BEN ASKREN TAKES ON AGILAN THANI IN CO-MAIN EVENT OF ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES
ADDITIONAL BOUTS CONFIRMED FOR 26 MAY IN SINGAPORE
The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has announced its return to the Singapore Indoor Stadium with a spectacular card scheduled for Friday, 26 May. ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES is set to play host to the absolute best in local and international mixed martial arts talent as ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee of Singapore defends her title against top contender Istela Nunes of Brazil in the main event. In the co-main event, ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben “Funky” Askren will return to the ONE Championship cage to defend his title against rising young Malaysian star Agilan “Alligator” Thani.
Ticket information for ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES is available at www.onefc.com
Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “We have an absolutely stacked card from top to bottom planned for Singapore, and it will be a night fans will not want to miss. Angela Lee, ever the true champion and warrior, just came off a thrilling performance a little over a month ago and she is already raring to get back inside the ONE Championship to perform for her hometown crowd. On the other side of the cage, Istela Nunes is ready to give Lee a stiff challenge as the division’s top contender. Also, welterweight superstar Ben Askren is back and he’s ready to welcome the young Agilan Thani to the upper echelon of the division.”
20-year-old Angela Lee of Singapore is one of the promotion’s most outstanding athletes regardless of gender or weight class. She captured the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship with an awe-inspiring victory over Mei Yamaguchi in 2016, and has since then defended the title successfully. Lee’s beautiful combination of elite striking and grappling skills has proven to be a potent formula for success, as she has remained unbeaten inside the ONE Championship cage. In her last bout, Lee dominated top contender Jenny Huang with a masterful display of striking. She now returns to Singapore to defend her title against Istela Nunes.
Unbeaten female atomweight Istela Nunes of Brazil is a two-time Muay Thai world champion with an unblemished 6-0 professional mixed martial arts record. Her exciting style and knack for delivering powerful strikes makes for exciting fights and is one of the biggest components of her game. In her last bout, Nunes took on top-rated female atomweight Mei Yamaguchi, winning a closely-contested split decision. At her best, Nunes is a well-rounded fighter with a solid striking and grappling skill set. She now takes on the biggest challenge of her young career when she goes head-to-head with ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee in Singapore.
A former NCAA Division I All-American, Ben Askren is a collegiate wrestling legend and one of the finest mixed martial artists in the world today. In just a few fights in ONE, Askren was able to seize the ONE Welterweight World Championship with a resounding technical knockout victory over Nobutatsu Suzuki. The highly-skilled Askren is widely considered to be the absolute best in his division and one of the best fighters in the world pound-for-pound. Next for Askren is a title defense against Malaysian welterweight Agilan Thani.
The undefeated Agilan “Alligator” Thani of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will be making his return to the ONE Championship cage, following a spectacular submission victory over veteran welterweight Jeff Huang. The 21-year old prospect is a perfect 7-0 as a professional, with five of his seven victories ending in the first round. All of Thani’s victories have come by exciting finish. The young Malaysian has shown steady improvement in each outing, and has earned a shot at ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren.
Lightweight veteran Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki of Shizuoka, Japan, is one of the world’s most decorated mixed martial artists. He is the DREAM Lightweight Champion, former Shooto Welterweight Champion, and the former ONE Lightweight World Champion. The 33-year-old Aoki is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Yuki Nakai and has won multiple grappling tournaments across the globe. He also holds a black belt in judo. A veteran in both MMA and the Brazilian jiu-jitsu scene, Aoki’s reputation as a grappling specialist is unrivaled. He will take on Garry Tonon in a Grappling Super-Match.
Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon of the United States is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Tom deBlass and Ricardo Almeida. He is a No Gi specialist who has clinched multiple world titles at the IBJJF World and Pan American Championships. At age 14, Tonon fell in love with wrestling and grappling and has developed into a bonafide grappling superstar over the course of his career. He is a prominent fixture in submission-only format competitions such as Metamoris, Polaris, and the Eddie Bravo Invitational. Tonon is set to appear in ONE Championship opposite Shinya Aoki in a Grappling Super-Match.
22-year-old Singaporean prospect Amir Khan is a professional mixed martial artist competing in ONE Championship’s stacked lightweight division. He is considered one of the most promising young talents to represent Singapore on the international stage of MMA. Khan is currently riding a three-fight win streak with his victories coming by way of exciting finish. In his last bout, Khan scored a third-round submission over Filipino Vaughn Donayre in a tough matchup. He will once again perform for his hometown crowd as he takes on Rajinder Singh Meena.
Rajinder “Knockout” Singh Meena of India is a professional mixed martial artist competing in the ONE Championship lightweight division. A fast starter, Singh Meena likes to blitz opponents with an intent to finish fights early. He owns a record of eight wins and five losses, with all eight of his victories coming by way of stoppage. Possessing a solid grappling skill set, Meena owns five impressive wins by submission. In his next bout, Singh Meena will lock horns with young lightweight prospect Amir Khan.
Luis “Sapo” Santos is a mixed martial arts veteran from Brazil with over 70 fights on his record, and over half of his wins ending by either TKO or KO. With a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a penchant for spectacular finishes, Santos has emerged as one of the promotion’s most overwhelming physical specimens – a fighter capable of finishing a bout in a variety of ways at any given moment. Known for his aggressiveness and brute strength, Santos looks to continue his dominance inside the ONE Championship cage in his next bout against Vuyisile Colossa.
34-year-old Vuyisile “The Cheetah” Colossa is a mixed martial arts veteran with an 8-5 professional record. He has competed for some of Asia’s top MMA promotions, including ONE Championship, where he has faced opponents the likes of Lowen Tynanes, Kotetsu Boku, and Caros Fodor. After spending three years away from competition, Colossa returned in 2016 to appear in the cage twice. He now makes his way back to ONE to take on tough Brazilian foe, Luis Santos.
Former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke is a three-time Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai world champion who has a 6-2 record as a professional mixed martial artist. He is known as a technical striker with quick hands and lightning-fast feet, employing some of the most unique and creative striking combinations in MMA today. As a martial artist with over 25 years of competitive experience, Dejdamrong is set to face Indonesian contender Adrian Matheis.
23-year-old Adrian Matheis of Jakarta, Indonesia, is a mixed martial artist competing in ONE Championship’s stacked strawweight division. In the ONE: TITLES & TITANS strawweight tournament in August 2016, Matheis defeated both Rustam Hutajulu and Roso Nugroho via scintillating knockouts in one night to be crowned tournament champion. In his next bout, Matheis crosses paths with former champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke.
Tiffany “Soul Crusher” Teo is a female mixed martial artist who competes in ONE Championship’s women’s flyweight division. She holds an unblemished professional record of five wins and no losses, including two submissions and two knockouts. Born in Brunei and raised in Singapore, Teo began training in taekwondo before moving on to compete in boxing and Muay Thai, eventually transitioning to MMA. In her last bout, Teo impressed with a comprehensive decision victory over Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol. Teo is set to make her third appearance inside the ONE Championship cage against Rebecca Heintzman.
Rebecca Heintzman of Binghamton, New York, is a 30-year old female mixed martial artist making her return to the ONE Championship cage. In her last bout with the promotion, Heintzman took on then-rising star Angela Lee, going two solid rounds with the future champion. With great all-around skills, Heintzman had a decorated amateur career, transitioning well into professional MMA. Heintzman’s full arsenal should be on display once again as she faces one of the promotion’s most promising young fighters in Tiffany Teo.
Rika “Tinydoll” Ishige is a 28-year-old female atomweight from Bangkok, Thailand. She is of mixed Japanese and Thai heritage, beginning her martial arts training at age nine with aikido and taekwondo. Heavily influenced by her late father who trained in judo, Ishige went on to hone her skills as a martial artist, eventually taking up mixed martial arts. In her last bout, Ishige made a successful ONE Championship debut, impressing fans with her solid grappling skills to defeat Malaysian fighter Audreylaura Boniface. Next up, Ishige takes on the Philippines’ Jomary Torres.
Jomary Torres is a female atomweight contender from the Philippines with a 1-0 professional mixed martial arts record. In her last bout, Torres dominated opponent Krisna Lindaga to win by unanimous decision after three rounds. Torres is set to make her ONE Championship debut against Thai fighter Rika Ishige.
For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.
Like this post? Subscribe to Manila Life by Email
Like Manila Life on Facebook to be updated.