Our ONE Championship predictions are in for ONE: Winter Warriors. After the success of ONE: NEXTGEN III, the Singapore-based promotion welcomes the Christmas season with a banger of a card.
Scheduled for December 3rd, the card will showcase exciting fights across MMA, Muay Thai, and kickboxing. The event will be headlined by a title fight between ONE Championship lightweight kickboxing king Regian 'The Immortal' Eersel and promotional newcomer Islam Murtazaev.
The co-main event will witness charismatic kickboxing phenom Stamp Fairtex take on wrestling machine Ritu 'The Indian Tigress' Phogat. This striker vs. grappler match will conclude the storied ONE Championship atomweight Grand Prix tournament.
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The rest of the card is packed with exciting and intriguing fights and here are the ONE Championship predictions for ONE: Winter Warriors:
ONE Championship predictions for its next event, ONE: Winter Warriors
Regian 'The Immortal' Eersel vs. Islam Murtazaev
Expect the fight to be fast-paced with champion Eersel imposing his will early on. The Surinamese-Dutch kickboxer will use his deadly combinations and suffocating pressure. Murtazaev, being the newcomer, will not back down and meet the champion in the middle of the ring.
We expect the first few rounds to be close but Eersel in all likelihood will take over in the latter rounds. His insane output and unstoppable forward momentum will eventually sap the energy of challenger Murtazaev. Our ONE Championship prediction sees the champion retaining the belt .
Winner: Regian Eersel
Stamp Fairtex vs. Ritu 'The Indian Tigress' Phogat
This one's a bit of a toss-up. The pair of ONE Championship atomweight fighters are polar opposites on the fighting style spectrum. The fight could be a complete shutout in one of two directions. Fans will either witness Fairtex dominate the fight on the feet or 'The Indian Tigress' drowning the Thai with her relentless grappling.
But if we had to make a ONE Championship prediction, we'd give Fairtex a slight edge over Phogat. While she's a striking specialist, Fairtex has proven to have competitive skills on the ground. It could still go either way, as Phogat has proven to be a force of nature once she gets a hold of her opponents.
Winner: Stamp Fairtex
Qui Jianliang vs. Hiroki Akimoto
'Intelligent Tank' Qiu Jianliang's kickboxing dance against no.3 bantamweight Hiroki Akimoto could spell the future of ONE's bantamweight kickboxing ranks. Though a newcomer to the ONE Circle, Jianliang already has an impressive 18-fight winning streak. Akimoto, on the other hand, has a remarkable 24-1 record. This collision would be a treat to watch. Our ONE Championship prediction sees Jianliang's fight IQ and experience allowing him to secure a close decision victory against Akimoto.
Winner: Qui Jianliang
Timofey Nastyukhin vs. Saygid Guseyn 'Dagi' Arslanaliev
This rematch is three years in the making. In their first match back in 2018, 'Dagi' pulled off a stunning KO just when Nastyukhin was gaining some momentum. The one thing that's worth looking at here, is the activity of the two. The last time 'Dagi' fought was in a losing effort for the belt two years ago. Nastyukhin, on his end, has remained active since their first fight, with his last outing just a few months ago. Our ONE Championship prediction sees Nastyukhin learning from his mistakes and pulling off a stoppage win.
Winner: Timofey Nastyukhin
Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida vs. Kang Ji Won
Our ONE Championship prediction for the sophomore MMA effort of Jiu-jitsu legend 'Buchecha' is similar to his first outing. 'Buchecha' will find an opening on the feet to score a takedown. The grappling phenom will then proceed to drown the undefeated Kang Ji Won on the ground en route to a submission win.
Winner: Marcus Almeida
Hu Yong vs. Yuya Wakamatsu
This collision of two KO artists is the perfect way to open this card. We see Wakamatsu's aggression, power, and pace barreling through the relatively new Hu Yong en route to a KO win. Our ONE Championship prediction sees Wakamatsu taking this one via KO.
Winner: Yuya Wakamatsu
So these are our ONE Championship predictions for ONE: Winter Warriors.
Tune in on December 3 to watch the action and drama unfold.