ONE Championship will once again make its return to Yangon, Myanmar on Friday, 8 March for ONE: REIGN OF VALOR at the iconic Thuwunna Indoor Stadium.
While all of the Filipino champions are scheduled in ONE: A NEW ERA, there are still plenty of reasons for local martial arts from the Philippines to tune-in and enjoy another loaded match card.
Here are just three main reasons why ONE: REIGN OF VALOR is a must-see.
Rene Catalan’s path to desired ONE World Title shot
Rene “The Challenger” Catalan’s amazing run in the talent-filled strawweight division is something that cannot be overlooked anymore.
After losing his first two matches in ONE Championship, Catalan finally found his rhythm and is now riding high on a five-match winning streak.
Standing in his way is former ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito, who undoubtedly poses to be the ultimate test to Catalan’s World Title aspirations.
It will be a classic striker-versus-grappler affair, but Catalan has shown tremendous improvement when it comes to grappling in his previous matches.
At age 40, Catalan shows no signs of slowing down, and if he keeps his pace, then the next Filipino World Champion could very well come from the Catalan Fighting System.
Road to redemption of Jomary Torres
Jomary Torres is an exciting young Filipina who burst into the organization’s stacked women’s atomweight scene with three consecutive victories.
She may be on a slump as of late following consecutive decision losses to Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaul and Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi, but those define does not ultimately define her as a mixed martial arts competitor.
Admittedly struggling to ankle issues in her past bouts, Torres has completed her training camp in tip-top condition and is raring to go back to her winning ways.
Given that her back is against the wall, Torres vows to be aggressive as she cannot afford to lose her third-straight match.
While her opponent in Lin Heqin is known for her willingness to stand and trade, this match has the potential to steal the whole show.
Zebaztian Kadestam’s first ONE World Title defense
Headlining the blockbuster event is knockout artist Zebaztian Kadestam as he defends his ONE Welterweight World Title against surging submission wizard Georgiy Kichigin. With World Title gold on the line, the stakes could not be higher in this classic clash of styles.
Kadestam put everyone on notice when he knocked out erstwhile-unbeaten American Tyler McGuire last November to be crowned as the ONE Welterweight World Champion.
His win over McGuire was Kadestam’s ninth knockout victory, making him one of the most fearsome competitors in the whole organization.
Kichigin, on the other hand, is a grappling wizard who is coming into ONE Championship on 14-match winning streak, with his last victory coming against another submission artist in Rousimar Palhares.
With two world-class talents bannering the card, there is no reason for Filipino martial arts fans to miss this event.
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