‘I’m Confident In Beating Up Strikers’ – Ben Tynan Ready To Make Waves In ONE Debut Against Kang Ji Won
Ben “Vanilla Thunder” Tynan plans to make a statement in his highly anticipated ONE Championship debut.
The 29-year-old Canadian is just days away from his heavyweight MMA showdown with Kang Ji Won at ONE Fight Night 16: Haggerty vs. Andrade on Prime Video, slated to air live in U.S. primetime this Friday, November 3.
When Tynan steps into the iconic ring at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, he’ll be bringing plenty of hype and high expectations. Undefeated as both an amateur and a professional, the former Division I collegiate wrestler has all the makings of a future ONE World Champion.
Now, his climb toward 26 pounds of gold will begin with Kang – a ruthless knockout artist who’s gone 3-1 in ONE Championship so far.
But despite his foe’s prodigious power, “Vanilla Thunder” told onefc.com that he trusts in his own abilities:
“I’m just getting used to going against another southpaw guy, one who likes striking. I’m pretty confident in beating up strikers.”
In many respects, this matchup is a classic striker-versus-grappler battle.
Tynan knows that, and he’s excited to employ a weapon that will be available to him for the first time under ONE’s global MMA rule set – knees to the head of a grounded opponent.
He explained:
“For ONE, I’ve definitely been training more ground knee strikes. I’m really excited about that because that really helps out wrestlers. It gives me more weapons to use when I’m on top, working guys, drowning them, smothering them.”
The Elevation Fight Team product has studied Kang and is quick to credit his crafty footwork and technical striking.
But no matter how dangerous the South Korean might be on the feet, Tynan doesn’t doubt for a second that he’ll leave Bangkok with the victory:
“He’s got great hooks. He’s good in the firing zone, countering shots, which is pretty cool. He moves light on his feet, too, which is more rare for heavyweights. A lot of these power strikers are usually more clumsy on their feet. He looks like he moves pretty smooth.
“He looks strong. So I’ll give him that. But yeah, I’m confident in beating up strikers, like I said.”
Tynan Wants First-Round Finish And Performance Bonus
Ben Tynan owns a 100 percent finishing rate across his four professional MMA bouts, three of which came in the first round. He plans to keep that statistic intact when he battles Kang Ji Won at ONE Fight Night 16.
Similarly, the South Korean holds a perfect finishing rate, earning all six of his career knockouts in the first round.
Tynan believes that creates a recipe for a quick battle, and even if the fight reaches the second frame, he believes his wrestling and cardio will quickly take over:
“I plan on taking him out in the first round. I don’t like long fights and looking at his record, he doesn’t like long fights either. So I plan on it being a short, exciting burst of a first round. If it goes to the second, I plan on drowning him in the second.
“I’ll come out strong and if he makes it to the second round, I plan on wearing him down, but if not, I really plan on taking him out in the first round.”
More than just a highlight-reel finish, the Canadian rising star has his sights set on a US$50,000 performance bonus.
He added:
“The ideal way, I’ve got to finish it. I want to get one of those bonuses, and you only get that from a nice finish. So I want to get a nice legendary submission, or just knock his head off and walk out some cash.”
