ONE Championship News Roundup

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 the upcoming matchup between strawweight contenders Hiroba Minowa and Bokang Masunyane, Superlek Kiatmoo9 looking for the honor of beating Rodtang Jitmuangnon, and Reinier de Ridder wanting to defend the ONE middleweight world title before rematching Anatoly Malykhin.

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#3. Strawweight contenders Hiroba Minowa and Bokang Masunyane set to clash at ONE Fight Night 9 in April

ONE Championship’s strawweight division could be in for a shakeup with highly ranked contenders Bokang Masunyane and Hiroba Minowa set for a primetime match.

The 125-pound stars will square off at ONE Fight Night 9 on Prime Video on April 21, US primetime, at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.

Masunyane is ranked No.2 in the weight class while Minowa is at No.3. A win for either man would surely give them a sound argument to face No.1-ranked contender and former world champion Joshua Pacio in a potential world title eliminator.

Minowa and Masunyane have two wins apiece inside the circle. Both have lost just once in the promotion, to the same man – reigning ONE strawweight world champion Jarred Brooks.

ONE Fight Night 9 will be available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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#2. Superlek believes defeating Rodtang will be his "lifelong honor"

Superlek Kiatmoo9 may be the one defending the ONE flyweight kickboxing world title, but he feels that he’s the one seeking a career-defining win at ONE Fight Night 8.

The Thai superstar will face his countryman Rodtang Jitmuangnon in his first title defense on March 24 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The world title match between Superlek and Rodtang is seen as a dream match of sorts since both fighters have gold wrapped around their waists and are considered among the best strikers of their generation.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Superlek said that a victory over Rodtang, the reigning ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion, would solidify his legacy:

“Victory over him will be my lifelong honor. It’s my pride to beat a superstar that everyone wants to fight with. And yes, after I beat him in this fight, I want to challenge Rodtang for ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title next.”

ONE Fight Night 8, like all of ONE Championship’s Amazon cards, is available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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#1. Reinier de Ridder looks to defend ONE Championship middleweight belt then rematch Anatoly Malykhin this year

Dutch superstar Reinier de Ridder wants to continue his reign as the ONE middleweight world champion, while also working his way to reclaiming the light heavyweight throne he lost to Anatoly Malykhin.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, 'The Dutch Knight' said he first wants to defend the middleweight belt before he reignites his rivalry with Malykhin:

"Hopefully, somewhere in July. Hopefully at middleweight first and then at the end of the year, [Anatoly] Malykhin at light heavyweight.”

The ONE interim heavyweight world champion snatched the light heavyweight gold from de Ridder at ONE on Prime Video 5, making him the fifth two-division world champion in ONE Championship.

De Ridder already has two successful defenses of the ONE middleweight world title and one more would put him in a tie for most with Aung La N Sang. Another successful defense would immediately put de Ridder in the conversation of the best middleweight in ONE Championship history.

Before he gets involved in world title matches, de Ridder must first take on Tye Ruotolo in a submission grappling super-match at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5 at the 1stBank Center in Colorado.

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

Watch de Ridder's interview below: