February was another eventful month for ONE Championship.
In those 28 days, a new bantamweight king was crowned, as Brazilian MMA star Fabricio Andrade claimed the vacant title with a TKO victory over compatriot and former champion John Lineker. Also, the weekly ONE Friday Fights series continued to go from strength to strength.
But from the looks of it, the promotion is just heating up, and March will only bring more action. ONE Fight Night 8 takes centerstage on Amazon Prime Video this March 24, and four more Friday Fights events will hit FanDuel TV and social media.
Here’s five things we have our eyes on this month in ONE Championship.
1. The ONE heavyweight world title unification bout
Fans have waited a little more than a year for it, but now, ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar (11-1) and interim titleholder Anatoly Malykhin (12-0) will finally collide in the ONE Fight Night 8 headliner.
The bout was slated to go down in January 2022, but a contract dispute prevented it from happening. That led to the organization introducing the ONE interim heavyweight world title, which Malykhin won by knocking out fellow undefeated MMA star Kirill Grishenko.
Over the next several months, Bhullar healed some nagging injuries and his team fixed the contract dispute. But even though he was on the sidelines, there was absolutely no love lost between the Canadian-Indian and Malykhin, as both men traded barbs in the media.
And in just a few weeks, these monsters will trade shots in the ONE circle. Both men are natural grapplers, but these powerhouses love to utilize their hands and gun for the big KO. Fans should expect as such when March 24 finally arrives.
2. A long-awaited champion vs. champion battle
In the ONE Fight Night 8 co-main event, ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 will face one of the biggest tests of his career so far. That test comes in the form of Rodtang Jitmuangnon, the reigning flyweight muay Thai king and No. 1-ranked flyweight kickboxing contender.
The pair have seemingly been on a collision course since Superlek joined “The Iron Man” on the ONE roster back in 2019.
Rodtang, incredibly, has gone 13-0 under muay Thai and kickboxing rules since signing with the promotion back in 2018. And in the past five years, he has become one of the biggest superstars in the martial arts industry, owing to his all-action performances and unrivaled showmanship.
For his part, Superlek is 8-1 under the ONE banner and riding a four-fight win streak. “The Kicking Machine” captured the vacant ONE flyweight kickboxing world title in his latest outing – a grueling unanimous decision win over Spanish star Daniel Puertas.
Now Rodtang will crossover to kickboxing once again in a bid to add a second world title to his collection, but he will have to get past his Thai compatriot, who will be desperate to defend his title for the first time.
3. A ONE atomweight muay Thai world title unification
Also at ONE Fight Night 8, the undisputed atomweight queen of muay Thai will finally be decided once and for all.
After taking time away from the sport to start a family, ONE atomweight muay Thai world champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues returns to the ONE circle for the first time in two-and-a-half years. The Brazilian superstar claimed the strap in her promotional debut over Thai superstar Stamp Fairtex in August 2020.
The Brazilian will attempt to make a successful first defense of her gold when she meets interim titleholder and ONE atomweight kickboxing world champion Janet Todd.
Todd is riding a seven-bout winning streak, having most recently taken the interim strap with a unanimous decision win over Lara Fernandez back in July.
The pair were set to collide at ONE Fight Night 5 in December, but unfortunately, Todd tested positive for COVID-19 in the days leading up to the fight. Assuming that doesn’t happen again, fans will be in for a treat.
4. The second installment of a muay Thai epic
Headlining a stacked card at ONE Friday Fights 9, dual-sport ONE world champion Regian Eersel will put his lightweight muay Thai belt on the line against a familiar foe – Sinsamut Klinmee.
Eersel and Sinsamut faced off for the then-vacant strap at ONE Fight Night 3 in October, with “The Immortal” coming away with a razor-thin split-decision win following an epic back-and-forth war.
Sinsamut felt aggrieved as the decision was read out, and “Aquaman” will get his chance at redemption on March 17.
5. A muay Thai legend returns
At the same event, a true muay Thai icon will return to ONE Championship – Sam-A Gaiyanghadao.
The 39-year-old’s resume is the stuff of dreams, with his incredible 370-48-9 record punctuated by reigns as ONE flyweight muay Thai, strawweight muay Thai, and strawweight kickboxing world champion.
Returning to ONE for the first time since 2021, Sam-A will face WBC muay Thai champion Ryan Sheehan at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium – the site of many triumphs across the Thai’s legendary career.
