WINNER | Where does Christian Lee go next after winning at ONE: ASCENT TO POWER? (Photo : ONE Championship)
Unless you completely tuned out last weekend, you would know ONE Championship held perhaps its finest card to date at ONE: ASCENT TO POWER, which took place last Friday night, 6 May at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.
In front of a packed crowd of 12,000 screaming mixed martial arts fans, the promotion crowned two new world champions, completing ONE Championship's roster of world champions across all its weight divisions. It was a truly memorable evening, one that fans will not soon forget.
Now it's time to play fantasy matchmaker with a look at what's next for the winners of ONE: ASCENT TO POWER.
Agilan Thani
Thani is being brought up quite nicely. The 20-year old middleweight is young and capable, but still a little rough around the edges. Thani's performance against Brad Robinson was absolutely dominant as he completely outmuscled and overpowered the American, but Robinson isn't exactly a great test for Thani's current skill level.
Thani should be matched up against the next level of opposition in order to benefit his career. Egypt's Mohamed Ali performed fairly against Japanese veteran Tatsuya Mizuno, and either should be a good matchup for Thani should the Malaysian be able to make the middleweight limit.
Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev
What can we say about this man? Saygid has three first-round finishes in his first three fights as a professional mixed martial artist. His first two outings did not last longer than a minute. Last Friday night, Saygid showcased that same type of aggression and inherent knockout power, resulting in another spectacular stoppage.
Although his fan following is slowly climbing, he should not be thrown in with top-caliber lightweights just yet. At least, not until everyone knows about him.
ONE Championship's lightweight division is arguably the most talented division, and the guys at the top are all elite with current champion Shinya Aoki towering above them. Saygid may not have a choice but to fight a big name next, but a duel with fellow winner Amir Khan may be in order.
Khan scored an emphatic TKO victory over Taiwanese kickboxing champion John Chang on the ground, proving he isn't all about the standing game and possesses a well-rounded MMA skill set.
Benedict Ang
Benedict Ang needs a little more work until he takes a step up in competition. Although he was able to get the finish against Filipino Jimmy Yabo, it wasn't exactly easy for Ang. Yabo is far from being considered among the top talents in featherweight, yet Ang struggled early against the veteran.
What Ang has going for him though are well-rounded skills and a great training team behind him to help develop his overall game. There are plenty of featherweights to challenge on ONE Championship's roster and we should see Ang on another card very soon, perhaps against the Philippines' Edward Kelly.
Christian Lee
Christian is almost on every card, it seems, because he's been rarely challenged in four fights thus far for ONE Championship. The young featherweight is one the top prospects in the entire world. His unorthodox striking style has baffled his opponents, all four of whom have been finished in the first round.
It's time for Christian to take a step up and face someone on equal footing. Keanu Subba should be recovering from the elbow injury he suffered when he and Christian were first scheduled to fight. Although Christian has one-upped Subba with his recent win, the two should still make for a great matchup.
Narantungalag Jadambaa
Was there any fighter more impressive than Jadambaa last Friday night? Only Angela Lee may have given a better performance. Jadambaa, ONE's former featherweight champion, proved he is still a high-caliber fighter by manhandling former ONE lightweight champion Kotetsu Boku.
There's just something about Jadambaa that's so brutish, so freakishly overbearing, that makes him such a tough matchup for anyone. First of all, he is as hard as a rock. The guy can absorb punishment like no other and he can dish out just as much too.
What's even scarier is that Jadambaa can wrestle and grapple as well. He finished Boku by a very crafty shoulder choke that left his Japanese opponent unconscious.
Featherweights Ev Ting and Eric Kelly stack up well against Jadambaa, as well as Australian Martin Nguyen. All of which should be exciting matchups for the Mongolian, should a much-anticipated rematch with Marat Gafurov not happen. That's regardless of whether it's for the belt or not, as Gafurov defends his title against Kazunori Yokota in Bangkok next.
Roger Gracie
With the victory over previously-unbeaten Michal Pasternak, Roger became the first Gracie to ever win a world title in a major mixed martial arts promotion.
Roger has had two fairly easy victories in ONE Championship so far, and he now holds the ONE light heavyweight belt. But after his bout against Pasternak ended early, Roger expressed his desire to become a two-division world champion, and is eyeing a move down to middleweight to challenge middleweight titleholder Vitaly Bigdash.
It should be a great matchup, if it ever comes to fruition. One thing's for certain though, Roger has some big challenges ahead of him.
Angela Lee and Mei Yamaguchi
Why include Yamaguchi in this list if she lost you say? There were no losers in that amazing women's atomeweight title tiff. Yamaguchi presented Lee's toughest test to date, and she gave the undefeated 19-year old a run for her money.
Lee overcame a spirited performance from the Japanese MMA veteran to clinch the inaugural ONE Women's Atomweight World Championship. They traded heavy blows and showcased high-level, tactical grappling skills all throughout the fight to the delight of a packed Singapore Indoor Stadium crowd.
Although Yamaguchi got the better of Lee in the early going, providing the highlight of the fight with an overhand right that dropped Lee like a sack of potatoes, she tired in the second half as Lee got her second wind. Throughout five gruelling rounds, Lee dug deep, doing just enough to earn a unanimous decision victory.
It's hard to imagine Lee's next challenger, but whoever it is, they'll not only have to deal with Lee's tremendous capabilities, but also the entire nation of Singapore who will undoubtedly rally behind her.
For Yamaguchi, she proved her worth in this fight. A bout against Lena Tkhorevska would be an amazing fight to watch out for, but the world knows they want to see a rematch between these two amazing female fighters.
