ONE Championship is bringing a special edition of its weekly combat sports series to Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium this weekend.
ONE Friday Fights 81: Superbon vs. Nattawut goes down live in the Asia primetime on Sep. 27, and it has been touted as a “tentpole” event for the promotion.
There is a laundry list of reasons why any martial arts fan should tune in this Friday, but we’ve broken down four of the biggest below.
An Epic Main Event With Huge Implications
In the evening’s flyweight Muay Thai headliner, “Smokin” Jo Nattawut will have a massive opportunity to further impress ahead of his second challenge of divisional king Tawanchai PK Saenchai’s crown at ONE 169: Atlanta on Nov. 8, when he meets fellow Thai striking veteran Superbon.
Nattawut currently sits in the second-ranked position of the stacked division, and he’ll certainly draw a line in the sand if he can topple Superbon, who holds the top-ranked spot.
However, Superbon could potentially snatch Nattawut’s title shot away from him with an emphatic victory. So, fans should expect him to throw everything at his compatriot in the hopes of getting a chance to add the featherweight Muay Thai belt to the interim kickboxing gold he already holds.
A Japanese Superstar Returns
Multiple-time kickboxing champion Takeru Segawa joined the ONE Championship roster to great fanfare last year, but he came up short in his challenge of Superlek Kiatmoo9’s ONE flyweight kickboxing title on debut at ONE 165 this past Jan.
However, the performance “The Natural Born Crusher” put in during that five-round classic left fans hungry for more, and they’ll get to witness his return when he steps back into the ring to face Burmese knockout artist Thant Zin at ONE Friday Fights 81.
Takeru hasn’t been shy about wanting a dream showdown with ONE flyweight Muay Thai champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon. But in order to work his way towards it, the Japanese powerhouse will first have to get into the winners’ column in ONE.
With a perfect 2-0 slate and back-to-back knockouts to his name in the world’s largest martial arts organization, Thant Zin will stand firmly in the way of Takeru’s goal on Friday night. So, fans are likely to see a flyweight kickboxing firefight when they collide.
Former Kickboxing Kings Square Off
A high-stakes bantamweight kickboxing clash between two former titleholders promises to deliver the goods at ONE Friday Fights 81.
Former ONE bantamweight kickboxing champion and current second-ranked contender Hiroki Akimoto will lock horns with former flyweight kickboxing kingpin Ilias Ennahachi, and their respective speed inside the ring makes their matchup a guaranteed barnburner.
Both men will be hoping to score an impressive win to strengthen their case for a shot at current divisional king Jonathan “The General” Haggerty when he returns to action, which means this one will either end in an instant or become a nailbiting game of inches.
Ennahachi has yet to taste defeat in ONE, so he’ll likely be full of confidence heading into this weekend. But nothing is more dangerous than a striking master with his back against the wall, so don’t count out Akimoto, who is coming off a loss in his last promotional outing in June.
Thai Striking Legends Back In Action
A pair of Muay Thai icons from the striking sport’s homeland will grace Lumpinee with their presence on Friday night.
After a difficult skid in ONE, former longtime ONE bantamweight Muay Thai champion Nong-O Hama got back on track when he claimed a unanimous decision win over Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai in Apr.
The 37-year-old star may still have designs on making his way back to a shot at his old belt, which is currently held by newly minted king Superlek. But to be with a chance, he’ll first have to go through undefeated Russian star Kiamran Nabati, which is a tall order – to say the least.
Elsewhere on the card, former two-sport king Sam-A Gaiyanghadao will also be hunting for one last moment in the sun. The 40-year-old missed out on claiming the interim strawweight Muay Thai belt to fellow Thai striker Prajanchai in June 2023. But he’ll be hoping to remind the world of his dominance when he faces off with French-Algerian standout Akram Hamidi in the talent-laden division.
Watch ONE Friday Fights 81 live on Friday, Sep. 27, on watch.onefc.com at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT