This Friday, December 2, ONE Championship will return to action with its fifth star-studded card on streaming giant Prime Video.
Broadcasting live to primetime audiences in North America, ONE on Prime Video 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin is jam-packed with the organization’s most prominent stars competing in high-stakes, career-defining fights. And best of all, fans with an Amazon Prime membership in U.S. and Canada will be able to watch the thriller in Manila for free.
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Before ONE makes its return to the capital city of the Philippines, we take a closer look at what this stacked bill has to offer. Here are three reasons you have to tune in on Friday night.
#1 World Champion vs. World Champion Headliner
Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder puts his light heavyweight strap on the line against interim heavyweight champion Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin inside the Mall of Asia Arena. Both men have been unstoppable in their careers thus far, which makes this colossal clash even more exciting.
“The Dutch Knight’s” supreme ground game has been unmatched by anyone in two weight classes and has helped him amass a perfect 16-0 professional slate. And Malykhin’s strong all-around arsenal has similarly pushed him to earn an 11-0 resume in MMA. To gain victory, both men will have to dig into their respective arsenals of weaponry.
For the two-division ONE World Champion, he must avoid being on the receiving end of Malykhin’s gruesome fists and try to tire the dangerous slugger on the canvas.
Malykhin, on the other hand, must ensure that he doesn’t allow the Dutchman to dominate proceedings on the mats – whether from guard or top position. If “Sladkiy” can put the light heavyweight king on the back foot and possibly send him down to the canvas with a crushing right, he could join the elite list of two-division ONE World Champions.
#2 Roberto Soldic’s Highly Anticipated Debut
The time has finally come for Roberto “Robocop” Soldic to make his promotional bow in ONE. And every MMA fan is hoping he can live up to the hype and score an emphatic win over undefeated Russian star Murad Ramazanov.
“Robocop” mesmerized the European audience with his knockout prowess in KSW, but now he has a far bigger stage to prove himself on.
Ramazanov will be a credible test for Soldic. But if the Croat can handle the Dagestan Fighter and Evolve MMA’s grappling game, he could pass his first mission with flying colors as he aims to contest for the ONE Welterweight World Title in the near future.
#3 The Finest Of Submission Grappling Battles
Two submission grappling bouts will go down inside the Circle on Friday night. On the lead card, Tye Ruotolo squares off with former ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov. Tye started his tenure in ONE Championship with a win against Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon at ONE 157 this past May, and he’ll be hoping to leave with a similar result against another experienced grappling-based MMA star.
Before the main event gets underway, Tye’s twin brother, Kade, will defend his ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title against debutant Matheus Gabriel.
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Kade has been on a hot streak this year – defeating Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki, becoming the youngest ADCC World Champion in history, and claiming the inaugural lightweight submission grappling gold at the expense of Uali Kurzhev.
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READ MORE – Reinier De Ridder Gives Detailed Prediction for How He Will Beat Anatoly Malykhin at ONE on Prime Video 5
Both twin brothers came in with huge reputations, and their performances so far have been impressive, so fans can expect another couple of highly entertaining grappling matchups at ONE on Prime Video 5.
