3 fighters who stand to gain and 2 who stand to lose the most at ONE X

ONE Championship’s 10-year anniversary extravaganza, ONE X, is brimming with talent. It has three cards, several champion versus champion fights, and a couple of grappling submission contests. Not to mention, Rodtang’s mixed rules super-fight against Demetrious Johnson.

To describe this event as historic might be an understatement by the time ONE X comes to a close inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 26. Truthfully, there may not be the perfect word to describe an event this monumental.

Every battle promises to leave fans on the edge of their seats. Nail-biting moments, nerve-racking experiences, and highlight-reel finishes are all but guaranteed at ONE X – and all the athletes competing on the card are ready to dish out career-defining performances that will allow them to reach new heights in their respective martial arts journeys.

Ahead of this mega-show, we take a look at some of the competitors who stand to gain the most, and a couple of fighters who will stand to lose the most when the action gets underway in ‘The Lion City’ this Saturday.

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#1. Eduard Folayang, ONE lightweight - stands to gain

Just four years ago, Eduard Folayang sat on the throne of the promotion’s lightweight division after thrilling the world with a dominant title-winning performance against Singapore’s Amir Khan.

Unfortunately, Folayang – one of the sport’s most humble and down-to-earth superstars – hasn’t recaptured that form during his recent appearances on the global stage, which has led to inevitable speculation as to whether his time is up.

This Saturday, he has a chance to return to winning ways and silence the haters for the time being. The 38-year-old Baguio City warrior will take on a dangerous striking machine in Australia's John Wayne Parr in a lightweight Muay Thai showdown.

Parr is looking to draw the curtain on a nearly three-decade career that saw him scale various heights in the striking sport. A win for the Canberra native would take his career tally to 100 – a remarkable achievement given the high level of competition he has had to face since the very start of his career.

Folayang, on the other hand, has nothing to lose. He will enter the bout with his mindset locked in to win at all costs. A win against a true legend of the sport could provide him with the belief and morale to start another climb to the top of the lightweight mountain. It won’t be easy, but if there’s anything to take from his past outings, it's never to rule ‘ The Landslide’ out.

#2. Rodtang Jitmuangnon, ONE flyweight Muay Thai - stands to gain

Rodtang Jitmuangnon’s nickname may be ‘The Iron Man', but he had a very contrasting life compared to the Marvel Comics superhero, who dons a red suit made from gold-titanium alloy. The Thai fighter was never born into riches and lived a difficult life from a very young age.

However, Muay Thai turned his life around. The athlete with 319 professional fights to his name is a real-life superhero. He loves to fight and packs a unique mixture of aggression and showmanship in every bout, making him the perfect combat sports athlete to watch.

So, when ONE came up with the idea for a super-fight against Demetrious Johnson in their biggest card to date, the young star didn't need to think twice. Rodtang views Mighty Mouse’ as a legend, but in this match at least, expect him to throw away his respect for the 12-time flyweight world champion.

Rodtang is going to use this bout to see whether or not his newfound grappling skills will be enough for him to attempt a career in MMA. If he can mix it up with the MMA GOAT in the second and fourth rounds – set to be judged under MMA ruleset – fans can expect the happy-go-lucky athlete to shift his focus from Muay Thai to the all-encompassing sport.

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#3. Reinier de Ridder, ONE middleweight and light heavyweight - stands to gain

Like Rodtang and Folayang, Reinier de Ridder has nothing to lose at ONE X. The two-division MMA world champion’s grappling has helped him get past every opponent in his career to date. The Combat Brothers representative, who boasts a 15-0 professional resume, will take a short detour from his dominant displays in 4oz gloves to focus on a submission grappling contest against Andre Galvao.

Both the Dutchman and Galvao are Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts. They have devoted their lives to achieving this feat, so fans can expect them to get gridlocked in a tight affair on the canvas as soon as their 12-minute single-round contest starts.

De Ridder believes he can outclass the multi-time BJJ world champion on the mats. He sees himself choking the BJJ icon out and admits it will be a career-defining win.

Even if things don’t go his way, the two-division world champion will take this defeat with his chin held up high.

He will gain valuable experience rolling against one of the greatest practitioners of ‘the gentle art’, while trying to fix the little flaws in his ground game, meaning whoever takes him on next can expect a better version of de Ridder.

#4. Kim Jae Woong, ONE featherweight - stands to lose

‘The Fighting God’ Kim Jae Woong knows the ONE featherweight world title is within touching distance. The South Korean fighter, who is the top-ranked fighter in the 70.3kg division, is touted as the next man who will challenge American-Vietnamese Thanh Le in a five-round championship tilt. But he'll have to get through #4-ranked contender Tang Kai.

Kim has knocked out three opponents in four outings inside the Circle, and each finish came in a different round, which serves as a clear reminder that his one-punch knockout power should never be counted out – even in later rounds. The 28-year-old star is in the form of his life, and he has always viewed Tang Kai as a ‘warm-up fight’ before he competes for the featherweight crown.

All of that, however, could be undone by the man standing opposite him at the promotion's 10-year anniversary show. Tang Kai is on an eight-match winning streak and is confident that he will, one day, wrestle the gold off Thanh Le’s shoulder.

A finish over 'The Fighting God' will give the Chinese star bragging rights, and perhaps see him leapfrog Martin Nguyen and Garry Tonon to get the next shot at gold. He hasn't tasted defeat in almost five years and believes he can be the man to stop the Kim-hype train in Singapore on Saturday.

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#5. Angela Lee, ONE atomweight - stands to lose

The world’s youngest MMA world champion has a lot of pressure on her shoulders. ‘Unstoppable’ Angela Lee hasn't competed in almost two-and-a-half years, and some are concerned that the talented Singaporean-American martial artist may not have the same passion inside the ONE Circle after giving birth.

‘Unstoppable’ seems optimistic that she’s better than before, and she claims that her daughter, Ava Marie, has reignited the fire in her. But only time will tell if the longtime atomweight queen can leave the Circle with her hand raised.

Lee puts her gold and undefeated record in the women’s 52.2kg division on the line against Thai striking dynamo Stamp Fairtex.

On paper, the 25-year-old champion seems to tick all the boxes when it comes to describing what a complete MMA fighter is. But a flaw of hers that was exposed in her first fight against ONE strawweight queen Xiong Jing Nan is her inability to eat shots in the striking department – an area where Stamp is well-skilled.

The Thai superstar is going to keep her legs away from Lee’s takedowns while she tries to sting her with jabs and kicks. Should she triumph over the atomweight queen, Stamp will achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a three-sport world champion in ONE.

It'll be a difficult path to victory for the Thai. But given the impressive run she has enjoyed leading up to this pivotal clash, many believe she’s in a good place to upset Lee.