ONE Championship: A New Breed Preview and Predictions

Hot on the heels of No Surrender I, II, and III, ONE Championship is back at it on Friday with another action-packed event, dubbed A New Breed. The main event features Stamp Fairtex as she defends her ONE atomweight Muay Thai title against Allycia Hellen Rodrigues from Brazil.

Stamp is fresh off a first-round TKO victory in an MMA match against Sunisa Srisan at the first of the No Surrender shows, which took place July 31. She last defended her Muay Thai title against Alma Juniku on June 15, 2019, in ONE’s Legendary Quest event in Shanghai, China. Her opponent is no pushover. Rodrigues is considered to be one of the best foreign female fighters in Thailand at the moment and was the winner of the Queens of the Ring flyweight tournament in November.

In the co-headliner, Kulabdam Sor. Jor. Piek Uthai battles Rodlek PK.Saenchaimuaythaigym for the right to challenge ONE bantamweight Muay Thai champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao. Kulabdam advanced to the final of the bantamweight tournament with a fantastic first-round knockout of Sangmanee Sathian at No Surrender III. Rodlek is back in the mix after Saemapetch Fairtex, who beat him by decision at No Surrender II, sustained an injury.

The rest of the card features an exciting mix of new names and familiar faces in two more Muay Thai fights and three MMA bouts.

The other Muay Thai battles feature KC Carlos of the Philippines in her ONE debut as she is welcomed by rising star Wondergirl Fairtex and ONE veterans Ok Thy and Huang Ding in a flyweight bout.

The MMA action showcases Denice Zamboanga, who aims to stay sharp for an eventual clash with ONE superstar and atomweight champion Angela Lee. The No. 1-ranked Zamboanga faces Watsapinya Kaewkhong of Thailand. Meanwhile, Zamboanga’s older brother Drex is set to make his promotional debut against Detchadin Sornsirisuphathin. The card opens with an MMA bout between Yodkaikaew Fairtex of Thailand and Alex Schild of the United States.

A New Breed takes place at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. The seven-fight lineup gets underway at 6:30 a.m. ET and can be seen on the ONE app worldwide and for free in the United States through B/R Live.

Stamp Fairtex takes a break from her MMA campaign to defend her atomweight Muay Thai crown. How significant of a threat is the challenger, Allycia Hellen Rodrigues?

The main event promises to be both intriguing and exciting. Stamp, 22, last defended her atomweight Muay Thai title more than a year ago when she defeated Alma Juniku by unanimous decision. Will the 14-month layoff from high-level Muay Thai competition affect her performance on Friday? She did have a string of MMA bouts after that defense, including her latest bout on July 31. She also lost her ONE atomweight kickboxing crown to Janet Todd.

Stamp is up against arguably her toughest opponent in a while. Rodrigues, also 22, is based in Thailand and trains out of the famed Phuket Fight Club, which has produced its share of great Muay Thai fighters. She is no stranger to big-time fights, as she showed in her victory in the Queen of the Ring flyweight tournament, where she stopped Thananchanok Kaewsamrit.

The two warriors are expected to produce fireworks in what figures to be an entertaining match. Stamp is known for her vast array of skills in the art of eight limbs, utilizing kicks and punches when at a distance and unleashing knees when in the clinch. Rodrigues plans on countering that with her aggressiveness. She’ll take the fight to the champion.

Stamp’s experience could spell the difference, though. She’s conquered more elite opponents and fought in more high-profile contests. This is an exciting bout to be sure, but when the winner is announced, it’ll be Stamp who edges it by the slimmest of margins.

Just one week after he scored a stunning victory over Sangmanee Sathian, Kulabdam Sor. Jor. Piek Uthai is back for the Muay Thai bantamweight tournament final. Kulabdam’s opponent is Rodlek PK.Saenchaimuaythaigym, who lost to Saemapetch Fairtex in the semifinals but returns to replace the injured Saemapetch. What can fans expect in this one?

The fight between Kulabdam and Rodlek is bound to be an adrenaline-pumping war for as long as it lasts. Expect bombs to be thrown from the opening bell.

Kulabdam, 21, is coming off perhaps the biggest win of his young career. He knocked out Sangmanee in the very first round of their main-event encounter at No Surrender III. The heavy-handed Kulabdam will always be a threat because of his dynamite left hand, which rightfully earned him the nickname “Left Meteorite.”

On the other hand, Rodlek, 30, will surely try to make the most out of this second chance. He was reinstated after Saemapetch was injured during their match at No Surrender II. He is expected to employ his usual aggressive, come-forward style to try and overcome the much younger Kulabdam. It’s also expected that he will try to use his significant experience — 174 total fights to Kulabdam’s 88 — during the bout. Rodlek will throw everything in his arsenal, especially with the opportunity to challenge for Nong-O Gaiyanghadao’s title at stake. However, that might work against him because of Kulabdam’s much-vaunted left.

Fans can expect a memorable slugfest that could go either way, but the pick here is that Kulabdam will edge his veteran opponent in a razor-thin split decision.

What is there for MMA fans on this card?

These fans have something to be excited about in the three bouts on schedule for the card. First off, Denice Zamboanga is going to put on a display of the skills that make her the top threat to Angela Lee’s ONE atomweight title reign. She’ll put her perfect four-fight record on the line against Watsapinya Kaewkhong. It will be interesting to see if Zamboanga has managed to keep herself sharp during her stay in Thailand and while waiting for the chance to challenge for Lee’s championship belt. Zamboanga has been on a roll with her MMA career, so she should take the win easily.

There’s also the ONE debut of Denice’s older brother, Drex. The 31-year old will lock horns with Detchadin Sornsirisuphathin, a 13-fight veteran who has made four appearances under the ONE banner. Both men have been away from active competition for more than a year and sport nearly identical records — Drex at 7-5 to Detchadin’s 8-5. It should be a fairly even match that serves as Drex’s baptism of fire into ONE.

The other MMA fight and first match of the night is between Yodkaikaew Fairtex of Thailand and Alex Schild of the United States. Yodkaikaew, who sports a 5-2-1 mark, is coming off an impressive second-round TKO win over John Shink at No Surrender II. Schild, who sits at 5-3, suffered a loss in his last outing at ONE Warrior Series 8. Both men are looking to make an impact in the flyweight division, but Yodkaikaew should be able to take the victory.

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