Essentially Sports Picks: ONE Championship’s Standout Kickboxing Performances in 2023

ONE Championship had a landmark year in 2023, mounting its highest number of events and breaking various viewership records over the last 12 months. 

As the home to the world’s best strikers, ONE featured some outstanding performances that had fans from all over the planet at the edge of their seats. Here are our memorable kickboxing picks from the past year:

ONE Championship’s best striker of 2023 – Chingiz Allazov

Among the many standout kickboxers this year, Chingiz Allazov deserves the most recognition considering the year he had. While he only fought twice this year, both had massive stakes.

In his first contest of the year at ONE Fight Night 6 in January, he faced Superbon Singha Mawynn in their highly-anticipated clash for the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Championship. He delivered in a big way, knocking out the Thai star in the second round of their clash.

With the win, he snapped Superbon’s dominant undefeated streak that dates back to 2018 and claimed his spot atop the world’s best in the sport. However, he felt he had unfinished business to complete.

10 years ago, he figured in back-to-back contests against Marat Grigorian that ended in a no-contest and a loss for him. As he believed to be the better fighter, he sought to defend his belt against the Armenian striker. 

He got his wish at ONE Fight Night 13 in August, where he proceeded to outclass his rival and claim a unanimous decision victory to avenge his loss from a decade ago and cement his spot at the top of the kickboxing world. 

ONE Championship’s best new performance in the sport in 2023 – Phetjeeja defeats Anissa Meksen

Transitioning to a new sport can be difficult, and facing a legend makes it close to impossible to overcome. 

But that’s exactly what Muay Thai star Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom did at ONE Friday Fights 46. That night, “The Queen” competed in her first kickboxing fight in the world’s largest martial arts organization but had to face one of the most decorated athletes in the sport in Anissa Meksen.

Through five rounds of technical mastery, both women displayed their incredible skills as they played to their strengths. The Thai star pushed forward with unrelenting aggressiveness, while Meksen tried to control the fight from a distance. 

Ultimately, Phetjeeja’s aggressiveness and significant hits outshined the French-Algerian superstar’s technical approach, giving her a unanimous decision victory and the ONE Interim Women’s Kickboxing World Championship. 

ONE Championship’s best kickboxing knockout of 2023 – Chingiz Allazov Stops Superbon

Allazov came into 2023 with a ton of momentum and gold firmly in his sights. He breezed through the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix tournament to earn a shot at Superbon’s prestigious strap. 

After a few delays, they finally met at ONE Fight Night 6 in January. At the time, Superbon was considered the top pound-for-pound kickboxer on the planet and was a bit favored to come out on top of their matchup. 

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“Chinga” had other plans though. After a competitive first round, the Belarus-based Azerbaijani unleashed his deadly hands to wobble the reigning king and ultimately earn a knockdown in the second canto.

Smelling blood in the water, Allazov jumped right in to take advantage of his dazed opponent to knock him down a second time. He wasted no time in the reset, as he proceeded to unload on the Thai star and later dropped him convincingly for a third and final time to claim the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Championship.

ONE Championship’s crossover fight in 2023 – Jonathan Haggerty vs Fabricio Andrade

The crossover of crossovers happened in the realm of kickboxing this year. At ONE Fight Night 16 in November, newly-crowned bantamweight kings, Muay Thai’s Jonathan Haggerty and MMA’s Fabricio Andrade figured in a fight for the vacant ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship. 

Andrade was a former kickboxer, while Haggerty has been considered one of the best strikers in the world of Muay Thai. Both fighters stepped out of their comfort zones but were expected to deliver an unforgettable pairing owing to their exciting styles. 

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A firefight went on in the first round, but “The General” appeared to be more comfortable in the new sport than his MMA counterpart. In the second, the Englishman put the finishing touches on “Wonder Boy” to complete two-sport glory.