'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The month of October was undoubtedly a huge one for ONE Championship.
The promotion once again delivered top-notch action and plenty of memorable moments in combat sports.
We saw Jonathan Di Bella’s coronation as the new ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion at ONE 162: Zhang vs. Di Bella.
Furthermore, who can forget the wild ending to that barnburner of a match between John Lineker and Fabricio Andrade at ONE on Prime Video 3: Lineker vs. Andrade?
Hold on to your seats, ladies and gentlemen, because November will be even bigger.
On Friday, November 18 (Saturday, November 19 in Singapore), ONE Championship’s fourth foray into US primetime will feature a massive world champion vs. world champion match-up inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Reigning ONE lightweight world champion Christian Lee returns at ONE on Prime Video 4 in his bid to become a two-division world champion against ONE welterweight king Kiamrian Abbasov.
On the same card, ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion Joseph Lasiri will look to end Rodtang Jitmuangnon’s long reign as king of the flyweight Muay Thai division.
Meanwhile, the best Japanese fighters in the organization will also take center stage at ONE 163, headlined by Hiroki Akimoto’s first defense of his ONE kickboxing bantamweight crown against the dangerous Petchtanong Petchfergus. That match-up will also emanate from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday, November 19.
Without further ado, let’s have a look at three of the must-watch fights in ONE Championship in November that you dare not miss.
#3. Stephen Loman vs. Bibiano Fernandes (ONE Championship bantamweight)
While a pair of world title bouts will close out the show at ONE on Prime Video 4, this marquee bantamweight clash of epic proportions could potentially steal the show.
Fifth-ranked Stephen Loman will look to usurp Bibiano Fernandes from his No.3 spot in the extremely stacked division.
It appears that these two proud warriors were bound by fate and were set for a collision course one way or the other.
It wasn’t that long ago when Fernandes was at the top of the heap and dominated the 145-pound ranks with an iron fist.
Loman could only watch from afar as the Brazilian legend took down his Team Lakay teammate Kevin Belingon thrice in their four encounters.
After convincingly dispatching proven contenders Yusup Saadulaev and Shoko Sato in his first two appearances inside the circle, ‘The Sniper’ is ready for his biggest challenge yet.
‘The Flash’, on the other hand, is eager to prove he’s still a force to be reckoned with in the division he once ruled. This marks Fernandes’ return to the circle after losing the world title to John Lineker this past March.
The victor of this match will no doubt be one step closer to the currently unoccupied ONE Championship bantamweight throne.
#2. Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Joseph Lasiri (ONE Championship flyweight Muay Thai)
Rodtang Jitmuangnon has not tasted defeat in striking-only battles inside ONE Championship's circle since 2018. The Thai wrecking machine has laid waste to every challenger that dared to unseat him, defending his ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title thrice and going 10-0 overall.
Joseph Lasiri would love to change that narrative and become a champ-champ in the process. The Italian-Moroccan’s ONE Championship journey has been the complete polar opposite of his opponent.
While Rodtang has been sensational since Day 1, Lasiri was anything but. He dropped his first four bouts inside the circle. Quite frankly, it appeared that he wouldn't be getting close to a world title shot anytime soon.
‘The Hurricane’, however, kept at it and proved his detractors wrong. While he finally got that elusive 'W' against Akimoto in a kickboxing bout, it wasn't until he decided to move down from flyweight that Lasiri found his footing in the organization.
He won back-to-back bouts to set up a date with former divisional king, Prajanchai PK.Saenchai. The underdog Lasiri came in and put the Thai star in his place, giving him a nasty crimson mask in the third round, which left him unable to continue.
Relive the full fight below:
If Lasiri can do the same to the seemingly invincible Rodtang, then he’ll complete one of the best Cinderella stories in all of combat sports.
'The Iron Man’, meanwhile, will look to further cement his place among the all-time Muay Thai greats by turning back a fellow world champion.
#1. Christian Lee vs. Kiamrian Abbasov (ONE Championship weltwerweight)
Can Christian Lee complete the task that his sister Angela Lee could not?
That’s the biggest storyline heading into this colossal ONE Championship welterweight world title clash.
After all, ‘The Warrior’ will surely want to complete what his sister Angela unsuccessfully attempted to do against Xiong Jing Nan and become the family’s first-ever two-division world champion.
However, that gargantuan task will be much easier said than done, considering he must go through an absolute killer in Kiamrian Abbasov.
‘Brazen’ needs no introduction after dominating the welterweight ranks since 2018, with career-defining victories over Agilan Thani and Yushin Okami. The Kyrgyzstani used that momentum to dethrone Zebaztian Kadestam for the world title and defended his throne against James Nakashima.
Abbasov fell short in his bid to conquer two divisions against Reinier de Ridder and will now seek to end Lee’s double-champ aspirations.
The Singaporean-American superstar just regained his lightweight throne with a masterful destruction of Ok Rae Yoon in a rematch this past August, avenging his loss to the South Korean in September last year. Prior to that defeat, he was on a six-fight win streak and has a total of 16 wins inside the circle.
Lee, who started his career at featherweight, will now take on arguably the most physically imposing opponent he’s ever faced.
We know that the 24-year-old Lee is not one to back down from a good challenge and we’ve seen his growth – literally and figuratively – inside the circle for years.
