The latest ONE Championship athlete rankings have been released, and ONE 158 victors Tawanchai PK.Saenchai and Fabricio Andrade are now in prime spots in their respective divisions.
Both stars picked up knockout victories in the event’s final two bouts to show they’re the men to beat.
Tawanchai put Niclas Larsen away with a combination that finished with a devastating left cross. The win earned him a shot at Petchmorakot Petchyindee’s ONE featherweight Muay Thai world championship, and that has now been reflected in the rankings, with the 23-year-old phenom taking the top-ranked contender’s spot.
Former top-ranked contender Jamal Yusupov fell to No. 5 in the division, while Superbon Singha Mawynn, Jimmy Vienot, and Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong maintained their rankings in the middle.
No date has been set for the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world championship showdown, but fans can expect a striking masterclass to go down when the longtime divisional king and the in-form challenger square off.
In the penultimate bout of ONE 158, Brazilian upstart Fabricio Andrade made an emphatic statement against knockout artist Kwon Won Il.
The South Korean entered the Circle as the second-ranked contender in the division, but with a brilliant kick to the body, Andrade, who was fourth-ranked, claimed the victory and now takes Kwon’s position in the rankings. “Wonder Boy” keeps his upward trajectory in the stacked weight class on track as he continues to call out ONE bantamweight MMA champion John Lineker.
Kwon Won Il dropped one spot to No. 3 in the division, with Stephen Loman dropping to No. 4 after Andrade’s move up the ranks. Former ONE bantamweight champions Bibiano Fernandes and Kevin Belingon bookend the contender’s list, respectively.
The rest of the official ONE athlete rankings remained unchanged. However, the rankings give insight into what fans can expect in the second half of 2022 as the divisional races heat up.