ONE Championship holds inaugural event in Surabaya, Indonesia
KAIRAT AKHMETOV RETURNS TO FACE ADRIANO MORAES IN FLYWEIGHT TITLE UNIFICATION
The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced its inaugural event in Surabaya, Indonesia which is set to take place 29 July at the GOR Kertajaya Arena. The capital of East Java will play host to ONE: CONQUEST OF KINGS, featuring the absolute best in world-class martial arts talent. In the main event, Kairat Akhmetov will face Adriano Moraes to crown the undisputed ONE Flyweight World Champion.
Ticket information for ONE: CONQUEST OF KINGS is available at www.onefc.com
Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “There is always a tremendous atmosphere and excitement when ONE Championship visits Indonesia, and it is a delight to finally announce our first event for fans in Surabaya. We’re coming at you live and ready to showcase the world’s most authentic display of martial arts. We have a thrilling main event planned, with ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat Akhmetov facing Interim Champion Adriano Moraes, in a rematch of their first encounter to crown the undisputed king of the division.”
Kairat Akhmetov of Kazakhstan is undefeated inside the mixed martial arts cage. He boasts an unblemished 23-0 record over his six years as a professional. Akhmetov employs a devastating attack with power in both hands, as well as a tenacious wrestling game that overpowers his opponents. In Akhmetov’s last bout, he defeated top flyweight and former champion Adriano Moraes to capture the ONE Flyweight World Championship. Now, the two are set for a much-anticipated rematch in Surabaya.
Interim ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes had his initial title reign cut short, when he met Kairat Akhmetov in November of 2015, losing via split decision. It was a close bout, but Akhmetov’s wrestling proved difficult to handle, even for an athlete of Moraes’ caliber. As champion, Moraes was skillful and dominant, and was rarely opposed inside the ONE Championship cage. In his most recent bout, Moraes secured the Interim Flyweight World Title with a victory over Tilek Batyrov. The rematch with Akhmetov will determine the rightful owner of ONE Championship gold in a highly-anticipated title unification bout.
For the first time ever, a Traditional Silat Bout will be held at ONE: CONQUEST OF KINGS, showcasing the beauty and authenticity of the ancient Indonesian combat discipline at the forefront of Asian martial arts. Top Silat practitioners, Khamid Wichaksana and Muchamad Fauzi, are set to display their amazing skills in front of a packed crowd eager for authentic traditional martial arts action.
32-year-old Toni “Dynamite” Tauru of Utti, Finland, is a professional martial arts athlete competing in ONE Championship’s bantamweight division. He owns a record of 11 wins and five losses, including one draw, with eight of his wins coming impressively by submission. A feared grappling specialist, Tauru is a former European MMA champion and has shown an incredible ability to finish his opponents with high-level techniques. Now, Tauru is tasked to take on Leandro Issa.
Leandro “Brodinho” Issa is a 33-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion black belt from Sao Paulo, Brazil, who trains and competes out of the world-renowned Evolve Fight Team in Singapore. With a record of 13 wins and six losses, including nine wins by submission and one by knockout, Issa has proven to be an exciting competitor with a penchant for spectacular victories. A pioneer of ONE Championship’s bantamweight division, Issa returns to the cage to face Toni Tauru.
Marcin Prachnio is a Polish martial arts athlete with an impressive 12-2 professional record. He’s on a seven bout win-streak, including five wins by devastating technical knockout. He is currently unbeaten in ONE Championship, overcoming three tough challenges in Alexandre Machado, Leandro Ataides, and most recently, Jake Butler. Prachnio is now ready to make his return to the ONE Championship cage to stake his claim as one of the top contenders for the middleweight title. Machado’s next assignment is the veteran Gilbert Galvao.
Gilberto “Giba” Galvão is a 35-year-old martial arts veteran from Sao Paulo, Brazil, with extensive experience in the sport of mixed martial arts. A solid top contender at middleweight, Galvao has competed largely in Brazil and has compiled 29 total victories, more than half of which have ended in submissions. In his last bout, Galvao debuted for the promotion with a stunning victory over Japanese veteran Tatsuya Mizuno. The exceptional grappler is back and will take on Marcin Prachnio.
Indonesian martial artist “The Terminator” Sunoto is a ONE Championship bantamweight with a 6-3 professional mixed martial arts record. With a penchant for grappling, three of Sunoto’s six victories have come by submission. The 32-year-old is known as an aggressive competitor who never backs down from a challenge. His next bout will be against Rocky Batolbatol.
Rocky Batolbatol of the Philippines is a former professional boxer who has transitioned smoothly into mixed martial arts. The hard-hitting Filipino constantly uses well-placed combinations in search of spectacular knockouts and will be looking for a stoppage against his next opponent. In his most recent bout, Batolbatol fell short of victory against rising star Christian Lee. He’ll have his hands full once again, this time with Indonesia’s Sunoto who has proven to be a grappling stud.
Mixed martial arts prospect Jerome S. Paye of Jakarta, Indonesia has experienced mixed results so far in his professional career, amounting to a 2-3 record. Making his ONE Championship debut in February of 2016, Paye showcased a well-rounded set of techniques, stifling his opponent with an array of striking combinations. With the ability to make bouts difficult for any challenger, Paye will now take on Yodsanan Sityodtong in search of his first victory inside the ONE Championship cage.
42-year old former WBA Boxing World Champion Yodsanan “Little Tyson” Sityodtong of Thailand is known as a devastatingly powerful puncher, with the ability to utilize his heavy hands to stop foes with trademark combinations. With 47 KOs in boxing and all three of his mixed martial arts victories ending in similar fashion, expect Sityodtong to always be on the lookout for an abrupt ending to his contents. Currently riding a two-bout winning streak, Sityodtong will be going for number three against Jerome S. Paye.
