ONE Championship: Warrior’s Code Preview and Predictions

What’s better than a debut in a major promotion? How about making that debut while fighting for a championship? That’s the situation Detrit Sathian Muay Thai finds himself in this weekend. With Russia’s Jamal Yusupov bowing out of a clash with Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy for ONE Championship’s inaugural Muay Thai featherweight title, Detrit has taken the fight on just eight days’ notice. Now, as ONE touches down in Jakarta, Indonesia, for Warrior’s Code, he will attempt to stun the world in a bout that headlines a 12-fight effort from Asia’s top combat-sports organization.

The 29-year-old Detrit is hardly an inexperienced fighter. He’s picked up numerous titles on his way to a 139-44-2 career mark. The promotional newcomer is surprisingly confident while taking on such a big part of the spotlight.

Petchmorakot, who is three years younger than his upcoming opponent, needs little introduction. The Thai phenom has tallied nearly 200 career fights and scored victories in 160 of those contests. His list of victims includes such notables as Liam Harrison and Saenchai PKSaenchaimuaythaigym. He is a two-division Lumpinee Stadium champion.

The Muay Thai stylists cap off a card that also features a middleweight co-headliner between Leandro Ataides and Reinier de Ridder. Ataides, who followed three losses with a trio of victories, is intent on handing de Ridder his first professional loss. The Dutchman, of course, has other plans. He’s never seen the scorecards, all while tapping nine foes and knocking out two more. Could Ataides be the next to succumb to de Ridder’s momentum?

The supporting cast includes a lightweight scrap between Iuri Lapicus and Marat Gafurov, a potential sleeper featuring featherweights Kim Jae Woong and Koyomi Matsushima, and a Muay Thai prelim affair that pits Savvas Michael Petchyindee Academy against Taiki Naito.

The action begins early Friday morning, Feb. 7, at 5:30 a.m. ET on the ONE app and emanates from the Istora Senayan in Jakarta.

The inaugural Muay Thai featherweight crown is on the line in the main event when Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy meets Detrit Sathian Muay Thai. Who emerges as ONE’s first champion in this Muay Thai weight class?

Petchmorakot.

The legendary Thai fighter will benefit from a full camp, as compared to the eight days’ notice Detrit has while stepping up to replace Jamal Yusupov. Petchmorakot went the distance twice with kickboxing great Giorgio Petrosyan and even initially had one win over the Armenian-Italian fighter until the result was overturned due to Petchmorakot’s use of “illegal clinching techniques.” The 26-year-old has shared the ring with a large number of Muay Thai greats, and he holds wins over a lot of notable names. He’s not one to get knocked out either.

Detrit is a huge wild card as Yusupov’s replacement. Whereas Yusupov already had experience inside the ONE cage and with the smaller gloves, Detrit is a promotional newcomer. He is closing in one 200 career Muay Thai outings, so experience shouldn’t be a huge factor here. However, he’s a relative unknown.

Weird things can happen with late replacements in fights. Sometimes, a fighter’s training has become focused too much on a particular opponent. Other times, they underestimate the short-notice step-in. Don’t expect Petchmorakot to struggle, though. He’s a savvy veteran who is hungry to add a ONE belt to his collection. He’ll get the better of Detrit in a competitive fight and walk away with the gold.

Any important MMA bouts on the docket?

This is a top-heavy card in terms of MMA content. The main card even features a pairing where one fighter — Khon Sichan — has a losing record. The primary focus should be on the middleweight co-headliner and the next test for undefeated lightweight Iuri Lapicus, who meets fellow prospect Marut Gafurov in another main-card bout.

Reinier de Ridder’s own perfect mark will be on the line in the aforementioned co-main event. The Dutch fighter tangles with Brazil’s Leandro Ataides, who has an equal amount of victories and three losses. The 33-year-old Ataides recovered from a three-fight skid under the ONE banner and has now won three straight, but he hasn’t seen action since 2018. De Ridder is still relatively new to the ONE fold, but he earned 2019 stoppages over Rong Fan and Gilberto Galvão. In his most recent appearance, Ataides starched former ONE middleweight kingpin Vitaly Bigdash. The Brazilian could play spoiler again when he meets de Ridder. The winner of this fight emerges as a dangerous contender to challenge for the middleweight strap, which currently resides around the waist of multiple-division champion Aung La N Sang.

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Lapicus seeks to build upon an impressive finish of Shannon Wiratchai in his ONE debut. The Moldovan is taking a giant catapult up in competition here from anything he’s previously seen. His opponent, Russia’s Marut Gafurov, has just two losses through 19 fights. The 35-year-old is a former M-1 and ONE titleholder, and he only suffered his losses recently, first when he dropped his title to Martin Nguyen and then in a 2018 fight with Koyomi Matsushima. Gafurov is deadly on the mat, and his 17-2 record is much more intimidating than the 7-7, 13-12, and 9-4 marks of Lapicus’s three previous most accomplished foes. This should be a reality check for Lapicus, but a victory for him here would turn heads. Don’t count on that outcome, though.

What about the Muay Thai contests on the prelims? Should fans especially care about either affair?

They’re definitely not the afterthoughts one would expect to see on a traditional prelim card, but ONE rarely treats its prelims in that manner.

The showdown between flyweights Savvas Michael Petchyindee Academy and Taiki Naito is intriguing. Michael currently holds a WBC crown and has previously reigned in the ISKA’s European circuit. The Cypriot has only a handful of losses, including a TKO via injury against Lerdsila under the ONE banner. His opponent, Japan’s Naito, has a high rate of success as well. Naito has won three straight with ONE and its offshoots. He’s also a decorated veteran of the Shoot Boxing organization. These two men could combine for an excellent display of Muay Thai early in the evening.

The clash of strawweights Andy Howson and Josh Tonna isn’t too shabby either. Howson has won numerous world championships, but he did retire for three years from 2015 until 2018. Tonna also has a number of belts in his collection, and he even found success a weight class up from the strawweight division. A win over Howson would be a huge feather in his cap.

Which fight is the sleeper match-up on this card?

The main-card opener between Koyomi Matsushima and Jae Woong Kim has the potential to deliver.

Matsushima needs a rebound showing after failing in his title bid against Martin Nguyen. The loss ended a nice little run in which the 27-year-old had surprised Marat Gafurov with a knockout finish and decisioned Won Il Kwon. Prior to his setback against Nguyen, Matsushima’s only losses had come to fighters who at one point or another had graced the cage of either the UFC or Bellator.

Kim has a chance to garner some attention in this affair. The South Korean fighter is on a four-fight winning streak that includes a successful ONE debut against Rafael Nunes. His competition has varied heavily throughout his career, but his only stumbles came against fighters who sported records of 13-5, 2-0 and 6-1. He’s a game opponent for Matsushima and could even punch his own ticket into a contender spot if he tops the Japanese fighter.

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