Previewing All The ONE Championship Action In January 2025
With the new year officially underway, the world’s largest martial arts organization is looking ahead to an action-packed month of blockbuster events and high-stakes fights.
ONE Championship fans around the world will have plenty to follow. With that in mind, we now preview all the major happenings planned for January 2025.
January 10: ONE Fight Night 27
On January 10 in U.S. primetime, ONE Championship will return to the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Headlined by a pair of must-watch MMA World Title showdowns, ONE Fight Night 27: Tang vs. Abdullaev on Prime Video has all the makings of an unforgettable fight card.
In the main event, reigning ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai will put his 26 pounds of gold on the line against undefeated Kyrgyz powerhouse Akbar “Bakal” Abdullaev.
As China’s first-ever male MMA World Champion, Tang has used his vicious striking and impenetrable takedown defense to put together an incredible 12-fight winning streak that dates back to 2017, solidifying himself as one of MMA’s top pound-for-pound talents.
Standing across from him will be a supremely dangerous knockout artist in Abdullaev. The 27-year-old challenger has looked nothing short of dominant through a trio of appearances in ONE, winning each by way of highlight-reel knockout.
Before “Bakal” tries to end Tang’s reign of terror, Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga and Alyona Rassohyna will throw down for the ONE Women’s Interim Atomweight MMA World Title.
Zamboanga has racked up three straight victories on her way to this crack at gold, while Rassohyna is in search of a rubber match against reigning divisional queen Stamp Fairtex. A win for either contender at ONE Fight Night 27 will lead to a World Title unification fight with Stamp next.
The rest of the lineup is loaded with intriguing matchups, including John Lineker‘s stiffest Muay Thai test yet against Kulabdam, a pivotal submission grappling clash between rivals Dante Leon and Tommy Langaker, and an electrifying Muay Thai contest between North American stars Luke “The Chef” Lessei and Cody Jerome.
January 24: ONE 170
On January 24 in Asia primetime, three World Title fights will sit atop ONE 170 at Bangkok’s Impact Arena.
In the headline attraction, Thai heroes Tawanchai PK Saenchai and Superbon will go toe-to-toe in a rematch for Tawanchai’s ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title. With both strikers representing the absolute pinnacle of the sport, fans won’t want to miss this monumental showdown.
Before that, surging Scottish striker Nico “King of the North” Carrillo will face Thai-Algerian phenom Nabil Anane for the ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title. Carrillo has won all four of his ONE appearances by way of ruthless knockout, while Anane has won five straight fights to establish himself as perhaps the most exciting young star in the sport.
The winner of that matchup will then face divisional king Superlek Kiatmoo9 in a World Title unification bout at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang in Japan on March 23.
Plus, ONE 170 will see reigning ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade defend his belt against former foe “Pretty Boy” Kwon Won Il in a battle between two of MMA’s most dangerous finishers.
The event will also feature the hotly anticipated return of all-time BJJ great Marcelo Garcia, who is set to lock horns with Japanese fighting icon Masakazu Imanari in an openweight submission grappling tilt.
Adding to the excitement at ONE 170, scenes for The Beast In Me – an upcoming MMA-themed Hollywood blockbuster movie starring and co-written by Russell Crowe – will be filmed at the event.
The Return Of ONE Friday Fights
The action doesn’t stop there, as ONE will continue to host the ONE Friday Fights event series at Lumpinee Stadium, in which rising stars compete to earn a six-figure contract with ONE’s global roster.
Now entering the third year of these thrilling Asia primetime cards, the ONE Friday Fights series has already produced a number of bona fide global superstars, including #4-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender Kongthoranee Sor Sommai, #3-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Kiamran Nabati, and the aforementioned Nabil Anane.
Moving forward, fans can expect more heart-pounding action and the rise of additional top talents at ONE Friday Fights.
