ONE 168: Denver Preview and Predictions

ONE Championship lands back in Colorado for their second event on U.S. soil on Friday, Sep. 6, when ONE 168: Denver kicks off from the Ball Arena in the Mile High City. The card was originally to be headlined by a strawweight title fight between divisional champ Xiong Jing Nan and atomweight titleholder Stamp Fairtex. However, an injury forced Stamp out, so the headliner became a bantamweight Muay Thai title fight between ONE’s bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing champion Jonathan “The General” Haggery and ONE’s flyweight kickboxing champ Superlek Kiatmoo9. This will serve as a rematch after the two faced off six years ago, when Superlek won a controversial TKO by doctor stoppage.

The co-main event was set to feature a ONE submission grappling lightweight title bout between divisional champion Kade Ruotolo and flyweight grappling titleholder Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci. However, Ruotolo suffered an injury at the Craig Jones Invitational a couple weeks prior, and was replaced on short notice by 2024 IBJJF world champion Bebeto Oliveira.

Also on the card will be the return of Muay Thai veteran Liam “The Hitman” Harrison, as he faces the legendary “Man Who Yields to No One” Sekan Or. Kwanmuang, a middleweight MMA battle between former two-division titleholder Aung La N Sang and undefeated Dagestani wrestler Shamil Erdogan, and a highly anticipated Muay Thai debut for longtime MMA veteran John “Hands of Stone” Lineker, as he takes on American Muay Thai stylist Asa Ten Pow.

ONE 168: Denver airs live and free to subscribers on Amazon Prime Video starting at 8 p.m. ET. Let’s take a look at the preview and predictions.

Jonathan Haggerty meets Superlek Kiatmoo9 in the main event for the bantamweight Muay Thai title; which man will the Denver crowd see get his hand raised?

Jonathan Haggery lost his ONE flyweight Muay Thai title back in 2019 to Rodtang Jitmuangnon, and again in his bid to win it back in early 2020. However, since then, the Englishman has gone on a seven-fight winning streak, picking up multiple titles including the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing titles, along with wins over Nong-O Hama, Taiki Naito, and Felipe Lobo. There is no doubt The General has paved his way through some of the best strikers in the world to maintain his two-sport champion status. His last fight was in February when he scored a third-round TKO of Lobo to defend his Muay Thai strap. However, Superlek Kiatmoo9 is a lot different than Haggerty’s previous opponents.

Suplerlek is on a level of his own. Since his last loss n Feb. 2021, he has gone on a 12-fight winning streak, combined across kickboxing and Muay Thai, and a few of his notable wins were over the likes of Takeru Segawa, Rodtang, Panpayak Jimuangnon and Kongthoranee Sor.Sommai. He has basically been walking through the best of the best, and Haggerty is in his way to becoming a double champ in ONE.
This fight is going to be the proverbial banger. Both of these guys are the cream of the crop, both come hard in striking, and both are kickboxers with a Muay Thai style. It goes without saying that this fight is more than deserving of a headliner spot, and this one could go the distance. Both men are durable, skilled athletes, but I think Superlek keeps his upset streak alive. He already beat Rodtang and Takeru just in the last year – albeit, by decision – and I see him keeping this winning streak alive when he adds another strap to his collection after he picks up the judges’ nods in a five-round war.

Mikey Musumeci will now meet Bebeto Oliveira for the flyweight submission grappling championship; will the American star emerge with the belt still around his waist?

Mikey Musumeci got hosed on this one – plain and simple. While he was not bulking up to 170 pounds to make a run at Kade Ruotolo’s lightweight submission grappling belt, he was in a position to pick up a title in a weight class well above what he is used to, and he was eating and training accordingly. Ruotolo, on the other hand, went after the million-dollar prize in the Craig Jones Invitational two weeks earlier, and, not only did Ruotolo win the dough, he also got injured. So, he put Musumeci’s payday at jeopardy, while being able to make a bigger bag of cash without having to step into the ONE Circle. Fortunately, ONE was able to find a short-notice opponent for Darth Rigatoni.

Bebeto Oliveira, who Musumeci has faced in past competition, is an IBJJF World and Pans champion in both gi and no-gi. He has stepped up on just two-days notice to face Musumeci for his ONE flyweight submission grappling title. This means the champ will have to make weight at 135 pounds, instead of 170 pounds, which he wasn’t planning on getting up to anyway. However, that does mean he needs to make weight on short notice.

In their IBJJF match, Musumeci submitted Oliveira, and I expect him to do that again. Being in the spotlight more recently, the American has shown that he has a bit of an edge to him, and that mean streak will only be fueled after losing his opportunity to win a second ONE title. He will go in cold as ice, snag a leg and finish this one by submission in under three minutes to retain his belt.

Liam Harrison is back in action and he takes on another legend in Seksan Or Kwanmuang; how does this long-awaited bout play out?

Liam Harrison has been chomping at the bit to get back to action after more than two years on the bench. Between injuries and opponent searches, he was set to face Katsuki Kitano in June, but both men failed weight and the fight was scrapped. Now, he takes a marked step-up in competition, as he faces the legendary Seksan Or. Kwanmuang.

Since the last time The Hitman fought, a loss to Nong-O in Aug. 2022, Seksan went on an 11-fight unbeaten streak, which extended his overall unbeaten streak to 14. Last April, however, Seksan had his streak broken when he lost a decision to Yutaro Asahi. Only two years younger than Harrison, he holds over 100 more wins than the Brit, but Harrison has a ton of experience and a ton of titles as well. This fight is going to be fantastic.

Both Harrison and Seksan lean toward the Muay Bouk style of Muay Thai. They are hard-charging, aggressive warriors who leave it all in the ring. Adding in four-ounce gloves and a cage only makes the Muay Bouk style more exciting. I see these two meeting in the center, banging it out for as long as it lasts, but I have to lean toward Seksan scoring the stoppage win. He had dozens of fights while Harrison was on the bench, and Seksan is not the guy you come back for in a tune-up fight. Seksan might finish this one before the end of Round 2.

Which fight is the sleeper match-up on this card?

The sleeper match-up on this card will be the lightweight battle between promotional sophomore Adrian Lee and promotional newcomer Nico Cornejo. Lee, the younger brother of ONE royalty Anglea and Christian, as well as the late Victoria, won his pro debut at ONE 167 just a few months ago. Cornejo, on the other hand, is a Colorado native who was 5-0 as an amateur and won his first two pro fights by TKO. These young up-and-comers are both looking to make a big statement, and this one should be all fireworks.