3 Battles That Could Steal The Show At ONE Fight Night 9: Nong-O vs. Haggerty
The iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Thailand is ready to host another lineup of heart-pounding martial arts action live in U.S. primetime.
This Friday, April 21, ONE Championship will touch down for ONE Fight Night 9: Nong-O vs. Haggerty on Prime Video, featuring 10 contests across MMA and Muay Thai.
Headlined by a World Title bout between two of the planet’s most feared strikers, the main event is sure to draw plenty of attention from ONE’s global audience.
But the supporting cast also offers tons of intriguing matchups designed to deliver fireworks. Here are three intriguing fights that could steal the show once the action gets underway in Bangkok.
#1 Halil Amir vs. Maurice Abevi
Fans can expect an all-out war when undefeated finishers Halil Amir and Maurice Abevi square off in a lightweight MMA showdown that could propel either man closer to a shot at gold.
Amir burst onto the scene last September with a blistering knockout of former World Title challenger Timofey Nastyukhin.
With his impressive victory, the 28-year-old extended his record to 8-0, maintained his 100 percent finishing rate (7 KOs, 1 submission), and grabbed the division’s #4 ranking.
Across from him will stand 23-year-old Swiss rising star Abevi, who also holds a flawless 6-0 record – also with a perfect finishing rate of three knockouts and three submissions.
Simply put, this matchup is a recipe for an explosive fight, with each athlete looking to prove himself as the real deal in ONE’s talent-rich lightweight MMA division.
#2 Saemapetch Fairtex vs. Felipe Lobo
Main event combatants Nong-O Hama and Jonathan Haggerty will be paying close attention to the bantamweight Muay Thai clash between #1-ranked contender Saemapetch Fairtex and #4-ranked Felipe Lobo.
After all, both men have suffered World Title defeats against Nong-O and hope to earn another crack at the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title – no matter who holds it after Friday night.
A master technician with thunderous power in his hands and legs, Thai star Saemapetch will face a dangerous test against Brazilian rising star Lobo, who provides relentless aggression and owns a seemingly endless gas tank.
#3 Meng Bo vs. Dayane Cardoso
Earlier in the night, women’s strawweight contenders Meng Bo and Dayane Cardoso will each have something to prove in their pivotal MMA showdown.
A veteran of six thrilling bouts inside the Circle, Meng is perhaps the division’s most feared knockout artist. And after scoring a sensational first-round KO in her last appearance, she aims to prove she can consistently earn victories against the elite.
On the other side, “Day Monster” is just 1-0 in ONE, but that lone victory came against Japanese superstar and former World Title challenger Ayaka Miura.
With another win, the 26-year-old Brazilian can show that her debut win was no fluke, silence her critics, and put herself in a position for a shot at gold sooner rather than later.
