Three Explosive MMA Showdowns Set For ONE Fight Night 44 On Prime Video
ONE Championship has locked in three electric MMA matchups for its next U.S. primetime spectacle, ONE Fight Night 44 on Prime Video, which takes place inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, June 26.
Leading the charge is a high-stakes lightweight battle between former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Ok Rae Yoon and Lucas Gabriel. Joining them on the card is a strawweight clash pitting Karen Ghazaryan against undefeated Hisashi Ezaki, and a heavyweight war between Paul “King of the North” Elliott and Regan Upshaw.
The 35-year-old Ok returns to the global stage with his eyes firmly locked on victory number eighteen. After powering past Marat Gafurov and Eddie Alvarez in his first two outings, he captured the ONE Lightweight MMA World Championship against defending king Christian “The Warrior” Lee in a closely contested five-round duel.
Unfortunately, ONE’s 2021 Male MMA Fighter Of The Year fell to the current two-division ONE MMA World Champion via TKO in their rematch.
The South Korean standout then bounced back with a unanimous decision over Lowen Tynanes, but his dreams of securing a trilogy against the Singaporean-American took a hit when he faced Alibeg Rasulov in a ONE Interim Lightweight MMA World Title clash in the headline attraction of ONE Fight Night 23.
His path back to 26 pounds of gold runs directly through one of the division’s most dangerous talents. Gabriel walks in with an 11-1 career record and a stellar body of work in ONE.
The 26-year-old Phuket Fight Club product most recently outlasted Russian star Magomed Akaev across a three-round battle to extend his unbeaten promotional run to five fights.
This matchup carries the makings of a classic clash of styles. Ok thrives in the stand-up exchanges. The Brazilian, meanwhile, is happy to trade leather but truly comes alive on the canvas, where his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu pedigree and submission instincts will shine.
Next up at ONE Fight Night 44 is a strawweight collision pitting two electric finishers, Armenian powerhouse Ghazaryan and Ezaki of Japan.
Ghazaryan returns to the ring hunting a statement performance after a difficult promotional debut earlier this year. The 24-year-old dropped a first-round submission defeat to Hiroba Minowa at ONE Fight Night 42.
The Armenian, who represents Shahmuradyan Fight Club, owns a 100 percent finishing rate across every win of his professional career. June 26 marks his chance to remind the world why he is one of the most talked-about strawweights.
Aiming to hand him a second straight setback is Ezaki, a 38-year-old making his ONE debut with an undefeated professional record and four submissions already on his resume.
The Japanese fighter carries a grappling-heavy arsenal that should make for a fascinating stylistic puzzle against Ghazaryan’s knockout-or-nothing approach.
Closing out the trio is a heavyweight tilt that has all the makings of a highlight-reel moment.
Elliott steps back under the bright lights of ONE, looking to build on his emphatic triumph over “Rising Rock Star” Ryugo Takeuchi. The Akurei MMA Academy and TFT product became the first fighter to defeat the Japanese knockout artist, stopping him via TKO at the one-minute mark of round three.
Every single win on the Englishman’s resume has come by way of stoppage. “King of the North” packs knockout power in each of his weapons, and all he needs is one small window of opportunity to pounce for the finish.
The 33-year-old’s dance partner at ONE Fight Night 44 is cut from similar cloth, however. Upshaw looks to introduce himself to the global stage with a memorable performance.
The 28-year-old American debutant brings the kind of heavy-handed power that can end fights. Given “King of the North’s” similar penchant for producing the spectacular, it’s highly unlikely that this fight will go the distance.
