9 October 2018 – Yangon, Myanmar: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced the complete card for ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS, set for Friday, 26 October, at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar. In the main event, reigning ONE Middleweight World Champion “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang of Myanmar will defend his title against Mohammad Karaki of Lebanon.
Ticket information for ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS is available at www.onefc.com.
Aung La N Sang is Myanmar’s most successful athlete in history, whose impressive submission skills has earned him the moniker of ”The Burmese Python.” Born in Myitkyina in the mountainous Kachin State, he belongs to an ethnic minority known as the Kachin. Aung La N Sang captured the ONE Middleweight World Championship with a unanimous decision victory over Vitaly Bigdash in June 2017. In February 2018, he defeated Brazil’s Alexandre Machado to be crowned the ONE Light Heavyweight World Champion. Next up, the 33-year-old is set to defend his middleweight title against Mohammad Karaki.
Undefeated Lebanese mixed martial arts star Mohammad “O Lutador” Karaki is a 27-year-old athlete with an unblemished professional record of 9-0. The Phoenix Middleweight Champion, Karaki is considered one of the greatest mixed martial artists from the Middle East. He also formerly held the Desert Force Light Heavyweight and Middleweight titles. Of his nine victories, only one bout reached the final bell. With five submissions and three captivating knockouts to his name, Karaki is a feared finisher who is expected to bring the firepower when he meets “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang for the ONE Middleweight World Championship.
30-year-old Rafael “Indio” Nunes is a mixed martial artist from Sao Paulo, Brazil with a record of 11-2. He is the former Premier FC Lightweight Champion and has steamrolled through the competition in his home country with a knack for winning by exciting finish. All but one of Nunes’ wins have ended within the distance. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, Nunes is equally comfortable finishing his opponents by submission or by strikes. He looks to showcase his multifaceted skill set in his next bout, as he is scheduled to face Movlid Khaibulaev.
28-year-old Movlid “Killer” Khaibulaev is a mixed martial artist who hails from Moscow, Russia and is currently undefeated with an immaculate 13-0 professional record. A combat sambo specialist, Khaibulaev combines both striking and grappling skills very well, giving his opponents different looks both on offense and on defense. Having spent the majority of his career competing in his home country, Khaibulaev is determined to find success in Asia. He will be putting his unblemished win-loss slate on the line against Rafael Nunes.
An unbeaten 33-year-old mixed martial artist from Yangon, Phoe Thaw is one of the fastest rising stars in Myanmar. Combining multiple expertise in lethwei, aikido, and kyokushin karate, Phoe Thaw currently competes professionally both in lethwei and in mixed martial arts. He sports a 3-0-2 record in lethwei, and a perfect 6-0 record in ONE Championship. So far in his career, the Yangon native has showcased a penchant for scoring highlight-reel stoppages, winning five of his six bouts by knockout. He will return to action in front of his hometown crowd against Keanu Subba.
Former MIMMA Featherweight Champion Keanu Subba is the younger brother of Gianni Subba, who is one of ONE Championship’s top flyweights. Following in his older brother’s footsteps, Keanu became interested in mixed martial arts in 2005, after watching a reality TV show which centered around the sport. Today, he is one of the most highly-regarded featherweight prospects in ONE Championship. Since making his promotional debut in October 2015, Subba has stopped several opponents, all in the first round. Next up, he faces local hero Phoe Thaw in Myanmar.
Ibrahim El Bouni is of Moroccan-Dutch descent, and was born and raised in Haarlem, a part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. Known as “Mr. Cool,” El Bouni has developed into a true knockout artist with almost all of his wins coming by way of spectacular stoppage. He has put that overwhelming power to good use, even winning a one-night, eight-man tournament to become the A1WCC World Champion. A young man still just at the beginning of his career, a confident El Bouni says his biggest wins are yet to come, and is intent to rule over the heavier weight classes in ONE Super Series. He returns to action against Tarik Khbabez.
Tarik Khbabez is a professional kickboxer from the Netherlands, and he is one of the most popular martial artists in his home country. Training out of Arj Trainingen gym, and with a professional kickboxing record of 43-5-1, Khbabez is the former two-time Heavyweight Superkombat World Champion. Making his way back to action after a successful ONE Super Series debut, the 26-year-old will now take on Ibrahim El Bouni.
Former SFC Bantamweight Champion Emilio “The Honey Badger” Urrutia is originally from Miami, Florida, where he earned his purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and embarked on a successful amateur martial arts career. In 2013, Urrutia decided to travel to Thailand to prepare for his professional debut, but ended up falling in love with Asia and making the move permanent. In just four years, he has competed in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines, accumulating an impressive amount of experience in such a short amount of time. Currently, the 31-year-old is one of the top featherweight talents in ONE Championship, and he will face Kazuki Tokudome in his next contest.
Former Pancrase Lightweight Champion Kazuki Tokudome is a martial artist from Tokyo, Japan. Training out of Paraestra Hachioji, Tokudome owns a professional mixed martial arts record of 18-9-1, and is considered one of Japan’s most highly-touted featherweight talents. With a background in multiple martial arts disciplines including judo, jiu-jitsu, and kickboxing, Tokudome earned nine wins by knockout and three by submission. The 31-year-old is set to return to ONE Championship looking for victory against Emilio Urrutia.
Top King Muay Thai World Champion Han Zi Hao of China is a Muay Thai practitioner who is based out of Bangkok, Thailand. The 23-year-old already owns an impressive professional Muay Thai record of 58-15 early in his career. A representative of Mad Muay Thai Gym, Han now finds himself looking to display his incredible striking skills on the global stage of martial arts competition, joining elite athletes in the world of stand-up martial arts as part of ONE Super Series. Han’s next appearance for the promotion will be a difficult one, however, as the Chinese stalwart is set to face Ryan Jakiri in a ONE Super Series Kickboxing contest.
Ryan “The Filipino Assassin” Jakiri of Zamboanga City, Philippines is 26-year-old kickboxer with a professional record of 9-3. A representative of the Muay Thai Association of the Philippines, Jakiri is known for his calculated but aggressive offense, which has excited fans all throughout his home country. A six-time National Muay Thai Champion, Jakiri now joins the prestigious ONE Super Series and aims to make a name for himself among the world’s best strikers. He makes his promotional debut against Han Zi Hao.
Former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke is a three-time Lumpinee Stadium World Champion with a Muay Thai record of 282-65-3 and an 8-4 professional mixed martial arts record. He is known as a technical striker with lightning-quick hands and feet, and he employs some of the most unique and creative offensive combinations. As a martial artist with over 25 years of competitive experience, Dejdamrong is a seasoned veteran. Next, the Thai warrior goes up against Himanshu Kaushik.
Indian bantamweight contender Himanshu Kaushik, who hails from Delhi, is a mixed martial artist with a professional record of 4-2. The 26-year-old Delhi Wushu Academy representative joined ONE Championship in February 2017, looking to prove himself on the global stage of martial arts competition. Although Kaushik has competed mostly in his native India, the former Indian National Wushu Champion believes that this is his chance to strike gold. With a wushu record of 71-7, Kaushik will put his quick strikes to the test against Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke in his next contest.
Now a veteran of over 70 professional bouts, Luis Santos made his mixed martial arts debut in 2000, entering an eight-man open weight tournament. Some of the athletes weighed in at over 100kg, but “Sapo” still triumphed, as he stopped all three of his opponents in the opening round to claim the first title of his incredible career. Though Santos holds a black belt in judo, as well as a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the veteran warrior is best known for his fearsome striking prowess. More than half of Santos’ victories have come by knockout, owing to the otherworldly power in his strikes. With the ability to finish opponents in a myriad of ways, the 38-year-old is one of the top contenders in ONE Championship’s welterweight division. He takes on Daichi Abe next.
Daichi Abe is a professional mixed martial artist hailing from Tokyo, Japan. A professional kickboxer with a kickboxing record of 10-1, Abe is known for his rapid strikes and the ability to attack from multiple angles. The former Pancrase Welterweight Champion, Abe brings a mixed martial arts record of 6-2 into ONE Championship, joining a stacked welterweight division. The 26-year-old makes his promotional debut against the very dangerous Luis Santos.
Veteran Lethwei star and martial artist Ye Thway Ne of Myanmar made his ONE Championship debut in 2016, and has since gone 3-1 in his professional cage career. He also owns a stellar professional Lethwei record of 42-1-33 and is a two-time Lethwei Gold Belt Champion. Known as a solid stand-up technician and an aggressive striker, Ye Thway Ne is as good a striker as he is a mixed martial artist, and he is out to prove that point when he makes his highly-anticipated return to action. The 21-year-old will take on countryman Mite Yine next in what should be an exciting toe-to-toe battle.
28-year-old Mite Yine from Kayin State, Myanmar is a professional mixed martial artist with a 1-0 record. He is a former two-time Lethwei Gold Belt Champion who sports a professional lethwei record of 35-8-15. After a successful career in Myanmar’s national martial art, Mite Yine made his mixed martial arts debut at ONE: SPIRIT OF A WARRIOR last June, impressing with a first-round technical knockout. Up next, he faces fellow countryman Ye Thway Ne at home in Yangon.
“Tank” Ma Xu Dong is a 27-year-old professional mixed martial artist from Xi’an, China. He is a sanda specialist known for his smooth combination of striking and grappling. With a professional mixed martial arts record of 5-2, Ma is a bantamweight prospect looking to make waves in one of ONE Championship’s deepest divisions. In his most recent outing, Ma fell short of victory against Zhao Zhi Kang, and is looking to redeem himself against Ahmad Qais Jasoor.
29-year-old “Lycan” Ahmad Qais Jasoor is a mixed martial artist from Kabul, Afghanistan who sports a professional record of 4-1. The former HFC Bantamweight Champion, Jasoor mixed together multiple disciplines including combat sambo and boxing, among others. He joined ONE Championship last June, falling just short of victory against China’s Chen Lei. Now he is set to face Ma Xu Dong and will look to claim his first victory in ONE.
A product of the flourishing Muay Thai scene in Milan, Italy, 27-year-old Joseph “The Hurricane” Lasiri has become one of Europe’s most well-respected kickboxing competitors. Under the tutelage of Diego Calzolari, the first Italian to ever win at the world-famous Rajadamnern Stadium in Bangkok, Lasiri has captured the WBA Super Bantamweight and interim WBC Super Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championships over his career. Lasiri made his first ONE Super Series appearance last January in a historic bout against Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, the first-ever Muay Thai bout inside the ONE Championship cage. In his next outing, Lasiri seeks victory as he takes on Josh Tonna.
30-year-old Muay Thai practitioner and professional kickboxer Josh “Timebomb” Tonna is set for his second ONE Super Series appearance. Representing Stockade Training Centre in Canberra, Australia, Tonna is the former WMC International Muay Thai Champion with a professional Muay Thai record of 31-16-0. Tonna makes his way to the prestigious global stage of martial arts competition in ONE Championship. He will meet Joseph Lasiri in a flyweight battle.
Rudy “The Golden Boy” Agustian is a professional mixed martial artist with a record of 4-2. Hailing from Tangerang, Indonesia, Agustian is a Muay Thai specialist and former Indonesian Flyweight Champion. The 33-year-old joins ONE Championship’s stacked flyweight division, and gets his first assignment in the form of Bangladesh’s Asraful Islam.
Asraful “Warrior” Islam of Dhaka, Bangladesh is a professional mixed martial artist with a 2-1 record. A practitioner of the Bruce Lee-developed martial art of Jeet Kune Do, Islam is also a professional boxer with a record of 11-3. Representing Warriors Academy of MMA, Islam is a former National Boxing and Wushu Champion. The 22-year-old is also the former UFI Bantamweight Champion. Specializing in multiple disciplines, Islam is incredibly well-rounded and ready to put his skills on full display when he takes on Rudy Agustian next.
ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS
Friday, 26 October
Thuwunna Indoor Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar
Main Event
ONE Middleweight World Championship
Aung La N Sang (C) vs Mohmmad Karaki
Mixed Martial Arts: 93.0kg
Rafael Nunes vs Movlid Khaibulaev
Mixed Martial Arts: 70.3kg
Phoe Thaw vs Keanu Subba
Mixed Martial Arts: 70.3kg
Ibrahim El Bouni vs Tarik Khbabez
ONE Super Series Kickboxing: 102.1kg
Emilio Urrutia vs Kazuki Tokudome
Mixed Martial Arts: 70.3kg
Han Zi Hao vs Ryan Jakiri
ONE Super Series Kickboxing: 65.8kg
Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke vs Himanshu Kaushik
Mixed Martial Arts: 56.7kg
Luis Santos vs Daichi Abe
Mixed Martial Arts: 83.9kg
Ye Thway Ne vs Mite Yine
Mixed Martial Arts: 56.7kg
Ma Xu Dong vs Ahmad Qais Jasoor
Mixed Martial Arts: 65.8kg
Joseph Lasiri vs Josh Tonna
ONE Super Series Kickboxing: 61.2kg
Rudy Agustian vs Asraful Islam
Mixed Martial Arts: 61.2kg
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