3 must-watch fights at ONE 159: De Ridder vs Bigdash

Get ready to be energized by these two strawweight stalwarts. ONE 159 will see an epic clash between two of the most dynamic and exciting 125-pound fighters on the planet.

Bokang 'Little Giant' Masunyane is the epitome of explosiveness and athleticism. In a division filled with explosive fighters, not a lot can match Masunyane's explosiveness in grappling and striking.

With freestyle wrestling as his foundation, 'Little Giant' blitzes his opponents like a freight train. His break-neck pace in grappling also opens his opponents up to his powerful strikes.

As for Hiroba Minowa, he is one of the toughest men to ever compete in ONE's strawweight division. Having never been knocked out or submitted in his 16-fight career, this well-rounded and tough Japanese will be a nightmare to deal with. He can strike and grapple with the best of the best.

With both fighters coming off losses to ONE strawweight world title challenger Jarred 'The Monkey God' Brooks, expect a highly-intense battle throughout. Fighters coming off losses are almost always extra motivated to get back in the winning column. ONE 159 will have a barnburner on its main card.

#1. ONE 159 atomweight Muay Thai co-main event - Janet Todd vs. Lara Fernandez

Janet Todd, the reigning ONE atomweight kickboxing world champion, is looking to win another belt in another sport by vying for the Muay Thai strap. She is, by and large, one of the most complete female kickboxers active today. Her speed, technique, timing, distance control and accuracy is second to none.

Though her opponent, Lara Fernandez, is making her ONE Championship debut at ONE 159, she is not without world championship experience. Fernandez is the reigning WBC Muay Thai flyweight world champion and ISKA super featherweight world champion.

The stakes couldn't be higher on this one. Not only will the winner of this bout receive a new ONE Championship interim belt, she will also have a guaranteed world title unification bout in the future.

Undisputed atomweight Muay Thai queen Allycia Hellen Rodrigues just came off her hiatus due to pregnancy and is currently getting ready for her return. She will have quite the challenge waiting for her.

About the author

Duane is an expert MMA writer at Sportskeeda with 15 years of experience working for the likes of Philippine Star, Esquire Philippines, Playboy Philippines, etc. A major in English, he has written over 2000 articles for Sportskeeda section, extensively covering UFC and boxing fights.

Duane is a practicing MMA fighter with a 11-7 record. He is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt and trains Muay Thai. His connection with MMA dates back to 2005, when he turned into a fan after watching Fedor Emelianenko defeat Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic at Pride FC - Final Conflict 2005.

Emelianenko finds himself right at the top of Duane’s Mt. Rushmore of MMA fighters, alongside other big names like Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, and Anderson Silva.

Duane’s love for the sport is reflected in his writings, where he believes in speculating but not insinuating. He uses his intensive knowledge and skills in MMA to provide unique insights to the readers, along with sourcing information only from reliable sources.

Outside of work, Duane enjoys martial arts training, visual arts, film criticism, video games, and creative writing.

Know More

3 must-watch fights at ONE 159: De Ridder vs Bigdash

#2. ONE 159 main card strawweight MMA bout - Bokang Masunyane vs. Hiroba Minowa

#1. ONE 159 atomweight Muay Thai co-main event - Janet Todd vs. Lara Fernandez