For the second straight week, ONE Championship is bringing a high-stakes card full of world-class athletes to U.S. primetime. ONE Fight Night 15: Le vs. Freymanov promises another night of explosive action when it goes down live and free to Prime Video subscribers in North America from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, this Friday, October 6.
Combat sports fans will be treated to two World Championship battles and a pair of riveting contests featuring ONE titleholders Mikey Musumeci and Tawanchai PK Saenchai competing under relatively unfamiliar confines. But that’s not all that will go down at ONE Fight Night 15. Every athlete on the card has something important to fight for, and we’ve broken down four with the most to gain at the star-studded event.
Ilya Freymanov – Featherweight MMA
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The Russian star owns back-to-back wins in the world’s largest martial arts organization, and he called out former divisional king Thanh Le after his latest victory this past June at ONE Fight Night 11. Freymanov gets his wish in the main event of ONE Fight Night 15. And, to add icing to the cake, it will be for the ONE Interim Featherweight MMA World Title.
The #3-ranked divisional contender is a certified finisher who is eager to test his skills against Le, and he has a challenge ahead of him. All 13 of the Vietnamese-American athlete’s wins have come via finish – mostly by knockout – and his only fight that has gone the distance is his loss to Tang Kai at ONE 160 in August last year. This match has “finish” written all over it, and if Freymanov comes out victorious, his already rising star will reach even greater heights.
Danial Williams – Strawweight Kickboxing
‘Mini T‘ has endeared fans with his never-say-die attitude and fiery performances in ONE. He’s come up against world-class opposition in Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Superlek Kiatmoo9 already and now has an opportunity to compete for a World Title in his own division. ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Di Bella won’t be an easy foe to overcome, however.
The Italian-Canadian is undefeated in 11 outings, and he’ll hold a significant height advantage over Williams in his sophomore promotional outing. The Aussie-Thai star has proven he can dance with the best, but this will be his chance to show he can win. And his dream of becoming a three-sport ONE World Champion will take its first steps with a win over Di Bella.
Jo Nattawut – Featherweight Kickboxing
“Smokin” Jo Nattawut stepped in on short notice to face one of the most fearsome strikers in the world today at ONE Fight Night 15, and it goes without saying that it will be an amazing opportunity for the veteran. Tawanchai was originally set to headline the event, defending his featherweight Muay Thai crown against Superbon Singha Mawynn, but an unfortunate injury to his Thai compatriot put the match on the shelf. The PK Saenchai Muay Thai gym representative opted to stay on the card and switch to kickboxing, though, and Nattawut bravely took up the challenge.
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The 34-year-old may have four losses in ONE, but three of those came against all-time greats in striking legend Giorgio Petrosyan and current ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Chingiz Allazov. With over 70 wins to his name, Nattawut isn’t just a random contender. With Tawanchai on a blistering run of form in ONE’s striking ranks and Nattawut reeling from back-to-back setbacks, winning this match would be the perfect way for ‘Smokin’ Jo to get back on track.
Mansur Malachiev – Strawweight MMA
The undefeated Russian star is ready to take over the strawweight MMA ranks, and there is no better way to prove he can do it than taking out the division’s longest-reigning king, Joshua Pacio. Malachiev added to his win total by taking the spot of #5-ranked contender Jeremy Miado in his debut outing at ONE Fight Night 11 this past June, and he immediately called out current titleholder Jarred Brooks.
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Pacio wasn’t going to let that happen without a fight, though. ‘The Passion stands as the most dominant ONE Strawweight World Champion in the promotion’s history, after all, and he’s gunning for another shot at Brooks, having lost the strap to the American last December. A win for Malachiev will show the world that he’s a force to be reckoned with, and it could easily leapfrog him into contention to be the first to challenge ‘The Monkey God’s reign.
