ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong has confirmed several marquee bouts for the first quarter of 2022. In an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Sityodtong announced the main event for the Feb. 11 event, ONE Championship: Bad Blood, along with the new date for the promotion’s phenomenal tenth-anniversary show, ONE X.
On Friday, Feb. 11, ONE bantamweight world champion Bibiano Fernandes will defend his gold against the division’s top-ranked contender, John “Hands Of Stone” Lineker.
The all-Brazilian battle is one of the most highly anticipated mixed martial arts match-ups of the year, and it will be the first time the two fan favorites have met inside the ONE Circle. Fernandes has been a mainstay in ONE for many years, while Lineker has jumped into title contention with three straight victories since joining “The Home of Martial Arts”.
Initially scheduled for Dec. 2021, ONE X will now officially take place in Singapore on Saturday, March 26. The event is set to be the first show with full-capacity attendance since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Unstoppable” Angela Lee returns for her first ONE atomweight title defense, since giving birth to her daughter, in the evening’s main event. Standing opposite her will be former ONE atomweight kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion and current top-ranked MMA contender, Stamp Fairtex. The Thai star is looking to become the organization’s first three-sport champion. She has shown rapid improvement in her skills over the last year and submitted Indian wrestling phenom Ritu Phogat in the ONE atomweight grand prix final to earn her shot against Lee.
Another championship bout will fill the co-main-event slot on Mar. 26. ONE flyweight world champion Adriano Moraes will put his gold on the line against Yuya Wakamatsu, who is on an impressive five-bout winning streak. In addition, the massive mixed-rules superfight between Demetrious Johnson and Rodtang Jitmuangnon is going to be part of the epic anniversary show. The bout is scheduled for four rounds, alternating between ONE Super Series Muay Thai and mixed martial arts rules in four-ounce gloves.
The announcements set up ONE Championship with a stacked start to the year, offering stellar bouts at every turn. ONE Championship: Bad Blood and ONE X will bring guaranteed unmissable martial arts action for fans to look forward to as we start the new year.