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| Left: ONE Women's Strawweight World Champion "The Panda" Xiong Jing Nan of China, Right: ONE Championship Women's Strawweight Number 4 Ayaka "Zombie" Miura of Japan (Image Source: ONE Championship) |
A lot more horsepower has been injected into ONE Championship’s first event of 2022. On January 14, 2022 (Friday), the largest mixed martial arts organization in Asia will hold ONE: HEAVY HITTERS at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan will defend her belt against #4-ranked contender Ayaka “Zombie” Miura in the main event. In addition to that, mixed martial arts legend Khabib Nurmagomedov will be on hand for the promotional debut of his protege Saygid Izagakhmaev.
Xiong has been a dominant force in the women’s strawweight mixed martial arts division. The Chinese superstar, who owns a 16-2 career record, claimed the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title in January 2018 and has successfully defended the strap five times. Most notably, she holds victories over reigning atomweight queen “Unstoppable” Angela Lee, #1-ranked strawweight contender Tiffany “No Chill” Teo, and #2-ranked strawweight Michelle Nicolini. Additionally, “The Panda” is her division’s all-time leader in knockouts with three.
But next, she will meet Miura, who appears to be her perfect foil. The Japanese phenom holds an impressive 11-3 (1 NC) career record, a 64 percent finishing rate, and has four submission victories during her ONE tenure, all of which have come by her trademark scarf-hold Americana. The Tribe Tokyo MMA product can also claim a record of her own, as she owns the most submission victories in the division – also currently standing at three. With records to be broken – and ONE gold on the line – fans should expect these two warriors to search for a defining finish when they put their polar-opposite specialties against each other in the Circle on ONE: HEAVY HITTERS.
The show will also mark the highly anticipated promotional debut of Izagakhmaev, who’s been training with Nurmagomedov for the past 11 years. Izagakhmaev is a Sambo World Champion who owns a 19-2 mixed martial arts record and a 74 percent finishing rate that’s mostly comprised of submission wins. The Dagestani will be looking to make his 20th victory a special one – especially with “The Eagle” by his side. His first assignment in the Circle will come in a lightweight contest against James Nakashima, a former ONE Welterweight World Title challenger who is settling into his new weight class.
Nakashima sports a 12-2 record, and though he’s known primarily for his wrestling pedigree, the American southpaw has trained his striking extensively with kickboxing icon Giorgio “The Doctor” Petrosyan. Along with adding another victory to his slate, spoiling Izagakhmaev’s debut could potentially springboard Nakashima into ONE’s official lightweight rankings. ONE: HEAVY HITTERS will also see towering ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion Roman Kryklia defend his gold against one-punch behemoth Murat “The Butcher” Aygun in the co-main event. Also, the card will feature the previously announced bantamweight Muay Thai matchup between top-ranked contender Saemapetch Fairtex and Tawanchai PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym.
The thrilling spectacle will see the return of 18-year-old Muay Thai star Supergirl. Supergirl became the youngest athlete to compete – and win – in the promotion’s all-striking league, ONE Super Series, in September 2020. That night, at the age of 16, she shocked the world by knocking out Milagros Lopez just 60 seconds into their catchweight Muay Thai bout. On ONE: HEAVY HITTERS, the teenage phenom will face the biggest test of her career when she collides with three-time Muay Thai World Champion Ekaterina “Barbie” Vandaryeva, who is motivated to prove that she is still one of the sport’s most elite female competitors.
Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado will also compete on the main card as he looks to build off his stunning pair of highlight-reel knockout victories over Chinese slugger Miao Li Tao. Since linking up with Marrok Force, the Filipino believes he has taken his striking to a whole new level, and he is ready to make a run at strawweight gold. Miado will put his stand-up arsenal and all-around skill set to the test when he meets former Pancrase Flyweight Champion Senzo Ikeda, who is looking to make a run at the ONE Strawweight World Title too. In addition to that, the lead card will feature the return of Japanese mixed martial arts legend Yushin “Thunder” Okami, top-ranked women’s strawweight contender Tiffany “No Chill” Teo, Chinese knockout artist Meng Bo, and former ONE World Title challengers Elias “The Sniper” Mahmoudi and Walter Goncalves. Here's a full rundown of the main card and lead card lineups for ONE Championship's first major event of the new year.
ONE: HEAVY HITTERS Main Card
• (c) Xiong Jing Nan vs. Ayaka Miura (ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title)
• (c) Roman Kryklia vs. Murat Aygun (ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Title)
• Saemapetch vs. Tawanchai (Muay Thai – bantamweight)
• James Nakashima vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev (mixed martial arts – lightweight)
• Supergirl vs. Ekaterina Vandaryeva (Muay Thai – strawweight)
• Senzo Ikeda vs. Jeremy Miado (mixed martial arts – strawweight)
ONE: HEAVY HITTERS Lead Card
• Elias Mahmoudi vs. Walter Goncalves (Muay Thai – flyweight)
• Beybulat Isaev vs. Giannis Stoforidis (kickboxing – light heavyweight)
• Yushin Okami vs. Leandro Ataides (mixed martial arts – middleweight)
• Shuya Kamikubo vs. Troy Worthen (mixed martial arts – bantamweight)
• Tiffany Teo vs. Meng Bo (mixed martial arts – strawweight)
• Robin Catalan vs. Elipitua Siregar (mixed martial arts – strawweight)
In addition, the organization confirmed the dates for the first quarter of its 2022 events calendar. The promotion’s second event of the year, ONE: ONLY THE BRAVE, will be held on January 28 and four additional live shows will be broadcast on February 11, February 25, March 11 and March 26. Catch ONE: HEAVY HITTERS, ONE Championship's first major event of 2022, from inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium on January 14, 2022 on One Sports (free TV channel 41, Cignal channel 6, SKYcable channel 59), One Sports+ (Cignal SD channel 91 and HD channel 261), ONE Championship's official YouTube channel, Cignal Play and the ONE Championship Super App.
• (c) Roman Kryklia vs. Murat Aygun (ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Title)
• Saemapetch vs. Tawanchai (Muay Thai – bantamweight)
• James Nakashima vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev (mixed martial arts – lightweight)
• Supergirl vs. Ekaterina Vandaryeva (Muay Thai – strawweight)
• Senzo Ikeda vs. Jeremy Miado (mixed martial arts – strawweight)
ONE: HEAVY HITTERS Lead Card
• Elias Mahmoudi vs. Walter Goncalves (Muay Thai – flyweight)
• Beybulat Isaev vs. Giannis Stoforidis (kickboxing – light heavyweight)
• Yushin Okami vs. Leandro Ataides (mixed martial arts – middleweight)
• Shuya Kamikubo vs. Troy Worthen (mixed martial arts – bantamweight)
• Tiffany Teo vs. Meng Bo (mixed martial arts – strawweight)
• Robin Catalan vs. Elipitua Siregar (mixed martial arts – strawweight)
In addition, the organization confirmed the dates for the first quarter of its 2022 events calendar. The promotion’s second event of the year, ONE: ONLY THE BRAVE, will be held on January 28 and four additional live shows will be broadcast on February 11, February 25, March 11 and March 26. Catch ONE: HEAVY HITTERS, ONE Championship's first major event of 2022, from inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium on January 14, 2022 on One Sports (free TV channel 41, Cignal channel 6, SKYcable channel 59), One Sports+ (Cignal SD channel 91 and HD channel 261), ONE Championship's official YouTube channel, Cignal Play and the ONE Championship Super App.
