ONE Championship: Century Predictions
This weekend, One Championship puts on their 100th special event and it’s a two parter which is rare in MMA but One isn’t like any other promotion and they’ve really stacked the cards for this one so let’s predict the card.
Part 1: Christian Lee Vs. Saygid Guseyn Aslanaiev (Lightweight World Grand Prix Final)
This was originally supposed to be Eddie Alvarez fighting Guseyn Aslanaiev but Alvarez had to pull out. Dagi will now instead fight the current ONE lightweight champion, 21 year old, Christian Lee. Aslanaiev has won the majority of his fights in the opening round by stoppage and I honestly believe he’ll do that to Lee. Lucky for Lee, his title isn’t up for grabs.
Prediction: Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev (1; TKO)
Prediction: Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev (1; TKO)
Janet Todd Vs. Ekaterina Vandaryeva (Atomweight)
This is Vandaryeva’s debut in ONE Championship and she’ll fight Janet Todd. This is a big fight for both women as it’s on a big card sandwiches between two Grand Prix finals. Todd is a technical fighter but I’m going to predict that Vandaryeva wins by decision.
Prediction: Ekaterina Vandaryeva (Decision)
Prediction: Ekaterina Vandaryeva (Decision)
Demetrious Johnson Vs. Danny Kingad (Flyweight World Grand Prix Final)
When I saw Demetrious Johnson sign with ONE, I knew instantly that he would be in a whole different pool of fighters. The challenges are tougher and Johnson will need to show his best ability if he wants to succeed. The winner will fight the flyweight champion, Adriano Moraes. I don’t think Johnson will make light work of Kingad, Kingad has great stamina but I do think Johnson will win and I see him winning via split decision. I think the fight will be very close but I do see DJ just edging it.
Prediction: Demetrious Johnson (Decision)
Prediction: Demetrious Johnson (Decision)
Angela Lee (C) Vs. Xiong Jing Nan (ONE Atomweight World Championship)
We’ve already seen this fight but we saw it at Jing Nan’s weight class - strawweight but now Jing Nan heads down to Atomweight to fight Lee and it’s a very hard fight to predict. I honestly believe that Jing Nan will defeat Angela Lee yet again and become a two division champion.
Prediction: Xiong Jing Nan (3; TKO)
Prediction: Xiong Jing Nan (3; TKO)
Part 2: Mauro Cerilli Vs. Arjan Bhullar (Heavyweight)
Former Cage Warriors heavyweight champion, Mauro Cerilli takes on commonwealth wrestling gold medalist, Arjan Bhullar. This fognrwas supposed to take place at Dawn of Heroes but got cancelled due to Cerilli falling ill. This should be a fantastic fight and I’m going to predict Cerilli wins this in the first round by knockout.
Prediction: Mauro Cerilli (1; TKO)
Prediction: Mauro Cerilli (1; TKO)
Giorgio Petrosyan Vs. Samy Sana (Featherweight World Grand Prix Final)
Next we have a kickboxing bout, which I really like the look of. You have two experienced kick boxers with over two hundred combined wins fighting each other. With one million dollars on the line, it’s looking like there’s a lot at stake here. This is a very close fight, Sana - in my opinion, has the power and on one hand, that may win him he fight but the technique and experience of Petrosyan is another big factor. I’m going to have to make a prediction and I’m going with: Samy Sana by decision. His unorthodox style and his power will win him this fight.
Prediction: Samy Sana (Decision)
Prediction: Samy Sana (Decision)
Rodtang Jitmuangnon (C) Vs. Walter Gonçalves (ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship)
I’m going to say that Rodtang wins this one. His heavy punches and low kicks will win him this fight, his accuracy and timing will only give him an advantage but if Rodtang messes up a kick, you better believe that Goncalves will punish him for it. I’m going to say that Rodtang wins this and by a knockout in the third round.
Prediction: Rodtang (3; TKO)
Prediction: Rodtang (3; TKO)
Biniano Fernandes (C) Vs. Kevin Belingon (ONE Bantamweight Championship)
These two have fought three times and before I make my prediction for this fight, I’ll go through the history. Fernandes won the first encounter with a first round kimura, Belingon won the second with a split decision, Fernandes won the third due to disqualification when Belingon struck Fernandes with illegal elbows. Now, this is the 4th fight. Fernandes is a two time one bantamweight champion and in his first reign, he defended the title 8 times, now he’s in the second reign and if he defeats Belingon then he may defend it another 8 times but that’s if he gets paste Belingon. If Belingon sticks to the game plan in his last fight, he may get the job done but Fernandes will see that coming. I’m going with Bibiano to retain the title here in the late rounds due to a possible submission? His BJJ skills are second to none and I do think he can get a submission victory here.
Prediction: Bibiano Fernandes (4; Submission)
Prediction: Bibiano Fernandes (4; Submission)
Shinya Aoki Vs. Honorio Banario (Lightweight)
This is a good lightweight bout, it’s Tobikan Judson Vs. The Rock (not Dwayne Johnson, he’s more of a UFC guy). But in all seriousness, this is a decent fight and I’m going to go with Banario with a first round knockout.
Prediction: Honorio Banario (1; TKO)
Prediction: Honorio Banario (1; TKO)
Aung La N Sang (C) Vs. Brandon Vera (ONE Light Heavyweight Championship)
Aung La is both middleweight and light heavyweight champion and Brandon Vera is the heavyweight champion. I think Vera has a slight edge but I’m going to go with Aung La N Sang wins this and I think he’ll win due to the fact he’s been active more and he’s been the distance a lot in his career so he’s well prepared for a long fight and I think we’ll see a long fight.
Prediction: Aung La N Sang (Decision)
Prediction: Aung La N Sang (Decision)