ONE Championship will host ONE: BAD BLOOD! on February 11. While all eyes will be on the ONE title fights, there is another interesting MMA fight on the card that will attract attention. It will feature a 4′ 11″ fighter, Gustavo Balart. The 34-year-old will take former ONE SW champion Yosuke Saruta.
Size doesn’t matter for 4-foot-11 Gustavo Balart! Watch him take on former ONE Strawweight World Champion Yosuke Saruta at ONE: BAD BLOOD on 11 February! 👊 #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship#ONEBadBlood | 11 February | How To Watch: https://t.co/8tcbqWFkrc pic.twitter.com/oW7WjQ4MTR
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) February 5, 2022
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Gustavo Balart competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and represented Cuba in Greco-Roman Wrestling. After losing in the quarterfinals, ‘El Gladiator’ transitioned to MMA and made his debut in 2015. Balart went undefeated for two years and gathered a 6 fight winning streak. However, he is 3-4 in his last seven fights and has a 1-3 record at ONE Championship.
Also Read – “I See Holes in His Technique” – Anatoly Malykhin Sees Himself Cruising to Victory Against Kirill Grishenko
Despite the size discrepancy, he is not afraid to throw down. Fans know the former Olympian for his wrestling-heavy style with fast hands. As he is coming off a win in his last fight, he would look to continue the momentum by beating the former SW champion.
ONE: Bad Blood will feature all MMA bouts except one Muay Thai bout
The bantamweight championship fight featuring Bibiano Fernandes and UFC vet John Lineker will headline the card. The co-main will see the interim HW championship fight featuring Anatoly Malykhin and Kirill Grishenko.
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The only Muay Thai fight on the card will feature Jonathan Haggerty from UK and Mongkolpetch Petchyindee from Thailand in the flyweight division.
ONE Championship had scheduled the BW championship bout for Dec 5 last year. However, ONE Championship CEO, Chatri Sityodtong, on Ariel Helwani’s show, The MMA Hour, revealed that the fight will now headline the Feb 11 card.
Also Read – Three Reasons That Make The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition a Must Watch
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Former UFC bantamweight John Lineker will look to win the fight and become the BW champion. In his last three fights, Lineker has performed exceptionally well and earned his much-deserved title shot.
Will Lineker win the ONE BW championship? Are you excited to see Gustavo Balart perform? Can he secure a second win in a row inside the circle? Let us know in the comment section below.