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ONE 159 is just around the corner and is shaping up to be one of the best cards ONE Championship has put out this year.
The card will feature one of the most dominant world champions ONE has ever produced, double-champ Reinier de Ridder, in the main event. The 12-fight card is stacked with blockbuster bouts in kickboxing, Muay Thai, and MMA.
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In a headlining bout, de Ridder will be defending one of his belts, the middleweight world title, against former champ Vitaly Bigdash.
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After wiping the floor with ONE welterweight world champion Kiamrian Abbasov last February and going the distance against grappling legend Andre Galvao at ONE X, de Ridder is not stopping.
Against former ONE world champion Vitaly Bigdash, 'The Dutch Knight' will have a new set of challenges as his Russian challenger is a more natural middleweight compared to Abbasov. Bigdash also has legendary toughness and will not be easy to dominate no matter where the fight goes.
Aside from the exciting main event, ONE 159 offers up fights that can keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Today, we list down three intriguing bouts that you shouldn't miss come July 22.
#3. ONE 159 lead card lightweight MMA bout - Ariel Sexton vs. Marat Gafurov
If you're a fan of frenetic and exciting grappling in an MMA fight, this bout between former ONE featherweight world champion Marat 'Cobra' Gafurov and Ariel Sexton will surely be a treat.
The two submission masters have 22 submissions between them and have awed fans with their frightening brand of MMA grappling.
Former ONE world champion Gafurov is everything that's scary about any fighter hailing from the grizzled Republic of Dagestan. His unstoppable wrestling, unshakable top pressure, frightening ground-and-pound, and debilitating submission holds are the stuff of legend.
As for Sexton, 'Tarzan' is known for his world-class BJJ black belt skills, often pulling some crazy submissions on the fly. He owned one of the most inventive and mind-blowing submissions in ONE Championship history when he pulled off this crazy reverse triangle/ keylock on Kota Shimoishi:
Watch out for these two to put on a show at ONE 159 and show everyone what MMA grappling at the highest level looks like.
#2. ONE 159 main card strawweight MMA bout - Bokang Masunyane vs. Hiroba Minowa
Get ready to be energized by these two strawweight stalwarts. ONE 159 will see an epic clash between two of the most dynamic and exciting 125-pound fighters on the planet.
Bokang 'Little Giant' Masunyane is the epitome of explosiveness and athleticism. In a division filled with explosive fighters, not a lot can match Masunyane's explosiveness in grappling and striking.
With freestyle wrestling as his foundation, 'Little Giant' blitzes his opponents like a freight train. His break-neck pace in grappling also opens his opponents up to his powerful strikes.
As for Hiroba Minowa, he is one of the toughest men to ever compete in ONE's strawweight division. Having never been knocked out or submitted in his 16-fight career, this well-rounded and tough Japanese will be a nightmare to deal with. He can strike and grapple with the best of the best.
With both fighters coming off losses to ONE strawweight world title challenger Jarred 'The Monkey God' Brooks, expect a highly-intense battle throughout. Fighters coming off losses are almost always extra motivated to get back in the winning column. ONE 159 will have a barnburner on its main card.
#1. ONE 159 atomweight Muay Thai co-main event - Janet Todd vs. Lara Fernandez
If there's any fight that you need to keep an eye out for at ONE 159 aside from the main event, it's this one. This ONE interim atomweight Muay Thai world championship bout is a kickboxing fan's dream.
Janet Todd, the reigning ONE atomweight kickboxing world champion, is looking to win another belt in another sport by vying for the Muay Thai strap. She is, by and large, one of the most complete female kickboxers active today. Her speed, technique, timing, distance control and accuracy is second to none.
Though her opponent, Lara Fernandez, is making her ONE Championship debut at ONE 159, she is not without world championship experience. Fernandez is the reigning WBC Muay Thai flyweight world champion and ISKA super featherweight world champion.
The stakes couldn't be higher on this one. Not only will the winner of this bout receive a new ONE Championship interim belt, she will also have a guaranteed world title unification bout in the future.
Undisputed atomweight Muay Thai queen Allycia Hellen Rodrigues just came off her hiatus due to pregnancy and is currently getting ready for her return. She will have quite the challenge waiting for her.
