Four Blockbuster MMA And Submission Grappling Bouts Booked For ONE Fight Night 47
ONE Championship has unveiled four thrilling MMA and submission grappling contests for ONE Fight Night 47 on Prime Video, adding another layer of excitement to what promises to be a spectacular night of martial arts action.
The event takes place on Friday, September 4, live in U.S. primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Gilbert Nakatani faces Nazareth “The Northstar” Lalthazuala in strawweight MMA, Gabriela “Gabi” Fujimoto takes on Macarena Aragon in women’s atomweight MMA, Hector “La Arana” Almonacid meets Pedro “Guerreiro” Dantas in featherweight MMA, and Rafael Lovato Jr. locks horns with Pawel Jaworski in a middleweight submission grappling matchup.
The strawweight MMA fight between Nakatani and Lalthazuala is a classic clash of experience against explosive momentum.
Nakatani is a 32-year-old California native from Aragon Training Academy with nine career MMA victories, seven coming via finish, who has spent his ONE Championship tenure testing himself against tough opposition.
He pushed two difficult opponents to the limit in his first bouts before earning a first-round TKO victory last year, and he arrives at ONE Fight Night 47 determined to prove he belongs among the division’s best.
Standing across from him is Lalthazuala, a 25-year-old Indian from Dojang MMA who took the ONE Friday Fights event series by storm after his debut last year. He announced himself to the world by knocking out Masaki Suzuki in just 17 seconds.
He followed that up with two more finishes this year, including the first-round TKO that earned him the coveted US$100,000 main roster contract with the world’s largest martial arts organization.
The 7-0 unbeaten Indian phenom now makes his main roster debut hungry to continue the most electric run of finishes.
The women’s atomweight MMA division serves up a fascinating contest between two South American fighters whose histories with the same opponent make for a fascinating storyline.
Fujimoto is a 23-year-old Brazilian with a 7-1 record, a karate background, and a proven finishing instinct across her career. Her ONE debut ended in a TKO loss to Jihin “Shadow Cat” Radzuan, and she arrives at September 4 desperate to open her promotional account.
Her opponent, Aragon, is a 24-year-old Argentine born and raised in San Miguel de Tucuman who entered ONE as an undefeated fighter and has had a difficult start to her promotional journey.
But she owns a victory over the same Radzuan who handed Fujimoto her ONE debut defeat. That shared history between both fighters and their mutual opponent makes this atomweight matchup one of the most intriguing on the entire card.
In featherweight MMA, two other South American fighters take center stage as well.
Almonacid is a 24-year-old Argentine and former FFC Featherweight Champion with an 11-1 career record, seven of those victories coming via submission. His well-rounded game and finishing ability make him one of the most interesting young fighters in the division.
Dantas is a 23-year-old Brazilian from Guerreiros Team and a second-generation MMA fighter following in the footsteps of his father Paulo, a veteran of the sport.
His 6-1 career record includes a tough ONE debut loss to Russia’s Ibragim Dauev via unanimous decision last year, and the young Brazilian is hungry to claim his first promotional victory at ONE Fight Night 47.
The middleweight submission grappling matchup pits two grapplers at opposite ends of their careers.
Lovato Jr. is 43-year-old who is widely regarded as the most decorated American in BJJ history, a multi-time BJJ World Champion and the only fighter to achieve the IBJJF grand slam in both gi and no-gi competition.
More than half of his career victories have come via submission, and his successful ONE debut last year, a unanimous decision win, proved he remains a formidable presence on the global grappling stage.
His opponent, Jaworski, is a 22-year-old Polish grappler from Academia Gorila with a 38-7 BJJ record.
He made his ONE debut earlier this year by challenging Tye Ruotolo for the ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Championship, pushing the king for a full 10 minutes before falling short via unanimous decision.
The experience of competing at that level on his very first promotional appearance speaks to the quality of the young Pole, and he will be looking to claim his first promotional win against one of the sport’s all-time great BJJ practitioners.
