3 Underdogs Who Can Gain Huge Wins At ONE Fight Night 8

This Friday, ONE Championship will return to the Singapore Indoor Stadium for an action-packed card filled with intriguing, high-stakes martial arts contests. Headlined by an electrifying kickboxing World Title fight and featuring a Muay Thai World Title unification co-main event, ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video gives fans plenty of reasons to tune in. 

Naturally, some fighters seem to be clear-cut favorites. But once the action gets underway, who is the favorite and who is the underdog isn’t always so obvious.

With that said, here are three underdogs who could win big on March 24. 

#1 Akbar Adbullaev 

Fast-rising Kyrgyz standout Akbar “Bakal” Abdullaev aims to make a splash in his promotional debut when he battles the dangerous Oh Ho “Spider” Taek in a featherweight MMA contest. 

Undefeated across eight professional fights and the owner of seven first-round KO/TKO stoppages, the 25-year-old known as “Bakal” is poised to take ONE Championship by storm. 

But he’ll face an uphill battle against the ultra-talented South Korean. Oh come into the bout following his successful ONE debut and will no doubt look to use his world-class grappling and submission skills to hand the newcomer his first defeat. 

Read more: 3 Highlight Reel Finishes From the Stars About to Feature at ONE Fight Night 8

If he can come through as an underdog, Abdullaev will have immediately established himself as a potential future World Title contender. 

#2 Torepchi Dongak 

 In strawweight kickboxing action, the Russian striker Torepchi Dongak will take on former World Title challenger “Fighting Rooster” Zhang Peimian. 

Despite his impressive accolades on the world-class amateur striking scene, Dongak will face the toughest test of his career against the Chinese knockout artist.

Still just 20 years old, Dongak could propel himself to the top of the strawweight kickboxing division with an upset win over such an accomplished and feared opponent. 

#3 Keito Yamakita 

 Finally, the main card will open up with a strawweight MMA bout between ONE debutant Keito Yamakita and former ONE Strawweight World Champion Alex “Little Rock” Silva. 

The Japanese star sports a pristine 7-0 record, leaning on his world-class wrestling and prodigious physical gifts to consistently overpower opponents and win a Pancrase Strawweight Title. 

When he squares off with “Little Rock,” he’ll be going toe-to-toe with one of the best fighters the strawweight division has ever seen. 

Read more: 3 Interesting Facts About Janet Todd Ahead of ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title Unification Bout at ONE Fight Night 8

Still, the conditions are ripe for a stunning upset. At 26 years old, Yamakita is entering his physical prime and has all the makings of a longtime contender, if not a future ONE World Champion.