“ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov” on Prime Video will feature a slew of the ONE Championship’s biggest stars when it goes down at 8 p.m. ET this Friday, June 9.
The blockbuster event is littered with proven commodities on the global stage, like two-sport ONE world champion Regian Eersel, lightweight submission grappling king Kade Ruotolo, former ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon Singha Mawynn, and Dutch kickboxing legend Nieky Holzken.
However, the card is also filled with athletes who are one breakout performance away from being achieving the dreams and worldwide superstardom. And fans in the U.S. and Canada can see it live and for free with an Amazon Prime membership when it goes down this Friday.
With that said, here are three of the biggest underdogs who will compete at ONE Fight Night 11.
1. Dmitry Menshikov
Given his first opponent on ONE’s global stage, highly rated promotional newcomer Dmitry Menshikov is surely convinced that there is no such thing as a tune-up fight in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
The Russian striker will challenge two-sport king Eersel for the ONE lightweight muay Thai world title in the evening’s main event, and he’ll have his work cut out for him.
Eersel is riding an incredible 21-fight winning streak and has amassed nine victories since joining the ONE roster in 2019. That may be an intimidating run for most, but Menshikov won’t be coming to the firefight empty-handed.
The 25-year-old is in the midst of an 11-fight winning run of his own, including an unbeaten charge through European organization GLORY Kickboxing, and he arrives at ONE with a fearsome reputation as a power puncher, as his 19 knockouts from 27 victories speak for themselves.
While Eersel is favored to win by analysts, any fight fan worth their salt should know not to write off Menshikov.
2. Tommy Langaker
Tommy Langaker has finally gotten his wish to face fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu sensation Ruotolo in battle.
The Norwegian star will look to relieve his heated American foe of the ONE lightweight submission grappling world title in the ONE Fight Night 11 co-headliner, but he’ll have a mountain to climb to do so.
Ruotolo has amassed a perfect 3-0 slate in ONE that includes him winning, and subsequently defending, the inaugural lightweight submission grappling crown. And since being awarded his black belt, he hasn’t lost once in his career.
Langaker has been impressive in his tenure at the promotion, too, going 2-0 against stiff competition and earning back-to-back $50,000 performance bonuses for his dominant displays.
What makes this bout even juicier is that the two competitors have a history. They had a brief clash at an after-party for the 2022 ADCC World Championships – where Ruotolo became the youngest champion in the tournament’s history – and they’ve been gunning for each other ever since.
This submission grappling match is unlikely to go the distance, as both men will be out for an emphatic finish – and though all signs point toward Ruotolo defending his strap, Langaker is not a challenge to be taken lightly.
3. Tayfun Ozcan
Tayfun Ozcan is also preparing for the biggest fight of his career this weekend.
The Dutch-Turkish striker has drawn former ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon at Friday’s event, and the prize for the victor could very well be a shot at the divisional crown.
Ozcan has gone 1-2 in his ONE tenure against top-tier opposition, but he has shown that he can tussle with the best of them. In fact, he currently holds the No. 5 spot in the divisional rankings.
His professional record of 84-10-3 also makes a case for him being more than capable of taking it to top-ranked featherweight contender and hometown hero Superbon. But he’ll need to be in the form of his life to get the victory.
Superbon will be out for redemption, given that he dropped the featherweight kickboxing crown to Chingiz Allazov in January. But if “Turbine” can topple the Thai superstar, he could well steal a step in the race for a crack at the winner of the upcoming world title tilt between Allazov and challenger Marat Grigorian.
