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A monumental card of epic proportions is about to go down inside the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, courtesy of ONE Championship.
After an almost three-year absence due to the global pandemic, ONE Championship is rewarding its loyal Filipino fanbase with back-to-back events stacked to the brim with the best martial arts talents in the world.
ONE on Prime Video 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin is on December 2 (US Primetime).
North American subscribers have now developed a thirst for ONE Championship’s sensational shows following four massive cards in US Primetime. As always, this event is entirely free of charge for those with existing Amazon Prime Video subscriptions in North America.
The last Prime Video event of the calendar year is geared to be its biggest one yet.
Here are the three biggest reasons why you should not miss ONE on Prime Video 5 this Friday.
#3. Two Ruotolos on one card
By now, the name Ruotolo is quickly becoming synonymous with submission grappling excellence.
Having one Ruotolo is terrific in itself. Now imagine having two of these submission machines fighting on the same night.
Tye Ruotolo is the latest addition to the talent-laden card, as he clashes with former ONE featherweight world champion Marat Gafurov in an 81-kg catchweight bout.
He’ll now be joining his twin brother, Kade, who will be defending the ONE submission grappling world title for the first time against Matheus Gabriel.
In just a short amount of time, one-half of the prodigious brothers have already clinched gold, and each one has collected a $50,000 bonus along the way.
Kade, for one, might just be the face of ONE’s submission grappling scene following sensational performances over Shinya Aoki and Uali Kurzhev.
Tye, meanwhile, effortlessly subbed the prolific Gary Tonon in his ONE debut.
Conversely, grappling-only matches have developed a bad reputation over the years. Some casual MMA fans loathe them for being too technical and slow-paced for their liking.
The Ruotolo brothers, however, have erased those misconceptions with their high-octane, made-for-TV style.
#2. Can Roberto Soldic live up to the hype?
We’ve seen a lot of big-name free agents sign with ONE Championship over the years.
However, no one has come close to the hype that Roberto Soldic brings. As his moniker suggests, ‘Robocop’ is a destroyer with 17 knockouts in 20 career wins.
The Croatian also enters the circle on a red-hot seven-fight winning streak.
Despite his glowing resume, ONE Championship did not just hand Soldic an immediate world title shot on a silver platter. He must earn it against a Russian mauler who has yet to taste defeat in his 11 pro-MMA fights. To challenge the new welterweight king Christian Lee, Soldic must first get past Murad Ramazanov.
The Dagestani has decimated his three opponents inside the circle, using a relentless grappling-based attack to overwhelm his foes.
Soldic, for sure, is the betting favorite, but it would be hugely unwise to count Ramazanov out.
#1. The battle between ONE Championship's two undefeated world champions
When two perfect titans collide, something has got to give.
Two-division ONE world champion Reinier de Ridder will be putting his unblemished 16-0 record and his light heavyweight throne on the line against perhaps his most dangerous challenger yet.
ONE interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin, who’s also unbeaten in 11 bouts, will look to take away one of the Dutchman’s shiny gold belts.
The battle between these two finishers is the perfect way to cap off ONE’s fifth venture in US Primetime.
As ONE Championship's chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong said during the event's press conference, this fight will likely end in two ways. Either de Ridder is going to get knocked out by the Russian heavy hitter, or Malykhin will be submitted by the Dutch grappling ace.
One way or the other, the fans win.
