I was born for this."

The atomweight continued to prove that was true after defending her title three times over the next two years, tied for the second-most defenses in ONE history.

This included a rematch against Yamaguchi that also went the distance and was impressive in its own right considering Lee spent the previous seven months recovering from a serious car crash after falling asleep at the wheel during an early morning drive to practice. The accident resulted in a concussion and bruises.

BREAKING: Hawaii's @angelaleemma was involved in car accident on O'ahu Monday. Family confirms no serious injuries but will postpone #ONEFC Atomweight title defense vs. Mei Yamaguchi which was scheduled for Nov. 24th in Singapore pic.twitter.com/CZOpDo8Ueg

— Rob DeMello (@RobDeMelloKHON) November 8, 2017

After clearing out her division, Lee continued to challenge herself by moving up to strawweight last March and competing for a second belt.

A win against fellow champion and knockout artist Xiong Jing Nan would have made Lee just the third ONE athlete and first woman at the promotion to earn a title in two weight classes. However, "Unstoppable" was finally stopped after Xiong earned a fifth-round TKO to hand Lee the first loss of her career.

"First, it was kind of a shock," Lee told Bleacher Report. "Then, it was a big wave of disappointment. Ever since I was young, I always had big expectations for myself, and if I couldn't live up to them, it was very discouraging and disappointing. For me, I've always known how much potential I have. But on the nights that matter most, can it show? You start having that doubt. I think that's a tough thing to deal with."

Xiong Jing Nan stops the "Unstoppable!" The 🐼 showcases her trademark power in a stunning TKO of Angela Lee at 1:37 of Round 5! #WeAreONE #ANewEra #Tokyo #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/FCZ7bf3YJL

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) March 31, 2019

The doubt grew when she picked up another loss in the strawweight division less than four months later to Michelle Nicolini by decision. Lee's locomotive-like momentum she built over four years came to a grinding halt.

"After the July match, I was just lost," Lee said. "I asked myself, 'Am I doing anything right?' Everything felt like it was falling apart. It was a stressful time for me."

Lee faces Xiong in the rematch Oct. 12. This time, though, The Panda hopes to end another streak of Lee's by stripping her of the atomweight belt she's held for more than three years and hand her a loss in the division she's 9-0 in. With a win, Xiong can do what Lee couldn't: become the first multi-division women's champion in ONE history.

A third straight loss for Lee would put her career at a crossroads. No championship around her waist likely means that the biggest name in ONE's women's division would have to build her credibility back up before getting another title opportunity any time soon. That's quite the contrast in career paths considering where she was just a year ago as an undefeated champion with a scintillating amount of momentum. 

To avoid a major regression in her career, Lee needs a win. If the pressure wasn't already on, she'll have to earn the victory in the main event of the first ONE card to be nationally televised in the U.S.

"It's crazy, you don't really think about how big of a deal this is until someone says it like that," Lee said. "It's a huge honor for me. It's an amazing opportunity for me to defend my title, to get this rematch back, and I'm not going to let this opportunity slip."

Only a couple weeks away from the biggest match of her career, a confident Lee reflects on her preparations for Xiong and how her journey from prospect to champion is a key motivating factor heading into ONE: Century.

"I'm feeling really good about Xiong," she said. "I'm happy and healthy. Everything's falling into place. We've done so much in this camp, probably way more than we've done in the past. I think I've developed more as a martial artist, and I'll bring that confidence with me when I step into the cage.

"I just have stay true to who I am. I think the most important thing is to not get lost in this whole journey. From the day I first got signed to ONE until now, it's been such a crazy ride. Now, I'm just so appreciative for everything that's happened to me. I never want that to end."

With a win against Xiong, the only thing that would end for Unstoppable Angela Lee is her losing streak.

Family dynasties in mixed martial arts are few and far between. Former UFC champion Randy Couture and his son Ryan, who competes in Bellator; the Diaz brothers, featuring former Strikeforce champion Nick and current UFC standout Nate; and the legendary Gracie family tree are probably the first examples that come to mind. Well, MMA fans should probably consider adding the Lee family into that conversation now.

Their family legacy starts at United MMA gym in Waipahu, Hawaii, just outside Honolulu. There you can find dozens of title belts from various martial arts promotions hung above the training mats as motivation for the professional athletes who call it their home away from home and the various students hoping to learn what it takes to get to that level. Owner and head coach Ken Lee understands that better than most.

Lee has coached martial arts since 1996 and holds black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, pankration and taekwondo. Originally from Singapore, he moved to Canada, where he was previously responsible for overseeing the national sports associations for jiu-jitsu and pankration as a coach and president, respectively. Now, Lee is the owner and head coach of United MMA after relocating his family to Hawaii in 2002. There, he oversees an array of classes as well as the training of his four children.

It was with his wife, Jewelz Lee—a two-time Canadian silver medalist and also a black belt in taekwondo who specializes in training young children at United MMA—that they introduced their kids to martial arts. 

"Growing up in Canada in the '70s when there was still a lot of hate, separation and racial discrimination was tough," Ken Lee told Bleacher Report. "I really wanted my children to not experience that, and if they did, to have the ability to stand up and defend themselves.

"It's always hard watching them fight, but we have to separate between being a parent and being a coach. As a parent, you're going to worry about your child no matter what they do."

As roughly a dozen media members walked up the stairs of United MMA to the main training area, they were greeted with traditional Hawaiian leis by two of the most recognized members of the gym: Angela and Christian Lee.

As is instantly made clear by the promotional posters hanging around their gym, Angela and Christian are lighting up ONE Championship as the current atomweight and lightweight champions, respectively. ONE, which launched in 2011 and is Asia's largest martial arts promotion, made headlines stateside last year when it signed former UFC champions Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson.

Angela started her professional career at ONE in 2016 when she was just 18 years old. Less than a year later, she became the youngest champion in its history by defeating Mei Yamaguchi in just her sixth match. Since then, she has defended her 105-pound belt three times, tied for the second-most defenses of all time.

Christian began his pro career even earlier than his sister, competing in his first match at 17 while still in high school. His road to gold wasn't as quick as Angela's, though, having to work his way back to contention after losing back-to-back matches, including his first title shot, in 2018. The end of that year was a turning point for The Warrior, avenging his loss against Edward Kelly before earning the 170-pound championship in May against Japanese legend Shinya Aoki.

Under the tutelage of Ken and Jewelz, who are always in their children's corner during matches, the siblings are no longer plucky teenage prospects. They look to defend coveted championships regularly while still fulfilling their own duties as coaches at United MMA.

Just like the young children whom they teach to throw a punch, Angela and Christian began training when they were toddlers, too.

The first brother/sister world champion tandem in mixed martial arts history credit the early career success to their parents, who exposed them to the sport at a young age. That expeditious development allowed them to get a jump on their competition.

"We were each other's first-ever training partners," Christian, 21, said. "Angela started when she was four, I was like three, and since then we've been voluntarily and involuntarily thrown on the mats together. At the time, we thought of it as something we just did every day. As we've grown up, we're old enough to look back and understand how that training at a young age paid off in the long run."

When Christian defeated Aoki to become the ONE lightweight world champion, Angela's emotional reaction after his victory illustrated how much the moment meant after thousands of hours spent training together.

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1129411665320194049

"I was at a loss for words here," a blushing Angela said after being shown her reaction in the middle of the United MMA cage. "I was so happy for Christian because at that moment, I thought, 'This is what we've worked toward.' We were just kids when we talked about being the first brother/sister world champions. Even when we were amateurs, we had that vision. At that moment, everything fell into place."

"That really means the world to me," Christian responded as he grinned ear-to-ear watching Angela's touching reaction. "We started this journey as martial artists together. Just seeing how much it meant to her that I won my title means so much to me. She wanted it for me. I wanted it bad for myself, but she wanted it badly for me."

Also participating in the daily classes are Angela's husband and Christian's fiancee.

 

Katie Guzman, his fiancee who is a practicing martial artist in her own right, met Christian in high school in 2013 when both competed for the school's wrestling team. Although unaware of the Lee family's prominence in the MMA community initially, she quickly found out after participating in her first few trainings at United MMA gym. Despite all his accolades, Christian admits Katie often gets the better of him on the mat.

"I can honestly say she's the only person that makes me tap every single time we roll," he said.

Two years after Katie and Christian met, Angela met now-husband Bruno Pucci while training at Evolve MMA in Singapore. Pucci was a jiu-jitsu instructor at the time as well as a ONE Championship athlete. Once the couple married last year, Pucci relocated to Hawaii and became a trainer at United MMA. 

The Brazilian is already impressed by the unity shown from the family-oriented team. Egos are left at the door, something Pucci felt was an issue at some of his previous teams that were overly competitive and included members jealous of each other's success. 

Working with his wife every day is nice, too.

"I think that's why what we have is so special," said Pucci, who won his last ONE featherweight fight in January. "I think for an average couple, they get married, you wake up in the morning, give a kiss to your significant other, then you go to your separate jobs. I think we're very lucky to wake up every day, hop in a car together and come to training. That's our life, that's our passion. We're very blessed to be able to live this dream together.

"Sometimes people come to the gym and see us punching each other in the face, but it's actually kind of nice because you get to spend the whole day together and plan our future. We share this passion together, and it's beautiful."

Angela could do without the punches, however.

"Sometimes my emotions get all bent out of shape during training and I'll be like, 'Why did you punch me in the face earlier?'" she said, smiling. "Well, that's what he's supposed to do. But I'll still hold it against him."

The Lee family now have their hands full with both Angela and Christian set to defend their ONE Championship titles in the near future.

Angela faces Xiong Jing Nan at ONE: Century on Oct. 12 in a rematch of their five-round thriller from March in which Lee suffered her first professional loss. That match was for Xiong's strawweight belt, but now she's dropping down a weight class to try and strip the 23-year-old of the title she's held for over three years.

Although Christian doesn't have an official date for his next match, he's eyeing the winner of the lightweight world grand prix final between former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez and Saygid Arslanaliev, who also face off on the ONE: Century card in Tokyo. In the United States, Part I of the Century card the night of Oct. 12 airs on TNT and B/R Live, and Part II will be the morning of Oct. 13 on B/R Live.

Xie Wei produced a clinical display to beat Zou Jin Bo by TKO in the first round of the headline bout at the One Hero Series September event on Monday.

He never allowed his opponent any scope to get into the fight and claimed victory with 26 seconds to go of the first round as Bo took multiple shots to the head.

The penultimate fight of the night was over even faster as Lu Zheng's brutal kick to Ding Meng's chin ended proceedings with more than two minutes remaining of the first round in Beijing.

Here is the event in full, courtesy of the One Championship YouTube channel:

                                        

Results

Xie Wei defeats Zou Jin Bo via TKO in Round 1 (flyweight)

Lu Zheng defeats Ding Meng via knockout in Round 1 (lightweight)

Hu Si Le defeats Kurbanjiang Tuluosibake via decision (lightweight)

Huyixibai defeats Wang Jing Jia via decision (bantamweight)

Li Yuan Kun defeats Wang Chen Hao via TKO in Round 1 (flyweight kickboxing)

Gao Bo defeats A Gu De Mu via submission in Round 1 (catchweight of 80.0 kilograms)

Zhang Shuai defeats Yang Wu Lin via decision (kickboxing at catchweight of 67.1 kilograms)

Huang Yan Chuan defeats Liu Zhi Peng via submission in Round 1 (catchweight of 58.5 kilograms)

Xia Ming Quan defeats Gui Yan Zhao via submission in Round 1 (catchweight of 63.5 kilograms)

Huang Shuai Lu defeats Song Dong Dong via decision (flyweight kickboxing)

Yang Fu Chong defeats Zhang Yu Sen via TKO in Round 2 (flyweight)

                      

The majority of Wei's clash with Bo took place on the mat, with the first takedown coming just 17 seconds into proceedings. Fighting out of the red corner, Wei was dominant throughout, immediately getting on top of his opponent after initially being taken to the ground himself.

Another takedown by Bo did not work out for him as Wei worked himself into a dominant crucifix position across his arms and head. Bo managed to work himself out, but again on his third takedown, he ended up at the mercy of his opponent.

A tiring Bo then launched a huge right hand, which did not find its mark, and he sent himself sprawling to the ground. Wei took full advantage, getting on top of Bo, who could only put his hands over his head to protect himself from a flurry of punches before the referee stopped the fight.

By contrast, Zheng and Meng's clash was largely an upright affair. Both fighters came flying out the blocks with little regard for defence and seemingly intent on throwing as many punches as possible.

The taller Meng had the better of the opening exchanges as he used his range well with punches and kicks, and he escaped well when Zheng tried to grapple. But out of nowhere, Zheng produced a devastating left-footed high kick, which sent Meng crashing to the canvas in an explosive finish.

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao retained his bantamweight muay thai world championship by defeating Brice Delval via split decision at the ONE Championship Immortal Triumph event at the Phu Tho Indoor Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam:

Nong-O is now a THREE-TIME 🏆🏆🏆 ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion! Can anyone stop the dominant reign of the Thai legend? #WeAreONE #ImmortalTriumph #HoChiMinh #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/F7O6z9Zxpm

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 6, 2019

The muay thai legend edged a close contest against the 20-year-old rising star in five rounds to successfully defend his title for a second time.

Kulabdam Sor. Jor. Piek Uthai was also in action on Friday and enjoyed a strong start to his ONE Super Series career with a unanimous decision victory over Bobo Sacko after three rounds.

       

Main Card Results

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao def. Brice Delval via Split Decision (Bantamweight Muay Thai World championship)

Kulabdam Sor. Jor. Piek Uthai def. Bobo Sacko via Unanimous Decision (Bantamweight Muay Thai)

Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat def. Azwan Che Wil via Knockout (Flyweight Muay Thai)

Anderson Silva def. Beybulat Isaev via Knockout (Light Heavyweight Kickboxing)

Chris Nguyen def. Yukinori Ogasawara via Unanimous Decision (Flyweight Muay Thai)

Bi Nguyen def. Puja Tomar via Split Decision (Atomweight Muay Thai)

Panpayak Jitmuangnon def. Masahide Kudo via Unanimous Decision (Flyweight Kickboxing)

    

Preliminary Card Results

Mongkolpetch Petchyindee Academy def. Joseph Lasiri via Majority Decision (Flyweight Muay Thai)

Santino Verbeek def. Juan Cervantes via Majority Decision (Welterweight Kickboxing)

Momotaro def. Singtongnoi Por Telakun via Knockout (Flyweight Muay Thai)

Viktoria Lipianska def. Amber Kitchen via Split Decision (Catch Weight Muay Thai)

Michael Pham def. Mohamad Fakri Bin Yusoff via Unanimous Decision (Featherweight Muay Thai)

Full results are available from the tournament's official website

   

Immortal Triumph Highlights

The ONE Championship made its debut in Vietnam on Friday and did not lack for excitement with a full card of kickboxing and muay thai action involving plenty of top talent.

ONE Championship shared highlights of the action:

The main event saw Nong-O cement his status at the top of the sport with victory over Delval, although the 12-time world champion did not have it all his own way and was tested by his young opponent:

DOWN GOES NONG-O! 😮 #WeAreONE #ImmortalTriumph #HoChiMinh #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/MboRv1PyUr

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 6, 2019

Yet the 33-year-old overcame a difficult start to assert his dominance. His kicks to the body and the legs were a feature of the second round as he began to show his superior quality:

The World Champ returns fire! 💥🤛 #WeAreONE #ImmortalTriumph #HoChiMinh #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/l56xcNcyiW

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 6, 2019

Delval adjusted well in the later rounds and continued on the offensive but could not do enough to prevent Nong-O claiming a deserved victory in a fast-paced match.

Elsewhere, Vietnam's Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat gave home supporters plenty to cheer with a thrilling third-round knockout of Azwan Che Wil.

The Malaysian came into the meeting as the more experienced fighter but was no match for the home favourite. 

Nguyen put his opponent on the canvas in the second round with a high kick and then ended his night with a perfectly-timed right hook:

WHAT. A. KNOCKOUT! Vietnam's 🇻🇳 own Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat sends Ho Chi Minh into a frenzy with a ferocious finish of Azwan Che Wil! 🔥 #WeAreONE #ImmortalTriumph #HoChiMinh #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/rnQkwZOCsS

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 6, 2019

Brazil's Anderson Silva was also in fine form on Friday, producing a first-round knockout to defeat Beybulat Isaev. Silva overwhelmed Isaev from the start before landing a powerful right uppercut to end the contest:

🚨 KNOCKOUT ALERT 🚨
Brazilian beast 🇧🇷 Anderson Silva makes a MASSIVE statement with a first-round KO of Beybulat Isaev! #WeAreONE #ImmortalTriumph #HoChiMinh #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/ZxQNi1bLYo

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 6, 2019

Elsewhere, Santino Verbeek survived a scare to beat Juan Cervantes on his ONE Championship debut, while Kohei 'Momotaro' Kodera made history on Friday.

The Japanese star knocked out Singtongnoi Por Telakun after just 41 seconds, the fastest knockout in ONE Super Series history, per the tournament's official website.

The bantamweight muay thai world championship is on the line at ONE Championship: Immortal Triumph on Friday as Nong-O Gaiyanghadao defends his crown against Brice Delval in a classic matchup between a decorated veteran and a young star ready to solidify his spot at the top.

Here's what you should know about Nong-O Gaiyanghadao vs. Brice Delval ahead of their world championship clash.

   

Muay Thai

First, it's important to understand the differences in this match compared to other martial arts bouts. Since it is a muay thai bout, the competitors are focused on striking through punches, kicks, elbows and knees. Grappling on the ground and wrestling are not allowed.

Instead of five-minute rounds, muay thai has three-minute rounds. Because Nong-O and Delval are competing with a championship on the line, this match can go up to five rounds. 

    

    

Where and How to Watch

The event will be held at Phu Tho Indoor Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City. It will be the first ONE event in Vietnam.

Those in the U.S. can watch the contest for free on B/R Live.

The main card starts at approximately 9:30 a.m. ET.

   

Main Card

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao vs. Brice Delval (bantamweight muay thai world championship)

Saemapetch Fairtex vs. Adam Noi (muay thai)

Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat vs. Azwan Che Wil (muay thai)

Beybulat Isaev vs. Anderson Silva (kickboxing)

Kulabdam Sor. Jor. Piek Uthai vs. Bobo Sacko (muay thai)

Chris Nguyen vs. Yukinori Ogasawara (muay thai)

Bi Nguyen vs. Puja Tomar (muay thai)

   

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao

Age: 33

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 132 pounds

Stance: Orthodox

Record: 259-54-1

ONE Record: 4-0

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao is a legend of muay thai. The veteran's record speaks for itself, with an astounding 314 total bouts and a winning percentage of 82 percent.

However, Nong-O has had a winding journey to get to Friday's title match. After dominating the muay thai circuit in Thailand, he took a three-year sabbatical to coach in a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion before returning to the cage last year for his ONE debut. 

Nong-O, considered to be one of the best muay thai athletes of the modern era, has schooled three fellow veterans and up-and-comer Han Zi Hao since his return, earning unanimous decisions in all four bouts.

He's known for his clinical leg sweeps, earning points from judges throughout the match by sending his opponents crashing to the canvas. He's able to rely heavily on his opponent's positioning to use it against them, but he isn't afraid to force opponents to defend a barrage of punches and elbows.

Nong-O isn't short on confidence heading into the bout.

"My opponent is tall, and he has good punches, so I’ve been working on combating his strengths and capitalizing on my strengths in my training sessions," Nong-O told ONE. "I also have a lot more experience, so I’m hoping that component will work to my advantage."

He said, "I’m very confident for this fight and I’m looking to put on my best performance yet. If there is the opportunity, I hope to finish him by KO."

Nong-O will have to defeat a promising prospect to defend his title for a second time.

   

Brice Delval

Age: 20

Height: 5'9"

Weight: 143 pounds

Stance: Orthodox

Record: 33-5

ONE Record: 0-0

Brice Delval's muay thai is years ahead of his age. Many high-caliber competitors in similar age groups are full of power but get tunnel vision looking for the knockout and lack the discipline to avoid draining their energy while doing so. That's exactly what happened when Han Zi Hao went up against Nong-O last February.

Delval is all about patience. He accumulates points by landing a series of kicks that appear harmless in early rounds but wear down opponents late into matches, all while the Algerian wins over judges' scorecards.

Where Delval can improve is exactly where most other prospects thrive: power striking. His arsenal is limited, relying predominantly on front kicks, with very little punching to lead the way. This doesn't bode well against a balanced veteran like Nong-O, who is excels at overall striking.

"I think my advantage will be my [height and reach advantage] and my determination," Delval told ONE. "I have youth on my side, and I think this can play a big part in the result."

Delval's biggest concern will be his positioning after throwing punches. Nong-O lives for taking advantage of unbalanced strikers, sweeping them to the mat and racking up points. If Delval isn't careful, Nong-O could put on yet another master class. 

   

Prediction

Delval has proved he can lead a promising future for muay thai. Earning a win over a legend like Nong-O would truly be a passing of the torch.

He could very well be the next big thing. However, it's still the era of Nong-O. The 12-time world champion is keen to remind us all he's still the guy. 

Although both athletes are attack-minded, Delval is limited in the clinch. Meanwhile, Nong-O thrives off of immediate punches and elbows that come as soon as the clinch breaks up. It's hard to imagine the veteran won't force the issue and stay within close distance of the 20-year-old to keep those optimal attacking options available. 

Delval's reach advantage will help when they aren't in the clinch, but the lack of power coming from his leg strikes will only encourage Nong-O to come in closer and negate the lengthy prodigy's best asset. This should be relatively straightforward for the legend.

Prediction: Nong-O Gaiyanghadao defeats Brice Delval by unanimous decision to retain the ONE bantamweight muay thai world championship.