5 American ONE Championship stars fans should look forward to seeing on Prime Video

ONE Championship has already established itself as one of the leading martial arts organizations in the world in the first ten years of its existence, but the Singapore-based promotion is just getting started.

The global martial arts organization recently signed a massive multi-year deal with Amazon to have its events broadcast live on its streaming platform, Prime Video.

While ONE Championship prides itself on being the home of some of the best fighters in the world, there are certainly American-born martial artists who can carry the brand well into its conquest of the North American market.

Names such as Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, and Angela Lee are already established stars in the promotion. Sage Northcutt also comes to mind, as does Jarred Brooks. But there are other fighters fans should keep a look out for when their partnership with Prime Video finally airs its first event.

That said, here are the top American fighters who could reach nuclear stardom with this monumental partnership.

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#5. Garry Tonon (ONE featherweight - MMA)

Garry Tonon is among the best submission grapplers in the world, but his career in ONE Championship was largely fought under mixed martial arts rules. Despite his ability to hang with the best on the mats, ‘The Lion Killer’ has emerged as one of the organization's most dangerous featherweight MMA fighters.

The American star went on a rampage in his start with the promotion, going a perfect 6-0 to begin his career, with five of those victories ending in a finish.

Because he’s more skillful as a grappler, three of his wins understandably came via submission. However, Tonon isn’t shy in utilizing his strikes as well. During his unbeaten run, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist had no problems knocking out Richard Corminal and Anthony Engelen.

His six-fight winning streak eventually saw him challenge for the ONE featherweight world title in his last match inside the circle.

Furthermore, Tonon has star appeal and connects with his audience quite well. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him wear ONE Championship gold someday and become a massive global MMA superstar.

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#4. Tye and Kade Ruotolo (ONE lightweight - submission grappling)

Although they are technically two people, the Ruotolo twins have been so intertwined since they were kids that it would be criminal to separate one from the other.

Tye and Kade Ruotolo are two of the brightest BJJ fighters in the world right now, but the twins have signaled their intent and are ready to transition into the multi-faceted sport of MMA. While the move into MMA is yet to be officially announced, the twins’ BJJ acumen is already among the toughest in the world.

At just 19 years old, the Ruotolo brothers are absolute standouts in the world of submission grappling. Kade holds world titles in the WNO, Grapplefest, and EBI Combat Jiu-Jitsu. Meanwhile, Tye has his own WNO title and was the youngest person to reach an ADCC semifinal back when he was 16 years and nine months old in 2019.

They’ve also made outstanding debuts in ONE Championship’s submission grappling scene. Tye submitted Garry Tonon at ONE 157: Petchmorakot vs. Vienot this past May, while Kade beat Japanese legend Shinya Aoki via unanimous decision on the same card.

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#3. Victoria Lee (ONE women’s atomweight - MMA)

The Lee family has reigned supreme in ONE Championship since Angela became the ONE women’s atomweight world champion in May 2016. Since her historic win, her younger brother Christian became the ONE lightweight world champion and the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix champion.

While Angela and Christian have established themselves as world-beaters, their younger sister Victoria has also quickly entered the fray.

Despite being just 17 years old, Victoria showed why she is a force to be reckoned with. The teenage sensation has run roughshod of the competition with a perfect 3-0 record in her first three fights with the promotion. ‘The Prodigy’ has a bright, pleasing personality and is easy for fans to get behind.

If Victoria keeps winning as the level of competition gets more fierce, there’s no telling what sort of heights she can reach in her career, especially if the right audience is watching.

Victoria’s older siblings helped ONE Championship to become the global force that it is today, and she may very well take the organization to new heights very soon.

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#2. Danielle Kelly (ONE women’s atomweight - submission grappling)

Danielle Kelly has already proven her chops in the realm of BJJ, and she’s ready to take her elite grappling skills into the world of MMA.

In her chosen sport, Kelly has beaten names such as IBJJF world champion Sofia Amarante, Roxanne Modafferi, and Cynthia Calvillo. Kelly also holds a submission grappling win over UFC women’s strawweight world champion Carla Esparza on the mats.

But the 26-year-old says a transition to MMA is inevitable and has been a dream of hers since she was little.

However, Kelly wants to be sure she’s ready before stepping into the circle. She already consistently works on her striking and says it’s getting better and better each day. With a few more submission grappling bouts under her belt in ONE to gain confidence, American fans could very well see Kelly trading leather in the center of the cage soon.

While she is yet to make her MMA debut, Kelly is content to continue grappling for ONE Championship. She has already grappled with former ONE world title challenger Mei Yamaguchi in her promotional debut at ONE X this past March.

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#1. Thanh Le (ONE Championship featherweight world champion - MMA)

Thanh Le might just be the perfect ambassador for ONE Championship in the United States.

The ONE featherweight world champion has exemplified the organization’s penchant for electrifying matches that have left audiences glued to their seats and their eyes fixated on their TV screens.

The 36-year-old Vietnamese-American combines American flair with Asian culture and is a fantastic representative of both East and West. Most importantly, however, Le is one of the most exciting featherweights in the world, bar none.

Le has been on an absolute tear since joining the organization in May 2019 and has amassed a perfect 5-0 record in the circle, with all five of his wins coming via knockout.

He returns on Friday, August 26, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium to face streaking No.1 ranked featherweight contender Tang Kai in the co-main event of ONE 160.