3 big fights to watch out for in ONE Championship this April 

March was indeed a month to remember for ONE Championship and the Singapore-based promotion is poised for even bigger things this April.

For starters, the weekly ONE Friday Fights spectacle has become a tradition inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

ONE’s fourth marquee card of the year will also take place inside the legendary arena, as Thailand’s hero Nong-O Hama will defend his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai throne at ONE Fight Night 9 on Prime Video this April 21.

The entire card will stream live in US primetime and free for Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

With that said, martial arts fans around the world will once again be treated to high-level fights across multiple sports this month.

Mark your calendars, people. Here are three of the biggest fights in ONE Championship that you should not miss this April.

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#3. Denice Zamboanga vs. Julie Mezabarba (women’s atomweight MMA)

Third-ranked ONE women’s atomweight contender Denice Zamboanga is looking to continue her steady climb up the rankings in her first bout of 2023.

Following her dominant victory against Lin Heqin in Manila last year, ‘The Menace’ will look for her 10th career win against Julie Mezabarba.

The Brazilian, who dropped her last two outings against Stamp Fairtex and Jenelyn Olsim, seeks to bounce back in the biggest way possible by derailing the Filipina’s momentum.

Despite her tough stretch as of late, Mezabarba is a well-rounded fighter who’s a threat on the feet and the ground.

However, she’ll be facing a fellow versatile fighter in Zamboanga, who already has three submissions and two wins by KO/TKO in her young career.

One thing’s for sure, this women’s bout has fireworks written all over it.

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#2. Halil Amir vs. Maurice Abevi (lightweight MMA)

Undefeated knockout artist Halil Amir shook ONE’s lightweight landscape with a spine-tingling promotional debut against former world title challenger Timofey Nastyukhin at ONE on Prime Video 2 last year.

The Russian, after all, is one of the most feared finishers in the promotion, but Amir demolished him with a brutal barrage in just under two rounds.

By doing so, the 28-year-old from Turkey skyrocketed to fourth place in the divisional rankings and put his fellow lightweights on notice. Now, he’ll be looking to stop a promotional newcomer who’s also looking to claim his spot.

Unbeaten Maurice Abevi will look to make the same noise in his ONE debut. The Swiss slugger, who sports a pristine 6-0 record, also has a 100 percent finishing rate just like Amir.

When two undefeated titans clash, something has to give. Given Amir and Abevi’s credentials, this fight might just end in the most violent way possible.

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#1. Nong-O Hama vs Jonathan Haggerty (ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title)

Long-time ONE bantamweight Muay Thai kingpin Nong-O Hama was tested in his last world title defense against Alaverdi Ramazanov at ONE Friday Fights 1.

The Thai superstar, though, powered through by channeling the energy of the packed Lumpinee Stadium audience and knocked out the Dagestani with a sickening body blow in round 3.

Nong-O will return for his eighth world title defense against a challenger who already got a taste of gold himself.

Former ONE flyweight Muay Thai ruler Jonathan Haggerty made a successful move to bantamweight last year by outpointing Vladimir Kuzmin.

‘The General’ will be entering enemy territory, as the match will again take place inside “The Mecca of Muay Thai”.

While dethroning a seemingly invincible opponent will be much easier said than done, Haggerty is up for the challenge. The Brit will again rely on his cerebral and precise attacks to counter Nong-O’s pure savagery and mastery of “The Art of Eight Limbs”.

This all-out war will definitely be a striking chess match of the highest order. Regardless of who gets his hand raised, the fans are definitely the victors after this fight.