Mixed martial arts event to be held tomorrow

Kairat Akhmetov (left), Chatri Sityodtong (center) and Adriano Moraes

Bibiano Fernandes (left), Chatri Sityodtong (center) and Andrew Leone

ONE Championship is back in Macau for the second time to present the event “ONE: Kings & Conquerors” tomorrow at The Venetian Macao.

The upcoming mixed martial arts event is said to be its most exciting card to date. ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes – the longest- reigning champion in ONE Championship history – will take on top contender Andrew Leone.

Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship Chatri Sityodtong said the audience would see an exciting fight this weekend.

“They are unbelievable fighters, literally [from] the best martial arts [championships] in the planet. I believe that fans will have a very good time. This is absolutely exciting stuff,” he said on the sidelines of the press conference held yesterday.

As this is the mixed martial arts organization’s second time hosting a fight in the gambling hub, Sityodtong described Macau as “one of the iconic entertainment capitals of Asia.”

“It was always [going to] be one of the places that we’d come. […] The sky is the limit here. Macau has taken a hit in recent times in terms of gambling activities and tourism [and] hopefully with ONE Championship coming back again and again, hopefully we’d be able to revive the tourism,” he told the press.

Fernandes, 27, pledged that he would not rest on his laurels and would instead seek to continually improve his techniques.

The Brazilian fighter added that he is looking forward to facing Leone.

“I am never the best. I always have something to improve. The moment I think I am the best in the world is the moment I fall. The moment I think I can do better for myself, I set out to be a positive person and always seek to improve,” he stated.

“I am excited to defend my title once more against a worthy challenger. I look forward to facing […] Andrew Leone in the cage.”

New Yorker Leone will face Fernandes tomorrow night – his first bout in almost 18 months.

“I am undefeated in the ONE Championship cage, and I plan to keep my record like that. It is all about winning fights, not losing fights. After I win the world title, I plan on defending it many times, and staying in ONE until the end of my career,” said Fernandes. 

A new division champion will also be crowned in tomorrow’s co-headliner. Flyweight World Champion Kairat Akhmetov will take on fellow Interim Flyweight World Champion Adriano Moraes. 

29-year-old Akhmetov is in high spirits over the upcoming show, which he said will be “huge.”

“I have worked hard. The most important thing for both of us is being in perfect condition, and avoiding injuries or sickness so that we can show a real war to the public,” he said.

Akhmetov had previously sustained a back injury while training in New Mexico, which nearly ended his career.

Coming back from the edge of retirement, the Kazakhstan fighter said, “I am hungry and longing for a fight. I feel great. I have been looking forward to it for a long time.”

The Interim Flyweight World Champion said the match is not just about a championship, as he considered the fight a “big dream.”

“It is just a big fight, because I have never in my career fought against the same guy twice. This is the first time. For me, it is more exciting for this to happen. The loss has given me too much in terms of learning and growth,” he said.

Moraes also described his opponent as an undefeated fighter, “a wrestler who has a good ground game and skills but with his back on the floor.”

Tomorrow’s event also marks Jomary Torres’ debut at the Cotai Arena.

Philippines-born atomweight prospect Torres, who is competing outside her home turf for the first time, said that she would do anything to beat her opponent Rika Ishige, a Thai WMMA pioneer.

“Even if this is my first time fighting at ONE, I’ll do my best to win. […] I’m quite nervous but I will do my best for the Philippines,” she said.

Sityodtong pledged that his organization would present only Asia’s best fighters. 

According to him, the organization aims to showcase “the beauty of the [fighters’’] art, personalities and life stories.”

The championship recorded a solid TV viewership and social media following during the first half of the year. Sityodtong has remarked that the numbers are growing even faster than planned.

“I believe next year it [will be] multiple billion. Why is that? Because Asia is massive. There are billions of people here,” he stressed.

“We’re really focusing on unleashing heroes [and] I think the numbers will improve and the number of events will go up, and the quality will be bigger and better.”