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What makes ONE Championship unique is its mission to bring all facets of martial arts into the mainstream. Aside from some good old-fashioned MMA action, the Singapore-based organization also hosts a multitude of striking-only matches under Muay Thai and kickboxing rules. ONE has also given the grappling arts the attention it deserves through its burgeoning submission grappling scene.
Now picture blending the dynamic nature of these disciplines with special mixed-rules bouts. Fans no longer have to imagine such scenarios since the largest martial arts organization in the world has already made it happen.
Back in March at ONE X, we witnessed the first-ever mixed rules super fight in the promotion between world champions Demetrious Johnson and Rodtang Jitmuangnon, which alternated MMA and Muay Thai rules in-between rounds. Given the success of the first one, the upcoming ONE Fight Night 6 on Prime Video will also feature the first-ever women’s mixed-rules bout.
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Stamp Fairtex and Anissa Meksen will be making history on January 13 inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. The event will stream live and for free to North American Prime Video subscribers. With that said, here are three special mixed-rules fights that we would love to see happen in 2023.
#3. Tang Kai vs. Superbon (MMA and kickboxing)
Tang Kai made China proud by unseating Than Le and becoming the first-ever Chinese male world champion at ONE 160 back in August. His first order of business was to call out his fellow world champion from another sport, Superbon Singha Mawynn.
Why not, right? This mega fight has fireworks written all over it, given both fighters’ astonishing striking pedigrees. In fact, it was even Tang himself who proposed a special mixed-rules bout:
"If MMA is too scary for you maybe we’ll do something special like [Demetrious Johnson] and [Rodtang Jitmuangnon].”
Additionally, Superbon has always said that he’s willing to transition to MMA at some point.
Tang, on the other hand, has already showcased his stopping power on the feet numerous times. For sure, his arsenal will be even deadlier without the threat of takedowns in the striking-only rounds.
However, we might have to wait a while for this dream match to come to fruition. Superbon is currently preparing for his second world title defense against the dangerous Chingiz Allazov.
Tang, meanwhile, is yet to defend his own crown against the challengers in his stacked division.
#2. Christian Lee vs. Kade Ruotolo (MMA and submission grappling)
The mere thought of this matchup alone will rile up any die-hard MMA fan. Two-division world champion Christian Lee is always eager to overcome new obstacles. ‘The Warrior’ has already accomplished so much that people tend to forget he’s only 24 years old.
Given Lee’s stature as one of the most well-rounded world champions in MMA today, he possesses the perfect skill set for a mixed-rules bout. While he’s primarily known as a striker with 12 wins by KO/TKO, the United MMA and Evolve MMA fighter is no slouch on the ground either.
There’s no better way to test his ever-evolving grappling skills than rolling with ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo. The Atos standout, after all, has teased his transition to MMA sometime this year.
Dipping his toes in a mixed-rules bout just to get a feel of MMA would be perfect for Ruotolo. Additionally, he can always fall back on the grappling side of it all if things don’t go his way.
#1. Angela Lee vs. Danielle Kelly (ONE MMA and submission grappling)
Angela Lee has made it clear that Danielle Kelly is not someone on her radar at the moment. But for some reason, fans and pundits alike believe this match-up is simply inevitable.
It all began last year when Kelly was asked about the thought of sharing the circle with the women’s atomweight world champion someday. Whether it was just a slip of the tongue or not, the Silver Fox BJJ product insinuated that Lee is not a “legit” grappler by her standards.
From that point on, the names of these two female superstars have been intertwined. ‘Unstoppable’ has said that she would only entertain this match if Kelly becomes a contender in MMA. The BJJ ace, though, recently called out Lee again for a submission grappling match after she disposed of Mariia Molchanova.
What if both sides settle on a compromise and agree on a special mixed-rules bout instead? We know Lee has eight career submissions to her name, so she can certainly hold her own in the grappling department.
Kelly, meanwhile, is unproven in MMA but is an extreme threat if she can take the fight to the ground in the MMA rounds. No doubt, fight fans will definitely pay to see that.
