ONE Fight Night 10 is in the books, and the event certainly delivered a spectacle befitting the occasion.
After all, Friday, May 5, was a historic day for ONE Championship, as the Singapore-based promotion debuted on U.S. soil inside a sold-out 1STBANK Center in Denver, Colorado.
Mixed martial arts featured heavily across the evening, and pivotal victories emerged in every fight.
As the dust settles, fans are left wondering what’s next for the evening’s MMA winners, and here, we’ve broken down who each could face inside the ONE circle in the coming months.
Demetrious Johnson
Opponent: Kairat Akhmetov
ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson (25-4-1) defended his world title and secured bragging rights over former divisional king Adriano Moraes in their epic three-fight rivalry in the ONE Fight Night 10 main event.
The MMA legend has yet to decide if he wants to continue competing or call time on his legendary career, but following his unanimous decision victory on Friday, he came face-to-face with the man who is waiting to challenge him next – No. 2-ranked flyweight Kairat Akhmetov (30-2).
Akhmetov secured the next crack at the coveted crown with a unanimous decision win against Reece McLaren earlier in the night, and he’ll be itching for his shot to regain the strap he once held.
But whether that will be against Johnson remains to be seen.
Stamp Fairtex
Opponent: Seo Hee Ham
Top-ranked atomweight contender Stamp Fairtex (10-2) took care of business again on Friday night when she stopped hometown star Alyse Anderson with a brutal body kick knockout in the second round of their tussle.
With that, the three-sport superstar earned the shot at the ONE interim atomweight world title that ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong had promised to the winner just hours before ONE Fight Night 10 kicked off.
Seo Hee Ham (26-8) earned a similar prize earlier this year when she took out Itsuki Hirata at ONE Fight Night 8. So, it now looks like these two atomweight stars will compete for the interim crown whenever we see them in action next.
Zebaztian Kadestam
Opponent: Kiamrian Abbasov
Former welterweight king Zebaztian Kadestam (15-7) shocked the world this past weekend when he scored a second-round knockout against hot prospect Roberto Soldic on the ONE Fight Night 10 main card.
The win made it three finishes in a row for the Swedish slugger, and it means he’ll have the pick of the pack for his next encounter.
One intriguing opponent for “The Bandit” would be former divisional king Kiamrian Abbasov (23-6), who snatched the strap off him in their first meeting in 2019.
A rematch with “Brazen” would offer Kadestam a shot at redemption as he continues his charge toward the top of the division.
Sage Northcutt
Opponent: Shinya Aoki
Following Sage Northcutt‘s (12-3) triumphant return to competition after a four-year layoff on Friday night, he was quick to start talking about future plans.
The American star submitted in-form lightweight athlete Ahmed Mujtaba within 60 seconds in their battle, and he flagged his intentions to revive his canceled showdown with Japanese legend Shinya Aoki (47-11) in the post-event press conference.
The pair were set to face off in 2021 before a bout of COVID-19 befell “Super” and scuppered the matchup.
But with his first promotional win now under his belt, the karate world champion is keen to stay active – and Aoki is in his crosshairs.
Ok Rae Yoon
Opponent: Saygid Izagakhmaev
Top-ranked lightweight contender Ok Rae Yoon (17-4) proved too much for surging American Lowen Tynanes in the ONE Fight Night 10 opener.
The South Korean returned to winning ways after losing the divisional crown to Christian Lee last August, scoring a dominant decision win over Tynanes to kick the event off in style.
With wind back in his sails, Ok will no doubt be keen to take on as many of the ranked contenders in the stacked division as possible, and No. 3-ranked Saygid Izagakhmaev (22-2) would certainly offer him a challenge.
The Russian star is unbeaten across his three promotional appearances, and his grappling-heavy style would counter Ok’s standup in an interesting way.
