Top 6 Undefeated Heroes In ONE Championship

The ONE Championship roster is full of top-class athletes, but only a select few can have one of the rarest things at the highest level – an undefeated record.

Unlike the way athletes’ records are padded and protected in other combat sports, the Muay Thai, kickboxing and mixed martial arts athletes in ONE have to battle to maintain their ‘0’ because they compete against dangerous opponents every time out.

Losses are nothing to be ashamed of – true martial artists learn from their defeats and come back stronger – but a perfect career slate is still very impressive. In fact, none of The Home Of Martial Arts’ World Champions have stayed loss-free in their careers, but some of their potential future challengers have.

These are the men with the most impressive undefeated records inside the Circle.

#1 Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon 5-0

Tonon came into mixed martial arts with a lot of pressure to succeed thanks to his background as a multiple time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion.

In little more than a year as a professional in his new sport, he has exceeded almost everyone’s expectations – maybe even his own – as he has scored five consecutive stoppage victories against ever-more dangerous opposition, including a heel hook of Yoshiki Nakahara in his last match at ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON.

The 27-year-old has a pair of TKOs to go along with three submissions, and he is getting better every time he appears in the Circle. It might not be too hard to imagine him competing for a World Title within the year.

#2 Lowen Tynanes 10-0

Hawaii’s Tynanes returned to The Home Of Martial Arts in January for the first time since 2016, and he picked up exactly where he left off.

Though he was thrust into the quarterfinals of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix against Honorio “The Rock” Banario in his opponent’s homeland of the Philippines, the Hawaii Elite MMA representative looked phenomenal as he dominated the Team Lakay star and finished him in the first round.

Still a young man at 28 years old, and entering his athletic peak on his return to active competition, we still may not have seen even half of what this man is capable of, but he will be put to the test when he faces Timofey Nastyukhin in the tournament semifinals soon.

#3 Chen “The Ghost” Rui 7-0

China’s Chen made a big impression on martial arts fans in 2016 when he became the ONE Jakarta Tournament Champion by winning two matches in one night at ONE: TITLES & TITANS.

Despite that success, “The Ghost” moved away from the global stage to compete on his country’s regional circuit. However, while he was away, his record remained unblemished, and the 22-year-old blasted back into ONE with a stunning knockout of Roman Alvarez in March.

Now that he is riding a streak of three stoppages in a row, and he is back where a man of his talents belongs, the Chengdu Ashura Fight Club athlete has his sights set on the ONE Bantamweight World Title.

#4 Reinier “The Dutch Knight” De Ridder 10-0

This big middleweight did not take long to make a big impression in his debut in the world’s largest martial arts organization in January.

De Ridder needed just 111 seconds to tap Fan Rong with a crafty D’Arce choke at ONE: HERO’S ASCENT, maintain his 100-percent finishing rate, and announce himself as a legitimate threat in his division –particularly if he gets a chance to flex his submission skills.

“The Dutch Knight” will be back to try and keep his perfect record intact at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST on Saturday, 15 June when he faces Gilberto Galvao on the main card.

#5 James Nakashima 11-0

No welterweight in The Home Of Martial Arts could boast a flawless record like Nakashima’s when he made his promotional debut last year, and he has added to it with two more wins.

He began by ending Raimond Magomedaliev’s own undefeated run last November, and then got his first win via TKO against veteran Brazilian Luis Santos in April.

The American athlete sets a relentless pace with his overwhelming grappling attack, and he is honing his striking with the Petrosyan brothers in Italy, which may mean he soon has a dynamic kickboxing game to add to his offensive arsenal.

#6 Iuri Lapicus 13-0

The Republic Of Moldova is not well known for exporting athletes to ONE, but it has found its first potential superstar in the form of Lapicus.

Now a representative of Team Petrosyan in Italy, he has evolved from a pure grappler into a confident striker with dangerous ground and pound – as Thai veteran Shannon “OneShin” Wiratchai discovered to his detriment this month.

The 23-year-old has entered arguably the deepest division on the global stage for martial arts, but his confidence under the lights against an established superstar, and his ability to win in impressive style, showed he is one to watch for the rest of 2019 and beyond.