The 5 biggest killers in ONE Championship

ONE Championship is home to some of the best martial arts talent in the world, and a lot of them are bonafide killers when it comes to finishing opponents.

The promotion boasts a high finishing rate at its events and a huge factor in that is its use of the Global Martial Arts Rule Set, which emphasizes action above anything else.

The Global Martial Arts Rule Set for MMA allows fighters to throw a myriad of strikes, including knees to a grounded opponent — a move that has created some of ONE’s most thunderous knockouts.

ONE Championship’s rules also do away with the controversial 10-point-must system, with officials scoring the entirety of a bout instead of round-by-round.

Instead, judges award points for crucial categories, such as near finishes, damage inflicted, and so on. Fighters are also encouraged to maintain action, with referees quick to penalize those who stall in their fights.

A huge reward also awaits those who are able to exhibit specific characteristics that warrant a US$50,000 bonus. ONE Championship has awarded bonuses to the best performers at every event this year. It’s certainly a huge motivation for fighters to perform at their best every time they compete in the circle.

These are all reasons why ONE could very well have the most exciting fighters in the industry right now. That being said, here are the five biggest killers in ONE Championship.

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#5. Roberto Soldic (ONE Championship newcomer)

Roberto Soldic [Photo ONE Championship]

ONE Championship’s latest signee, Roberto ‘Robocop’ Soldic is one of the hottest MMA fighters on the planet right now, especially for hardcore fans. The promotion scooped him up because of his incredible finishing rate.

He may be a newcomer to the global stage, but Soldic is already an established wrecking machine with expertise in multiple disciplines of martial arts. The 27-year-old is not only an MMA fighter, but he’s also a professional boxer with a 4-0 record.

Soldic already admitted that one of the reasons why he chose ONE Championship was the opportunity to compete in as many sports as possible, not just in MMA.

The Croatian star, who’s tabbed as the next Mirko Cro Cop, wields otherworldly power, with 17 of his 20 wins coming by way of knockout.

The now former two-division KSW champion is yet to step foot inside the circle, but news of his signing has already caused tremors within the organization.

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#4. Dagi Arslanaliev

Dagi Arslanaliev [Photo ONE Championship]

Former ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix finalist and current No. 2-ranked contender Dagi Arslanaliev is one of the most explosive fighters in ONE Championship’s lightweight division.

Arslanaliev is among the most-feared fighters not just in his division, but in the whole promotion, with the Turkish-Russian star owning a 100 percent finishing rate across his eight wins. Of those eight finishes, six have come in the first round.

To put into perspective how quickly Arslanaliev puts his opponents away, his average bout duration is 4:50, which is 10 seconds shorter than a full MMA round.

The 27-year-old also has the luxury of choosing how he puts his opponents away. One of the most versatile fighters in the promotion, Arslanaliev owns six knockouts and two submission wins in his ONE Championship career.

To see how dangerous Arslanaliev can be, just take a peek at how he rag-dolled former world title challenger Timofey Nastyukhin in his last fight in December 2021. Arslanaliev had complete domination of his Russian opponent and had no problems switching from his striking to his wrestling.

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#3. Saygid Izagakhmaev

Saygid Izagakhmaev [Photo ONE Championship]

Dagestani wrestling sensation and No. 5-ranked lightweight contender Saygid Izagakhmaev is a foreboding presence inside the circle.

A protege of MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, Izagakhmaev showed how much he resembles his mentor in just his first match inside the circle.

Izagakhmaev is a relentless wrestler and would gladly tear off any of his opponent’s limbs the moment he takes the fight to the ground. His debut match against former ONE world title contender James Nakashima showed just how much of a force the Dagestani is.

His second-round win over Nakashima, a natural welterweight, this past January was the 13th submission victory of his career, and the 15th finish in his 20 total wins.

As intimidating as his wrestling is, Izagakhmaev enjoys a massive size advantage over his lightweight contemporaries, and his frame alone can send shivers down anyone’s spine. Izagakhmaev’s fight against Nakashima proved how difficult it is for opponents to deal with his overwhelming physicality.

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#2. Fabricio Andrade

Fabricio Andrade. [Photo ONE Championship[

Brazilian striking star and No. 2-ranked bantamweight contender Fabricio ‘Wonder Boy’ Andrade talks a lot of smack with his opponents, but always backs it up.

Although he’s rubbed off some of the fighters in his division the wrong way, the 24-year-old has repeatedly proven that he belongs in the upper echelon of bantamweights in the organization. He's also shown that he’s willing to turn his words into action inside the circle.

Andrade owns a perfect 5-0 record and has four finishes in ONE Championship. Furthermore, his last three fights have ended in a spectacular finish, all in the first round.

‘Wonder Boy’ is a natural striker, having competed professionally on the Muay Thai and kickboxing circuits while amassing an impressive 40-3 record. It’s no surprise just how precise and powerful Andrade truly is.

Andrade’s last two wins were a lesson in attacking the body. He did so when he knocked out Jeremy Pacatiw and Kwon Won Il, both in the first round.

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#1. Anatoly Malykhin

Anatoly Malykhin. [Photo ONE Championship]

ONE interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly ‘Sladkiy’ Malykhin is a funny guy outside the circle. But once the cage door closes, he turns into an absolute animal.

Malykhin’s opponents have a conundrum to deal with every time they step onto the battlefield with the Russian brawler. ‘Sladkiy’ possesses arguably the heaviest punches in all of MMA, and he complements his thunderous striking with an overwhelming wrestling game that punishes anyone on the ground.

‘Sladkiy’ holds a perfect 11-0 record in his career and is 3-0 in ONE Championship. His last fight was an intense display of his brute force and raw power, and the unfortunate man on the wrong end of that punishment was Kirill Grishenko.

Malykhin was an unstoppable freight train as he ran through Grishenko in every way possible to capture the ONE interim heavyweight world title this past February. Upon receiving the gold, the 34-year-old promptly called out ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar and promised a world of hurt against the Indian superstar.

The two are now set to meet at ONE 161 on September 29.