Fresh off a monumental ONE Friday Fights 81 card this past weekend, ONE Championship has started the countdown to another huge event this Saturday.
ONE Fight Night 25: Nicolas vs. Eersel II is set to go down inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on 5th October, and it promises to be thrilling from top to bottom.
Kickboxing and Muay Thai will again feature prominently, but mixed martial arts will also light up the fabled venue, and we’ve broken down three fights in the all-encompassing sport that cannot be missed below.
Bokang Masunyane vs. Mansur Malachiev
The stakes won’t come much higher than those in play when #2-ranked star Bokang Masunyane takes on #5-ranked talent Mansur Malachiev in strawweight MMA.
Masunyane has been a top name in the division since his arrival at ONE Fight Night 11 in July 2023. He has won four of his five outings, and the only blemish on his professional resume came against former divisional king Jarred Brooks in April 2022.
The South African star’s confidence will be at an all time high, given that he’s riding a two-fight winning streak into ONE Fight Night 25, having bested Hiroba Minowa in April 2023 and outclassed Keito Yamakita in January at ONE 165. He feels destined for a shot at gold, but Malachiev will stand firmly in his way.
The Russian star arrived in ONE in fantastic fashion when he submitted Jeremy Miado in the first round at ONE Fight Night 11. His undefeated run ended at the hands of reigning ONE strawweight MMA king Joshua Pacio across three rounds, but he reminded the world of his dominance when he bested former strawweight MMA titleholder Yosuke Saruta at ONE Fight Night 19 in February.
Both men have World Title aspirations, so fans should expect them to put everything on the line to impress further on Saturday.
Hiroba Minowa vs. Sanzhar Zakirov
The strawweight MMA division will have another prominent bout this weekend when Hiroba Minowa defends his #4-ranked contender spot against soaring sensation Sanzhar Zakirov.
Minowa has long been featured among the upper echelon of the weight bracket, having scored back-to-back wins upon his arrival in ONE in 2020, but he hasn't returned to that level of form since.
That said, his win over Jeremy Miado at ONE Fight Night 23 in July showed he still has a lot of fight left in him, and he’ll do everything in his power to stay in the rankings when he meets Zakirov on Saturday.
The Uzbekistani powerhouse has been perfect across three outings in ONE, and he has pushed his overall slate to 12-0 as a result. He finished two of his three opponents in the ONE Friday Fights series, with his most recent win in March earning him a chance to compete at ONE’s marquee events.
“Tornado” will step onto the promotion’s biggest stage at ONE Fight Night 25, and he’ll want to make his name known when he does.
Danial Williams vs. Banma Duoji
One contest that’s not expected to go the distance this weekend is the flyweight showdown between Danial Williams and Banma Duoji.
Williams has built a reputation in ONE Championship for bringing the heat to any fight – in any sport. His record features Muay Thai, kickboxing, and MMA affairs, and his opponents are some of the best across all three disciplines.
The Thai-Aussie showman has struggled to find a win in his last few outings, so he’ll likely have a must-win mentality against Banman at ONE Fight Night 25. And he’ll need it against the Chinese star.
Banma hasn’t been seen in ONE action since last July, but his impressive win over Walter Goncalves at ONE Fight Night 12 showed he has what it takes to hang with the best.
Expect a barnburner here as these two stars look to climb the stacked flyweight MMA ranks.
