ONE Championship will touch down at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for ONE on Prime Video 3 this Friday, October 21.
Topped by three world championship fights, the card features a mix of established veterans, exciting all-action fighters, and promising newcomers. Naturally, some are expected to win and others to lose.
Ahead of Friday night’s show, we take a look at three athletes who fans might not be picking as favorites, but could make a huge splash with an upset victory.
1. Shamil Gasanov
Undefeated Russian standout Shamil “The Cobra” Gasanov (12-0) will make his ONE Championship debut against the No. 2-ranked featherweight contender, Kim Jae Woong (12-5). A win for the promotional newcomer would undoubtedly shoot him into the division’s top five, placing him immediately at the doorstep of a world title fight.
Of course, he’ll have his hands full with the experienced and well-rounded Kim. The Korean fighter owns a 12-5 record and has won all three of his ONE Championship fights inside the distance.
If Gasanov wants to score the big win in his first ONE Championship appearance, then he will need to lean on his brutally effective grappling and submission attack. The Russian is undefeated in 12 professional bouts and owns eight victories by submission over that span.
2. Mohammed Boutasaa
Another name to keep an eye on is Moroccan kickboxing star Mohammed Boutasaa, who steps up to face legendary striker Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong in a featherweight kickboxing contest.
Long considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, Sitthichai will be the 23-year-old’s most accomplished opponent to date. The eight-time muay Thai and kickboxing world champion comes into this battle with something to prove, having lost to rival Chingiz Allazov at ONE X earlier this year. Prior to that, he had won three straight.
Meanwhile, Boutasaa sports a perfect 15-0 record and hopes to put the international kickboxing world on notice with a massive upset. In his ONE Championship debut at ONE 157 in May, the man nicknamed “Too Sharp” showed that he has the skills to compete at this level as he earned a dominant unanimous decision victory over former Sitthichai opponent Davit Kiria.
3. Uali Kurzhev
Russian sambo world champion Uali Kurzhev has the opportunity to score one of the biggest upsets in the history of combat sports.
Virtually unknown in the no-gi grappling scene, Kurzhev will face Brazilian jiu-jitsu teen star Kade Ruotolo for the inaugural ONE lightweight submission grappling world title.
Ruotolo is favored for several reasons. Undefeated since receiving his black belt in December 2021, the 19-year-old phenom recently became the youngest-ever competitor to capture gold at the ADCC World Championships, and he did it with a 100 percent submission rate. Also, at ONE 157 this past May, the Californian dominated MMA legend Shinya Aoki en route to a clear-cut decision win.
While Kurzhev is lacking in traditional submission grappling experience, he is a longtime champion on the international judo and sambo competition scenes, presenting unique stylistic challenges to Ruotolo.
A win for the Russian would be a shocking upset that would turn the grappling world upside down, catapulting him to global fame overnight.
