Another Spectacular Evening Awaits At ONE: IMMORTAL PURSUIT
It’s always a night to remember whenever ONE Championship returns to Singapore, where the promotion has built its headquarters.
The Lion City has consistently produced some of the most spectacular nights in martial arts, and it will be no different at ONE: IMMORTAL PURSUIT.
Set for the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, 24 November, ONE: IMMORTAL PURSUIT features a highly-anticipated rematch between reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee and Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi in the headline bout.
The co-main event will see reigning ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren take on Japanese martial arts legend and former ONE lightweight titleholder Shinya Aoki in the American’s final performance.
The rest of the blockbuster bouts have been announced, and features several stars vying for supremacy on the global stage.
A Showdown Between Two Top Bantamweights
American Andrew Leone (8-3) is looking to erase the bitter memory of a painful loss to ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes this past August in Macao. After being submitted by the Brazilian powerhouse, there is no doubt Leone wants another crack at ONE Championship gold. He’ll be primed to do so if he can defeat an opponent very similar to Fernandes.
Standing in Leone’s way is BJJ world champion Leandro “Brodinho” Issa (14-6), who made his triumphant return to the promotion by stopping former world title challenger Toni Tauru, also in August. Issa spent the last couple of years competing under a different promotion, but came back to the ONE cage seeking glory.
A Young Warrior’s True Test
Singaporean sensation Amir Khan (8-2) has been on an absolute tear as of late, finishing his last five opponents inside the ONE cage. The 22-year-old lightweight owns the most knockouts in ONE Championship history, and has caught the attention of his rivals with his ever-growing skill set.
After dropping a close split decision to Thai lightweight standout Shannon Wiratchai in 2015, it seems Khan has greatly matured as a martial artist, and is ready to take on top contenders. After decimating his most recent foes, including top Czech talent Jaroslav Jartim, it is only fitting that he is matched up against one of the toughest and most durable lightweights in the promotion – Australia’s Adrian “The Hunter” Pang (22-10-2).
Pang was last seen dropping a razor-thin split decision to American superstar Roger Huerta in November of 2016. Pang is known for his incredible durability, all-action approach, and brute strength, meaning it will take Khan’s complete arsenal to claim victory.
The Return Of Li Kai Wen
Top Chinese featherweight talent Li Kai Wen (6-3) of Tianjin has made it known that he is looking for a rematch with newly-crowned ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin Nguyen, whom he lost to a year ago. In the meantime, the fast and furious Chinese striker says he has made great strides to improve his overall skill set, and plugged the holes in his game.
In order to get anywhere near Nguyen, however, Li has to get past fellow top prospect Ahmed Mujtaba (6-1). “The Wolverine” made his promotional debut in November of 2016, trumping the highly-regarded Benedict Ang of Singapore. He returned months later to face Malaysian Keanu Subba, suffering the first setback of his career. Now, Mujtaba is looking to get back on the winning track, but will have to go through a determined Li Kai Wen.
Li and Mujtaba are two of the featherweight division’s top young talents, and a bout between them will certainly indicate who is ready to surge forward into the upper echelon of this stacked weight class.
Two Top Singaporean Strawweights Will Star
Formerly known as the “Soul Crusher”, unbeaten Singaporean Tiffany “No Chill” Teo (6-0) is back, and looking for her seventh straight career win.
Teo burst onto the scene in 2016, when she debuted in the ONE Championship cage with a second-round submission over Walaa Abbas. Since then, she has featured twice in unanimous decision victories over Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol and Rebecca Heintzman.
Each time out, Teo has shown immense improvement in her overall skills, and they will undoubtedly be needed against Indian wushu champion Puja Tomar (3-1), who is making her ONE Championship debut.
In addition, former Olympic swimmer “Mighty” May Ooi of Singapore is set to figure in her second bout for the promotion, when she takes on Cambodia’s Vy Srey Khouch.
Ooi shocked fans around the world when she submitted highly-regarded female strawweight, Malaysia’s Ann “Athena” Osman, this past August in front of Osman’s hometown crowd in Kuala Lumpur.
Khouch is no walkover, however, having shown tremendous promise in her young career. The Kun Khmer warrior already has two solid wins under her belt, with the only blemish on her record being a first-round TKO to Osman. Given Khouch’s propensity to strike, it should be an interesting clash of styles when the Cambodian tests her skills against a BJJ champion such as Ooi.
“The Game” Is Back
Making his way back to the ONE Championship cage is fan-favorite Arnaud “The Game” Lepont (11-5) of France. Spending some time away from competition to focus on mentoring young martial arts talent in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, LePont returns to the professional ranks looking to rebuild his career.
The 37-year-old Frenchman is known for his tenacity and charisma, always bringing his best effort into the cage no matter the odds. He joined ONE Championship in 2012, and has taken on some of the promotion’s biggest names, such as Eddie Ng and former ONE Lightweight World Titleholders Kotetsu Boku and Shinya Aoki.
LePont will be taking on Filipino lightweight Richard “Lion Heart” Corminal (4-2), a bonafide finisher with all four of his professional victories ending by knockout.
Two Action-Packed Openers
Debuting Yang “The Pugilist” Fei of Hubei, China, is one of the most promising young talents to come out of the Chinese mainland. With a professional record of two victories and only one defeat, Yang is set to take on ONE veteran Waqar Umar of Pakistan.
Joining them in preliminary action are Chinese bantamweight Miao Li Tao and Cambodian Kun Khmer specialist Sim Bunsrun.
