5 big fights ONE Championship should put at US primetime

ONE Championship and Amazon Prime Video Sports are bringing the action closer to the North American audience with live shows at U.S. primetime. The promotion’s deep and talented roster allows them to turn several dream matchups into reality.

The North American audience will be in for a treat as ONE Championship showcases various disciplines of martial arts, including MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling, during its shows. The rising American contingent on the roster can choose to compete in any of these sports to give their fans familiar faces to cheer for.

However, these stars will be tested by world-class fighters who will certainly be looking to make their mark on the American and Canadian audiences.

Be it established stars looking to further add to their legend or rising stars who are due for a big fight, here are five potential fights that ONE Championship should stage at U.S. primetime.

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#5. Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida’ vs. Andre Galvao in a ONE Championship submission grappling match

Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida and Andre Galvao are two of the best grapplers in the world today. A clash between these two titans would certainly be a match to watch out for in ONE Championship.

The two legends have faced each other before in competition. In 2011, Galvao claimed a victory over his Brazilian countryman via points during the San Diego World Pro trials. The two met again in 2013, but it was ‘Buchecha’ who earned a victory via points in the IBJJF Pan American open weight final.

While ‘Buchecha’ has been focused on his MMA career in ONE Championship, he has not totally closed the door on returning to submission grappling, especially if the promotion were to crown a world champion.

While there may not be a world title yet in a potential match against Galvao, the idea of settling unfinished business against the Atos founder could appeal to Almeida.

#4. Martin Nguyen vs. Eddie Alvarez in a clash of hard-hitters

Who wouldn’t enjoy a battle between two exciting knockout artists?

Former two-division world champion Martin Nguyen has expressed interest in testing his skills against Eddie Alvarez whenever possible. While the two fighters compete in different divisions, Nguyen has heard rumors of Alvarez possibly moving down to featherweight. As such, he hopes to welcome the American star to the division on a card that will be live at U.S. primetime.

Nguyen has used his incredible power to become the first two-division world champion in ONE Championship history and owns 10 TKOs in 14 wins. His latest victory came at the expense of promotional newcomer Kirill Gorobets earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Alvarez is looking to climb the ranks of ONE Championship with the goal of becoming the first person to claim a world title in the three largest organizations on the planet.

While he has been on a rollercoaster ride at lightweight, a move to the featherweight division could help give him a fresh new start in the promotion.

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#3. Mikey Musumeci vs. Adriano Moraes in a submission grappling superfight

Adriano Moraes has ruled over the flyweight division for quite some time now, and competing in submission grappling could offer him a fresh new challenge.

10 of Moraes’ 20 wins have come via submission, so there is no question that he is formidable on the ground. However, he could further prove that his skills are not just effective in MMA by overcoming a grappling phenom in Mikey Musumeci.

The 26-year-old showed that he has what it takes to take down a legend in his own game in his promotional debut. ‘Darth Rigatoni’ dismantled leg-lock specialist Masakazu Imanari in their matchup, ultimately finding the Japanese veteran’s back for the submission victory and a USD$50k bonus.

Moraes has already proven that he is one of the best world champions in the history of ONE. Competing and winning against a talented grappler like Musumeci will only add to his legend and cement his place in history as one of the best martial artists to ever compete.

#2. Sage Northcutt vs. Shinya Aoki in an MMA duel

Sage Northcutt has been making noise on Twitter, alleging that Japanese legend Shinya Aoki has been avoiding a fight against him.

The 26-year-old American is looking ready for a comeback fight and it looks like he has a target in sight in Aoki. ‘Super’ has gone to Twitter to hint that there may be a potential clash between him and Aoki in August.

Northcutt and Aoki have been going back and forth on social media, adding intrigue to this already brewing rivalry. But matters are best settled in the circle, and this would give fans an interesting proposition between a black belt judoka and a karate prodigy.

Last week, ONE Championship confirmed the full bout card for ONE 161 on August 26, with the clash between the two lightweights not among the fights featured on the card.

However, should a fight between Northcutt and Aoki materialize, it will certainly be a fight that fans would enjoy.

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#1. Angela Lee vs. Danielle Kelly (submission grappling) or Ham Seo Hee (MMA)

ONE women’s atomweight world champion Angela Lee is already a huge draw for the North American crowd, and being featured at U.S. primetime could shine her star even brighter.

Lee, who was born in Vancouver to a Chinese-Singaporean father and a South Korean-born Canadian mother, currently resides in Hawaii, where she trains the next generation of martial artists at United BJJ Hawaii, a gym she owns and operates with husband Bruno Pucci.

She has two fights that could potentially be an interesting pairing both for her and for fans around the world.

Ham Seo Hee is the latest dangerous threat to her reign at top of the women’s atomweight division. A world title defense against her would add to Lee’s dominant streak in the division.

Meanwhile, a submission grappling bout with BJJ star Danielle Kelly would show the world just how formidable Lee’s grappling skills are. Lee has expressed interest in grappling with Kelly. No martial arts fan would be opposed to their pairing.