5 fighters from ONE Championship who could succeed in the UFC

Outside the UFC, One Championship may well have the deepest roster of talent in the world of MMA. Bellator MMA and the PFL are both in the argument, but One Championship appears to currently be at one of its strongest points in the promotion's history.

Whilst former UFC fighters such as Eddie Alvarez, Demetrious Johnson and John Lineker have proven they can compete with the best the UFC has to offer, many of One Championship's homegrown fighters could also certainly hold their own.

In the following list we take a look at 5 fighters from One Championship who could succeed in the UFC.

UFC 266: Pearce v Morales

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#5. Yuya 'Little Piranha' Wakamatsu - One Championship flyweight

One of the more unknown fighters on this list, Yuya Wakamatsu is an incredibly talented One Championship flyweight who is just now entering the prime of his career.

Holding a professional record of 15-4, Wakamatsu is currently riding a five fight winning streak that has him ranked No.2 in the One Championship flyweight rankings. A well rounded and versatile fighter, 'Little Piranha' has shown massive improvement since signing for the Singaporean promotion.

His most recent loss came in 2019, when he matched up with former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. Wakamatsu came up short, losing to 'Mighty Mouse' via second round submission.

However, even in the small time that has passed since their fight, Wakamatsu has fought his way back to the point where Johnson is the only one standing between him and a shot at the title.

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#4. Ok Rae Yoon - One Championship lightweight

One Championship lightweight champion, Ok Rae Yoon, entered 2021 a relative unknown. He had primarily competed on the East Asian regional scene, and whilst he sported an impressive 13-3 record, he did not have wins over any particularly notable names.

However, when signed to One Championship, he was immediately thrown into the deep end. Ok Rae Yoon matched up with former One Championship featherweight champion Marat Gafurov in his first bout in the promotion.

Few expected this unknown debutant to be anything more than a stepping stone for 'Cobra', but Ok Rae Yoon defied all expectations and picked up a unanimous decision victory over Gafurov.

Ok Rae Yoon's surprise win over Gafurov saw him match up with former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez next. Once again, the Korean shocked One Championship fans, putting on a clinical display to overcome 'The Underground King'.

The win over Alvarez cemented Ok Rae Yoon's place as a top contender in the lightweight division. The Korean was promptly matched up with One Championship lightweight champion, Christian Lee.

Whilst the fight was incredibly close, Ok Rae Yoon eked out a decision victory, capturing the title in the process.

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#3. Thanh Le - One Championship featherweight

It's still baffling that Thanh Le was not signed to the UFC off the back of his Dana White Contender Series performance.

Le knocked out Lazar Stojadinovic in the second round via a head kick, exactly the kind of finish that Dana White always claims to be on the look out for.

However, Le would not be signed to the UFC and instead competed twice for LFA before making the move to One Championship. The signing turned out to be an excellent career choice for Le, as he is undefeated for the promotion. The Louisianan captured the featherweight title in 2020.

Le did not compete in 2021, but will be looking to kick off 2022 with a bang. Many MMA fans still hope to one day see him test himself against the UFC's elite, however, at the age of 36, it seems unlikely.

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#2. Christian 'The Warrior' Lee - One Championship lightweight

Christian Lee has long been considered the golden boy of One Championship. 'The Warrior' holds a 15-4 record and holds wins over the likes of Iuri Lapicus, Timofey Nastyukhin and Shinya Aoki.

Lee came up short in a controversial decision loss to Ok Rae Yoon in 2021, but the 23-year-old has been promised an immediate rematch by One Championship president Chatri Sityodtong.

Considering the high-level skillset Lee is already employing at such a young age, he seems destined to only improve from this point onwards. He would undoubtedly give much of the UFC's 170lb division trouble should he ever be given the opportunity to test himself against them.

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#1. Reinier 'The Dutch Knight' de Ridder - One Championship middleweight & light heavyweight

One Championship's only current double champ Reinier de Ridder is another fighter to have taken the Singaporean promotion by storm over the past few years.

Currently holding a perfect 14-0 record, de Ridder has put together five consecutive wins in the One Championship Circle.

Reinier de Ridder defeated Aung La N Sung twice to claim both his titles, and now appears to be running out of high level opposition to test himself. Wins over Rong Fan, Gilberto Galvao and Leandro Ataides have helped round out his One Championship resume.

Considering the UFC's middleweight and light heavyweight divisions are somewhat lacking in depth and upcoming talent, de Ridder could easily enter either weight class and put on fun bouts.

'The Dutch Knight' yet to lose a pro MMA bout, it would certainly be intriguing to see just how high his ceiling is inside the world's largest MMA promotion.