As 2023 is in full swing, ONE Championship is starting to stack many of their upcoming cards. ONE Fight Night 8, which takes place Friday, Mar. 24 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, is currently headlined by a ONE heavyweight MMA title unification showdown between champion Arjan Bhullar and interim titleholder Anatoly Malykhin. Also on the card will be a highly anticipated flyweight kickboxing championship bout between Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Rodtang Jitmuangnon, as well as an atomweight Muay Thai title fight between champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues and interim champ Janet Todd. According to sources inside the promotion, another exciting women’s Muay Thai bout will be added to the card as well.
The Belarussian Ekaterina Vandaryeva last fought in the ONE Circle on Jan. 14, 2022, when she dropped a split decision to Anna “Supergirl” Jaroonsak. The two were supposed to have a rematch exactly one year later, a few weeks ago, but Supergirl got pulled into a bout with Stamp Fairtex at the last minute, and Vandaryeva was left without an opponent. While not the ideal situation, the promotion quickly started to line up her next opponent.
In Mar. 2022, England’s Iman Barlow, coming off a victory in Road to ONE five months prior, made her promotional debut when she battered Daniela Lopez in just 99 seconds to score a first-round TKO victory by doctor stoppage. She hasn’t fought in ONE since then, but did have a fight in the Muay Thai Addict League in Dec. 2022, where she picked up a decision win, extending her current winning streak to 10 victories in less than five years.
Combat Press learned on Thursday that Vandaryeva and Barlow will now meet on Mar. 24 for a strawweight Muay Thai title tilt.
The 29-year-old Barlow, who is a veteran of over 100 combined professional Muay Thai and kickboxing bouts, has held many titles across several organizations, including Enfusion, Lion Fight, and Muay Thai Grand Prix, to name a few. She will be shooting to extend her winning streak to 11, when she steps in against Vandaryeva.
The 32-year-old Vandaryeva is a former World Kickboxing Network champion, who was primarily competing in China and Eastern Europe before joining ONE in Oct. 2019. But she has yet to pick up a win in the Circle. Her last three fights were against Janet Todd, Todd’s teammate Jackie Buntan, and Supergirl. She will be looking to get back into the win column on Mar. 24.
ONE Fight Night 8: Bhullar vs. Malykhin will air live and free to subscribers on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Mar. 24 from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.