3 Asian ONE Championship stars the American audience would love

ONE Championship is at the forefront of the martial arts scene today. Established over a decade ago, ONE has since expanded its reach to showcase at least four different combat sports.

The Singapore-based organization now features MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling in its events, in addition to others like boxing.

It makes sense, as martial arts has always been synonymous with Asia. The west had its own form of combat, yes. However, it was Asia that brought the mystique, philosophy and prestige of martial arts to the global consciousness. ONE Championship is proud to say that it is "bringing martial arts home to Asia."

Because of this, ONE has produced some of the greatest Asian fighters known today, including names like Aung La N Sang, Xiong Jing Nan, Angela Lee and Stamp Fairtex.

After their historic ONE X event that marked their 10-year anniversary and showcased their very best, ONE recently inked a landmark deal with Amazon Prime Video. The historic five-year deal will have the streaming service air 12 of ONE's live events every year, starting with ONE 161 on August 26.

ONE and Amazon are set to host a global press conference in Los Angeles on July 20. The promotion’s biggest names will be there, including Angela Lee and Demetrious Johnson, as well as the company’s CEO.

Finally, the US viewing market will get a chance to witness one of the top martial arts organizations in the world in its full glory. With this expansion in the American viewing market, more and more ONE athletes will break through the mainstream consciousness.

Apart from its already established fighters, there are a lot of ONE athletes with star potential just waiting to be introduced to a wider audience. Today, we list three Asian fighters in ONE Championship who could make a splash in front of a North American audience.

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#3. ONE Championship featherweight knockout artist Tang Kai

ONE Championship featherweight world title challenger Tang Kai has the entire People's Republic of China cheering behind him. It's huge pressure on the young Chinese warrior, but he welcomes it with open arms.

On the verge of making history at ONE 160 as he takes on ONE Championship featherweight king Thanh Le for the world title, Tang is determined to take the belt back home with him.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Tang talked about how he decided to dedicate all his time and effort towards becoming the first male MMA world champion from China.

"I only started to think about being a [world] champion when I got better and better, beating certified tough opponents. I only dreamed about things that matched my abilities. So when I got better [at fighting], I started to want better things. Now, I believe truthfully, that I’m going to be the champion of the world - the first male [mixed martial arts] world champion from China.”

If Tang does win the belt at ONE 160, not only will he make history, he will also turn China into an MMA powerhouse. His compatriot and the first-ever Chinese MMA world champion, Xiong Jing Nan, currently holds the ONE Championship women's strawweight world title.

With dynamite in every limb and star power that is backed by millions of fans, Tang can certainly make a big splash on the world stage soon.

#2. ONE Championship lightweight kingpin Ok Rae Yoon

In his first year alone, Korean fighting sensation Ok Rae Yoon beat Marat Gafurov, Eddie Alvarez, and Christian Lee. That's two former world champions and the then-reigning world champion from whom he took the belt from.

Not only did he have an awesome 2021, Ok also had perhaps the best opening year in ONE history. Imagine debuting in the biggest martial arts organization in the world and winning its lightweight world title before the year ended. It's nuts.

Ok is a problem anywhere inside the circle. His peppering strikes and underrated grappling game allowed him to negate all possible threats from all fronts. He is also extremely durable and versatile and can pose huge threats anywhere he likes.

Ok's massive appeal is also attributed to Korea's current surge in global popularity today. From music, to film, to combat sports, Ok is the latest of many great Koreans waving their flag with extreme pride.

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#1. ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon

We've said it before: if boxing legends Marvin Hagler and Mike Tyson had an Asian child and he learned Muay Thai, that would be Rodtang Jitmuangnon. This man is like when the idea of excitement becomes a person.

Imagine this: Rodtang is just 24 years old and he's already had over 300 fights in Muay Thai. Upon entering ONE Championship, 'The Iron Man' ran through his division like a freight train and won their flyweight Muay Thai world title. He's also defended it three straight times.

Rodtang blasted through the mainstream, however, when he faced MMA legend and MMA GOAT contender Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson in a mixed-rules bout at ONE X. The fight thrust Rodtang into the mainstream spotlight and also gave the world a glimpse of what high-level Muay Thai looks like.

Despite losing in the second round via a rear-naked choke, Rodtang pushed the MMA legend to the limit with his striking. With the intention of transitioning to MMA on the horizon, Rodtang had the best possible introduction by locking horns against one of the best ever.

There's always room for improvement and if Rodtang puts as much time and dedication into his grappling as his striking genius, he will no doubt become the biggest Asian martial arts star since Bruce Lee.