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#2. ONE Championship lightweight kingpin Ok Rae Yoon
In his first year alone, Korean fighting sensation Ok Rae Yoon beat Marat Gafurov, Eddie Alvarez, and Christian Lee. That's two former world champions and the then-reigning world champion from whom he took the belt from.
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Not only did he have an awesome 2021, Ok also had perhaps the best opening year in ONE history. Imagine debuting in the biggest martial arts organization in the world and winning its lightweight world title before the year ended. It's nuts.
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Ok is a problem anywhere inside the circle. His peppering strikes and underrated grappling game allowed him to negate all possible threats from all fronts. He is also extremely durable and versatile and can pose huge threats anywhere he likes.
Ok's massive appeal is also attributed to Korea's current surge in global popularity today. From music, to film, to combat sports, Ok is the latest of many great Koreans waving their flag with extreme pride.
#1. ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon
We've said it before: if boxing legends Marvin Hagler and Mike Tyson had an Asian child and he learned Muay Thai, that would be Rodtang Jitmuangnon. This man is like when the idea of excitement becomes a person.
Imagine this: Rodtang is just 24 years old and he's already had over 300 fights in Muay Thai. Upon entering ONE Championship, 'The Iron Man' ran through his division like a freight train and won their flyweight Muay Thai world title. He's also defended it three straight times.
Rodtang blasted through the mainstream, however, when he faced MMA legend and MMA GOAT contender Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson in a mixed-rules bout at ONE X. The fight thrust Rodtang into the mainstream spotlight and also gave the world a glimpse of what high-level Muay Thai looks like.
Despite losing in the second round via a rear-naked choke, Rodtang pushed the MMA legend to the limit with his striking. With the intention of transitioning to MMA on the horizon, Rodtang had the best possible introduction by locking horns against one of the best ever.
There's always room for improvement and if Rodtang puts as much time and dedication into his grappling as his striking genius, he will no doubt become the biggest Asian martial arts star since Bruce Lee.
