ONE Championship is home to some of the heaviest hitters in mixed martial arts today.
As the Singapore-based promotion gears up for its return to North American primetime with “ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs. Grigorian” on August 4, we thought it was a good idea to break down three of ONE’s most heavy-handed athletes within its MMA ranks.
And here they are:
1. John Lineker
John Lineker (35-10) has been a destructive force since his debut in “The Home of Martial Arts” in 2019.
“Hands of Stone” has lived up to his moniker by scoring three crushing knockouts, all of which have come via punches.
The most memorable finish Lineker has claimed so far came when he challenged then-bantamweight king Bibiano Fernandes for the divisional throne in March 2022. The Brazilian veteran sent his compatriot crashing to the canvas with a devastating left hook to claim the coveted crown in the second round of their meeting.
Lineker returns to face South Korean contender Kim Jae Woong (13-7) at ONE Fight Night 13. The 33-year-old will be looking to add another highlight to his extensive reel of knockouts and kickstart a run back to the top of the bantamweight mountain at the star-studded spectacle.
2. Anatoly Malykhin
Anatoly Malykhin (13-0) is one of the most feared fighters in MMA today, and he has laid waste to ONE’s heavyweight division with four knockout victories from as many starts.
Malykhin’s most recent victim was longtime ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar, who succumbed to his power in the third round of their world title unification bout at ONE Friday Fights 22 in June.
Previous to that, the Russian powerhouse added the light heavyweight belt to his collection thanks to a heavy-handed one-round demolition of previously undefeated Dutch superstar champion Reinier de Ridder at ONE Fight Night 5 in December.
Malykhin made the light heavyweight limit with relative ease despite his hulking frame, and his insane power may even be making its way to middleweight next, per his recent comments.
3. Thanh Le
Former ONE featherweight world champion Thanh Le (13-3) has used his heavy hands to claim some top-class scalps in his four-year tenure in ONE.
The American star has five knockout wins to his name on the global stage, with all coming inside three rounds.
Le’s ability to finish fights at a moment’s notice was on show when he recovered from an early knockdown to knock out former two-division ONE world champion Martin Nguyen and relieve him of the featherweight strap in October 2020.
The 37-year-old then showcased a timely reminder of his power when he defended the throne against Garry Tonon in March 2022.
Le showed that he doesn’t need to be standing to knock his opponents out, as he left “The Lion Killer” limp after a volley of hammer fists while the multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion searched for his patented leg lock submission on the canvas.
