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The stars of ONE Championship delivered a spectacular night of action on Friday, February 24, as ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II featured a slew of spectacular performances and a string of finishes that excited martial arts fans across the globe.

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A stacked card of Muay Thai, submission grappling, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts bouts thrilled the crowd at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, and they’re certainly looking forward to what’s next for the biggest winners from the bill. Without further ado, here are three potential fights to make for the fighters who picked up important victories last week in Bangkok, Thailand.

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#1 Fabricio Andrade vs. Stephen Loman

Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade did what he had set out to do in the main event, impress against John “Hands of Stone” Lineker and leave the ring as the ONE Bantamweight World Champion. 

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The Tiger Muay Thai athlete, however, had to eat rounds of attacks from Lineker as he advanced. But as the match progressed, Andrade’s speed and combinations eventually saw off Lineker’s punching power.

With a target on his back and the number of talents in the division, the Brazilian certainly will be in for a very busy reign. An interesting battle to start his time at the top would be against Stephen “The Sniper” Loman.

READ MORE – Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon Obliterates Theeradet Chor Hapayak With a Devastating Second-Round Knockout at ONE Friday Fights 7.

The Team Lakay stablemate is riding a 3-0 run in the promotion, and given his spot as the #3-ranked contender, he could very well be a potential opponent for “Wonder Boy.”

#2 Francesko Xhaja vs. Iraj Azizpour

Francesko “Smile” Xhaja picked up his first promotional victory at ONE Fight Night 7, narrowly beating his compatriot, Andrei “Mr.KO” Stoica, by split decision in the opening bout of the main card. 

The two swung wild leather at each other for large portions of the bout. But “Smile” closed out the battle with a monstrous effort in the third round, giving him the edge over his rival after a nine-minute barnburner.

Xhaja’s performance proved he could hang with the division’s most seasoned strikers. However, before he gets a shot at divisional king Roman Kryklia, he might have to take on Iranian tank Iraj Azizpour. 

Azizpour is looking to bounce back from his ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix final defeat to Kryklia. And a statement victory against Xhaja could see him maintain his charge as the leading contender to the Ukranian’s throne.

#3 Martin Nguyen vs. Shamil Gasanov

It was back to business as usual for Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen inside the Thai capital last Friday,  putting on a dominant show against Leonardo Casotti across three rounds of action. The former two-division king relied on his usual attacking weapons – including his classic overhand right – to pick up damage from bell to bell. By the end of the 15-minute duel, a victory was never in doubt for the Vietnamese-Australian slugger.

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Nguyen’s victory should see him maintain his spot as the #4-ranked contender.  But he would probably need a couple more victories before earning the coveted contender’s spot versus divisional king Tang Kai. As such, a battle against Shamil “The Cobra” Gasanov could be the most feasible option for Nguyen.

READ MORE – ’I Would Like to See if We’re Going to Compete for a Title” – Danielle Kelly Namedrops Jessa Khan as Potential Rival for Submission Grappling Crown

The Russian star was forced to miss the battle last week due to an injury, but should he be cleared to compete soon, there’s every reason to believe that these two could cross paths next.

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Souvik Roy

1,315 Articles

The coveted scrap between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson in 2002 was when I realized the passion for combat sports within my family. My interest in combat sports began watching scripted pro wrestling shows. It was my father who directed me towards combat sports and it wasn’t until the late 2010s that I discovered the world of MMA and the UFC. Like many of you, I too, tuned in for the infamous Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor bout live on October 6, 2018. Being an ardent fan of the UFC (and Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier), I was always looking to have conversations about the same with others. But to my disappointment, I hardly found any followers of the sports to interact with. So I took it upon myself to do my part in popularizing the thrill and the agony behind the purest form of unarmed combat. At EssentiallySports, I try to bring the readers closer to the athletes and focus my coverage on exploring the human side of these martial artists. I’m a musician during my time free from reporting MMA. I operate as the lead vocalist of a rock band that aims to make their mark among the audiences with their original alternative-hard rock songs. You can hit me up at-

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Rohini Kottu

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