ONE Championship’s first event of 2024 will look to set the pace for the rest of the year with an array of exciting fights lined up. This Friday, January 12, ONE Fight Night 18: Gasanov vs. Oh will take place inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and will be broadcast live and for free on Prime Video for fans across North America.

While there have been several changes to the card over the past few weeks, the final list of matches has some intriguing stories that will keep fans at the edge of their seats. Here are three reasons why everyone should look out for ONE Fight Night 18.

ONE Championship delivers on promise: Shine with MMA spotlight

Towards the end of last year, ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong promised fans that mixed martial arts would take the spotlight in 2024 after the promotion put significant attention on Muay Thai in 2023. True to those words, the promotion’s first event of the year features five intriguing MMA bouts, along with three Muay Thai matches and one kickboxing battle.

Of course, ONE remains the home of many martial arts disciplines. But seeing more MMA fights will surely be a welcome sight for fight fans all over the world. The stacked lineup will offer fans a lot more of the all-encompassing sport than they have become used to, and the action is all but guaranteed.

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Gasanov vs. Oh Ho Taek in ONE Fight Night 18’s crucial featherweight battle

ONE’s featherweight MMA division is oozing with talent, and one loss could leave a fighter far from mounting a World Title challenge. With that in mind, the main event of ONE Fight Night 18 will be of utmost importance for Shamil Gasanov and Oh Ho Taek. Both fighters are coming off of devastating losses, so picking up a win this weekend could keep them in the hunt for gold.

The division will have a lot of moving parts in the first quarter of 2024, with top-ranked featherweight MMA contender Garry Tonon set to face #3-ranked Martin Nguyen at ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru in Tokyo later this month, and interim champ Thanh Le rematching World Champion Tang Kai to unify the belts and crown an undisputed featherweight champion at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1.

So, whoever wins on Friday evening will set themselves up nicely for a busy year.

Bantamweight Showdowns at the Event

Speaking of movement, the bantamweight MMA division will also feature prominently at the event. ONE veteran Mark Abelardo is set to welcome undefeated star Ibragim Dauev to the world’s largest martial arts organization in a battle that pits one of the division’s most exciting talents against a newcomer hungry to prove he belongs among the elite.

Read More: Chatri Sityodtong Says ONE Championship Anticipates Core Business Profitability by 2024

Fourth-ranked Artem Belakh will also be in action as he looks to cement his position or even move up at the expense of a surging Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu. The Mongolian powerhouse is riding a three-fight win streak, and a fourth straight win could help him break into the top five of the stacked division.

Finally, #3-ranked Kwon Won Il will feature in a heated battle with fellow hard-hitter Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg, in what could be the former’s ticket to a World Title shot against reigning ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion, Fabricio Andrade.

3 Fights That Could Steal the Show at ONE Fight Night 18