3 fights that could steal the show at ONE 161

The main event of ONE 161: Petchmorakot vs. Tawanchai fully deserves its place atop the September card. However, there are a number of interesting fights on the card that are potential show stealers.

While Tawanchai PK. Saenchai challenging Petchmorakot Petchyindee for the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world title should be a banger, the fights preceding it also have the potential to be instant classics.

The Singapore Indoor Stadium will be the site of an explosive fight night on September 29 with four of ONE Championship’s martial arts disciplines being fought at the event.

Submission grappling, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts will all be represented at ONE 161. The ONE heavyweight kickboxing world grand prix will also be a part of the card, marking the first time that the promotion will hold a heavyweight tournament.

That said, here are three fights that could steal the night at ONE 161.

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#3. Ritu Phogat vs. Tiffany Teo (ONE 161)

Ritu Phogat and Tiffany Teo were never in the same weight class in ONE Championship. However, things have changed and the two are both now fighting for their place in the upper echelon of the women’s atomweight division.

Teo, a former ONE women’s strawweight world title challenger, recently moved down to atomweight and specifically called out Phogat to be her first opponent.

More than half a year later, Teo got her wish. The Singaporean star will face Phogat in her atomweight debut and the two grapplers are gearing up for their division-shaking fight at ONE 161.

Phogat and Teo have identical 7-2 records in ONE Championship and both are known for their constricting grappling. Despite their credentials in wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the two warriors can brawl and are never shy in throwing their hands.

Teo has four finishes in ONE Championship, three of which are submissions. She's also displayed her tenacity on the feet, especially in the two world title matches against strawweight queen Xiong Jing Nan.

Phogat, meanwhile, is one of the best wrestlers to come out of India but her three finishes in ONE Championship are, interestingly, all knockouts. ‘The Indian Tigress’ went headhunting in the first half of her career in the organization and has never been shy when it comes to throwing bombs.

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#2. Saygid Izagakhmaev vs. Zhang Lipeng (ONE 161)

Saygid Izagakhmaev and Zhang Lipeng are relative newcomers to ONE Championship. Both want nothing more than to establish their names in the stacked lightweight division after ONE 161.

The two lightweight contenders have already made a splash early on in their ONE Championship careers. A win for either fighter at ONE 161 will surely elevate them to the top of the division.

Izagakhmaev arrived at ONE Championship with a lot of fan support thanks to his coach and training partner, UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov. Zhang, meanwhile, is one of the most well-traveled fighters in the organization, having fought across China and North America.

Zhang is 2-0 in ONE Championship and scored the biggest win of his career when he scored a unanimous decision victory over former ONE lightweight world champion Eduard Folayang at ONE: Battleground II in August 2021.

Izagakhmaev had fought just once before inside the circle. His marvelous second-round submission over James Nakashima at ONE Championshp: Heavy Hitters, a former welterweight world title challenger, was enough to push him to the No.5 spot in the lightweight rankings.

Both fighters are quintessential mixed martial artists who use aggressive grappling and heavy striking to control their fights.

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#1. Roman Kryklia vs. Guto Inocente (ONE 161)

Heavyweights have always held a certain mystique in combat sports. The potential for a highlight reel finish between two fighters will always capture the imagination of fight fans. Therefore, at ONE 161, the promotion has put together a tournament exclusively for big men.

The ONE heavyweight kickboxing world grand prix will kick off at ONE 161 with two semifinal matches. Iran’s Iraj Azizpour will take on Brazil’s Bruno Chavez in one bracket.

The other bracket, though, features a bit more drama.

Brazilian veteran Guto Inocente will take on Ukrainian giant Roman Kryklia, who’s the reigning ONE light heavyweight kickboxing world champion in the other semifinal.

Both fighters stand well over six feet with Inocente at 6ft 3. Kryklia, though, is one of the tallest fighters in ONE Championship at 6ft 7.

Inocente and Kryklia are absolute brawlers on the feet with four knockouts between them in ONE Championship. Inocente is 2-0 in the organization and is coming off a body shot KO victory over Serbian rising star Rade Opacic this past June at ONE: 158.

Kryklia, meanwhile, is 3-0 in the organization with two of those wins ending with a KO. The towering striker was a force unleashed in his last fight in the circle against Murat Aygun.

With less than a minute left in the first round, Kryklia clocked Aygun with a stiff right overhand that knocked him down. Just mere seconds after the first knockdown, Kryklia launched the finishing sequence that immediately folded Aygun.