3 Intriguing Fights to Watch Out for at One Fight Night 22

With a massive Muay Thai World Title tilt at the top of the card, ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova on Prime Video is sure to garner plenty of attention from martial arts fans around the globe. Slated to air live in U.S. prime-time on May 3 from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, the 11-fight event is otherwise packed from top-to-bottom with compelling matchups featuring both rising stars and top contenders. Before the action gets underway, we look at three can’t-miss bouts at ONE Fight Night 22.

Reece McLaren vs Hu Yong

In the flyweight MMA division, #4-ranked contender Reece ‘Lightning’ McLaren will take on #5-ranked ‘Wolf Warrior’ Hu Yong. This will be a high-stakes showdown that has fireworks written all over it. A veteran of 15 fights in ONE, McLaren is one of the division’s most dangerous submission artists. Moreover, he believes that after a change in training camps, he has found his groove and is ready for a run at gold.

Standing in his way will be Chinese knockout artist Hu. The 28-year-old striker comes into the contest riding a three-fight winning streak. This streak also includes a pair of first-round knockouts. Beyond the intriguing striker-versus-grappler nature of this bout, it also carries implications for the World Title picture.

The reigning flyweight MMA king Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson is hinting at retirement. Therefore, this battle between McLaren and Hu could create some much-needed movement in the division, and the winner could call out the aging legend for a shot at 26 pounds of gold.

Hiroki Akimoto vs Wei Rui

Former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion and the division’s #1-ranked contender Hiroki Akimoto hopes to give a welcome to promotional newcomer ‘Demon Blade’ Wei Rui. A talented karate stylist with venomous combination striking, Akimoto understands that he must get past Wei. This win will protect his place in the rankings and secure another crack at the World Title he once held.

But he’ll have no easy task in front of him, as ‘Demon Blade’ is widely regarded among the planet’s top 10 pound-for-pound kickboxers. The former K-1 World Champion finds himself on a 20-fight winning streak. Further, he is undoubtedly aware that a dominant victory over the former titleholder could propel him to a title shot.

Sinsamut Klinmee vs Dmitry Menshikov

Fans are in for a treat when lightweight Muay Thai stars Sinsamut ‘Aquaman’ Klinmee and Dmitry Menshikov go toe-to-toe. Both men are former World Title contenders and are hungry to earn another shot at ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Champion. Sinsamut suffered back-to-back losses to the titleholder back in 2022 and 2023.

However, he has since reeled off a pair of impressive victories and looks to be in the finest shape of his 103-fight professional career. Menshikov, meanwhile, fell to Eersel in his promotional debut, but like his foe, has put together a two-fight winning streak – each by way of a first-round knockout. Considering each man’s ruthless finishing instincts and the high-stakes nature of this bout, it has all the makings of an unforgettable war.