ONE Championship has had a busy start to 2023.
The promotion staged three events in January, including the first two of its weekly ONE Friday Fights shows at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Also, a pair of world champions were crowned at “ONE Fight Night 6: Superbon vs. Allazov” on January 13. Chingiz Allazov shocked the world by knocking out ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon Singha Mawynn in the second round, while Superlek Kiatmoo9 claimed the vacant flyweight kickboxing belt with a hard-fought decision over Daniel Puertas.
February will be even busier, as the organization has four additional Friday Fights events scheduled at Lumpinee Stadium, as well the blockbuster “ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II” on February 24.
That said, here are three things that excite us the most about ONE Championship this month.
1. John Lineker vs. Fabricio Andrade II
The most highly anticipated rematch in recent memory goes down on February 24, as John Lineker (35-9) and Fabricio Andrade (8-2) will finally get to settle the score.
“Hands of Stone” was stripped of the bantamweight strap ahead of the first meeting between the Brazilian superstars at ONE Fight Night 3 back in October due to missing weight.
The match itself also ended in controversy, as an accidental low blow from Andrade rendered Lineker unable to continue during the third round.
It was an anticlimactic end to what had been a pulsating contest up to that point.
Now, the sequel promises to be even better, as both men will be desperate to atone for the disappointment of the last showdown and take home the undisputed ONE Bantamweight World Title.
2. More fight announcements for ONE Fight Night 10
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ONE Championship will make its long-awaited U.S. on-ground debut this May 5, as it brings “ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III” to the 1STBANK Center in Bloomfield, Colorado.
The landmark event is headlined by ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (24-4-1), who defends his belt against Brazilian superstar Adriano Moraes (20-4) in a trilogy bout. The pair have split their first two encounters and incredibly, both have been decided by knee-oriented knockouts.
Also announced for the card is the return of MMA phenom Sage Northcutt (11-3).
“Super Sage” hasn’t competed since suffering a crushing, one-punch knockout loss at the hands of Cosmo Alexandre in his promotional debut back in May 2019.
Now, Northcutt has his sights set on a triumphant return on home soil against rising Pakistani star Ahmed Mujtaba (10-2).
With two of the organization’s most popular American MMA fighters already on tap, expect ONE Championship to go big with a slew of bout announcements in the weeks ahead.
3. Danielle Kelly is back in action
American submission grappling phenom Danielle Kelly also returns to the ONE circle this month.
Kelly has thrilled fans in her two ONE Championship bouts to date with her ultra-aggressive style.
That style was on display in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt’s most recent appearance at ONE Fight Night 4 last November, as she dispatched four-time sambo world champion Mariia Molchanova in little more than two minutes.
Now, the 27-year-old atomweight grappler takes on former ONE women’s strawweight world title challenger and third-degree judo black belt Ayaka Miura of Japan at ONE Fight Night 7 in another must-see showcase.
