ONE Championship news roundup (April 13, 2023)

Welcome to today's edition of the daily Sportskeeda ONE Championship News Roundup, where we present the promotion's most important stories.

Today, we’ll discuss Jackie Buntan contemplating a move to kickboxing, Reinier de Ridder training with John Danaher and Gordon Ryan, and Anatoly Malykhin looking at a potential career as a coach.

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#3. Jackie Buntan has considered move to kickboxing

Filipino-American striker Jackie Buntan has fought exclusively under Muay Thai in ONE Championship, but that doesn’t mean she’s not considering a move to kickboxing in the future.

Buntan said that she’s contemplated jumping into the kickboxing circuit after putting in the world with longtime training partner Janet Todd, the reigning ONE atomweight kickboxing world champion.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, she said:

“I’ve never competed in kickboxing, my teammate Janet Todd is the kickboxing world champion, of course, I helped her in her camps for her kickboxing fights, so I’m aware of the ruleset, the pacing, how things need to go.”

The Boxing Works star is one of the most exciting young stars in the promotion and she’s already collected four wins in her run. She even fought for the inaugural ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai world title against Smilla Sundell back in April 2022.

Buntan is set for her first match of the year when she faces Australian striker Diandra Martin at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video on May 5 at 1stBank Center in Colorado.

ONE Fight Night 10 is ONE Championship’s first on-site event in the United States and will be available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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#2. Reinier de Ridder stoked about training with John Danaher and Gordon Ryan

ONE middleweight world champion Reinier de Ridder is considered one of the best submission grapplers in mixed martial arts, and he’s constantly trying to elevate his ground game even further.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt routinely works with John Danaher, Gordon Ryan, and the rest of the Danaher Death Squad whenever he finds his way to the United States.

De Ridder is also preparing for a submission grappling match against BJJ phenom Tye Ruotolo at ONE Fight Night 10, and he made sure to make a stop in Texas before flying to Colorado for the bout.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan, De Ridder said he’s been going through the gauntlet with Danaher and his team in preparation for Ruotolo:

“Man, it’s the [craziest] and most humbling experience ever. For me, the guys I’ve always looked up to in the grappling world are them, especially John [Danaher] and Gordon [Ryan]. [Giancarlo] Bodoni, there’s a list of names there, it doesn’t end.”

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#1. Anatoly Malykhin has his eye on post-fight career: “I do have ambitions as a coach”

It seems Anatoly Malykhin has found his calling when he ultimately hangs up the gloves.

The two-division world champion revealed in an interview with ONE Championship that coaching has always been an interest to him and might just pursue being a mentor once he retires from fighting.

“I do have ambitions as a coach. I see myself coaching after I’ve finished my fighting career. The gym was also opened as a base for our team – ONE Chance. Our fighters can train here. Champions will be made here. They will give the audience great shows. They will impress the public and get big contracts.”

Malykhin, who holds the ONE light heavyweight and interim heavyweight world titles, recently opened a training center in Thailand where he’s been keeping himself busy.

The Russian juggernaut is also a constant presence at Tiger Muay Thai where he’s helped ONE bantamweight world champion Fabricio Andrade and Tagir Khalilov in their recent victories.