This Day in History for ONE Championship: ONE FC 23 took place
This Day in History for ONE Championship, we go back to December 5th, 2014. ONE FC 23: Warrior’s Way went down at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Philippines.
An event that featured a world title bout and several notable names jumping off the page through the card.
This Day in History for ONE Championship
The main event of ONE FC 23 was a bantamweight world championship clash. This came in the form of defending titleholder Bibiano Fernandes vs Dae Hwan Kim.
Fernandes secured the second-round rear-naked choke. He notched his third defense along this ONE title reign transition from interim to undisputed belt holder.
This bout marked Kim’s first defeat as a professional mixed martial artist. He had his ten-fight unbeaten streak broken in this title bid.
Brandon Vera vs Igor Subora was the co-feature bout of this ONE Championship extravaganza. This bout spotlighted a prior permutation of the global ruleset which did allow for soccer kicks.
The hands of Vera were what got things to the mat. But the follow-up soccer kicks to Igor Subora were what sealed the deal. Causing the fight to be waved off just shy of four minutes into the first frame.
This contest marked Brandon Vera’s debut effort in the ONE Circle. He would go on to contend for and ultimately capture their world championship belt in the outing subsequent to this Subora clash.
ONE FC 23: Warrior’s Way
In a battle of top-level ONE Championship lightweights, Timofey Nastyukhin vs Eduard Folayang was another contest that saw an older version of the global ruleset take place in a beautifully violent fashion.
Nastyukhin finished things with a flying knee and soccer kick in the opening stanza of the bout.
ONE: Warrior’s Way also featured an intriguing light heavyweight affair in Roger Gracie vs James McSweeney.
Gracie secured the finish by showcasing his striking aptitude. He notched a victory via body kick and follow-up punches in the final frame of the fight.
This prizefight also marked another promotional debut as Roger Gracie would go down a similar path to Vera. Whereby he would eventually capture his divisional world title in his sophomore effort in the Circle.
What was your favorite moment from ONE FC 23: Warrior’s Way on This Day in History for ONE Championship?
