ONE on Prime Video 4 is loaded with high-stakes matchups, including a pair of World Champion vs. World Champion fights at the top of the card. And while every athlete competing on November 18 undoubtedly wants to leave the Circle with a victory, some have more to gain than others.
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North American fans are patiently waiting for Friday night’s blockbuster event; which they can watch live for free with an Amazon Prime membership. For now, though, let’s take a closer look at three underdogs who could beat the odds and pick up massive, career-defining wins.
#1 Joseph Lasiri
Strawweight Muay Thai king Joseph Lasiri already owns one of the most stunning upset wins in ONE Championship history. However, this time he’ll have the chance to earn an even bigger upset when he challenges defending ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon in the co-main event.
In May at ONE 157, “The Hurricane” capped a three-fight winning streak with a shocking victory over the highly decorated and then-ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Prajanchai PK.Saenchai.
READ MORE – Joseph Lasiri Plans To “Excite” the World With Rodtang Jitmuangnon Win
This Friday, the 31-year-old will try to add another chapter to his Cinderella story and secure his second World Title against Rodtang; the man who many consider to be the most feared striker in the entire organization.
#2 Kevin Belingon
Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon is a former ONE Bantamweight World Champion, but the Filipino star is currently on a four-fight skid and in desperate need of a victory. He’ll square off with Kim Jae Woong, the former top-ranked featherweight contender who is moving down a weight class and making his bantamweight debut in this battle of slick strikers.
Kim, who’s earned 67 percent of his 12 career victories by knockout, comes into this fight as the bigger, more powerful man. And he seems poised to rapidly move up the bantamweight rankings.
For that reason, a victory for Belingon would be monumental. It would prove that, at 35 years old, the Team Lakay representative still has the skills that first earned him a World Title. It would also give him a new lease on his career.
#3 Mariia Molchanova
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu currently owns a 2-0 advantage over sambo in the rivalry of martial arts. However, the four-time Sambo World Champion Mariia Molchanova hopes to score a win for her art and upset BJJ star Danielle Kelly; in their atomweight submission grappling showdown. Whereas Kelly is an established, elite competitor under similar rule sets, Molchanova’s experience lies entirely in the highest levels of competitive sambo.
The Russian grappler will lean on her experience and unique skills to try to score the upset over one of BJJ’s most popular and talented athletes.
A victory for Molchanova would not only show the power of sambo in submission grappling, but it would also catapult her to international acclaim overnight.
Written by
Edited by
Vineet Nandwana