5 atomweight fights we want to see in ONE Championship next year

The ONE women’s atomweight division has been one of the best divisions for the Asia-based promotion in 2021. Several of the top atomweight fighters had breakthrough moments throughout the year.

Team Lakay’s Jenelyn Olsim – a ONE Warrior Series graduate – debuted with a deep guillotine choke win over Maira Mazar at ONE: Fists of Fury 3 in March. The Filipina rising star closed out the contest in 41 seconds of the third round.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese-American athlete Bi Nguyen snapped her three-fight losing streak in a closely fought contest with Ritu Phogat at ONE: Dangal in May.

Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi saw cage time this year, but unfortunately, she lost to Brazilian debutant Julie Mezabarba.

In the third quarter of the year, the ONE atomweight world Grand Prix began. Then, at ONE: Winter Warriors on Friday, December 3rd, the eight-women tournament concluded.

In the final, Stamp Fairtex, who is known for her Muay Thai and kickboxing prowess, stunned ONE championship fans by submitting the Indian wrestling sensation via armbar at 2:14 of round two.

Now, as the year comes to an end, we look at five ONE women’s atomweight fights that need to happen in 2022.

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#5. Julie Mezabarba vs. Jenelyn Olsim

There are few better ways to announce your arrival to a new promotion than by defeating the most experienced star on the roster, and Julie Mezabarba did just that. The 28-year-old fended off a spirited Mei Yamaguchi enroute to a ninth professional win in a Grand Prix alternate bout.

Unfortunately, she failed to repeat that performance in her sophomore outing. Mezabarba was beaten by Stamp Fairtex in the Grand Prix semifinals. She stepped in to replace South Korean Seo Hee Ham, who withdrew from the tournament due to injury.

Stamp outclassed Mezabarba in the grappling and striking department, and after three rounds the Thai fighter earned the unanimous decision. Perhaps with a longer training camp, the Brazilian megastar could have turned in a greater performance.

It would make sense for Mezabarba to now battle Olsim, who also stepped into the atomweight Grand Prix semis on short notice to replace Itsuki Hirata.

Both athletes are coming off a defeat, and it will be interesting to see who wins this potential striking affair.

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#4. Victoria Lee vs. Bi Nguyen

Despite being only 17-years-old, the youngest of the Lee siblings has fought like an experienced combatant in her last three victories in the ONE atomweight division.

In her ONE debut, the atomweight athlete forced Thailand’s Sunisa Srisen to tap after 63 seconds in the second round.

She bested her promotional debut with a first-round victory versus Wang Luping five months later. Lee displayed another wrestling clinic in her sophomore appearance to earn a triangle armbar win at 3:22 of the opening stanza.

At ONE: Revolution, the Hawaii-based atomweight athlete scored a TKO win over Victoria Souza after dominating the contest with her wrestling. Lee should be eyeing a chance to break into the top-five spot in 2022, and a matchup against Bi Nguyen could push her closer toward the division’s elite.

With four losses in her last five outings inside the ONE cage, Nguyen needs a win badly. The Vietnamese-American would fancy picking apart the grappling star on the feet, but if the contest goes to the canvas, Lee could extend her perfect record to 4-0.

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#3. Seo Hee Ham vs. Meng Bo

After defeating Filipina warrior Zamboanga, an injury forced Seo Hee Ham to sit out of the atomweight Grand Prix. The 34-year-old will be eager to resume her career, and a battle with Meng Bo could be a good place to begin.

Meanwhile, Meng – a favorite to win the ONE atomweight Grand Prix – lost to Phogat in the quarterfinals. The Chinese star could begin her ascent to the top of the charts by defeating a fighter who sits two spots above her in the rankings.

On paper, both atomweight contenders are well-rounded fighters. Seo, of course, has relied on her grappling throughout her 32-fight resume. But Meng, who is predominantly a striker, is also well-versed on the canvas.

Should the fight end up on the canvas or remain on their feet, Meng and Seo will undoubtedly put their overall abilities on display.

Both women want to be the top-ranked contender in the division. However, with only one spot, a battle between the pair will be the best way to solve that problem.

#2. Ritu Phogat vs. Denice Zamboanga

Although the final did not go her way, Ritu Phogat is still one of the top stars in the atomweight division.

After a jam-packed couple of months, it will be best for ‘The Indian Tigress’ to go back to the drawing board. Spend some time training and improving before laying out a formidable plan to challenge Angela Lee for the atomweight world title.

Once she is ready, a perfect way to mark her return could be a match against Denice Zamboanga. The latter herself needs a win after losing to Seo Hee Ham via split decision.

As far as grappling is concerned, the Filipino fighter is very crafty at seeking opportunities on the canvas. In addition to scoring three submission wins, Zamboanga has also triumphed over athletes who heavily depend on their groundwork, such as Yamaguchi and Jihin Radzuan.

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#1. Stamp Fairtex vs. Angela Lee

This is the fight martial arts fans are waiting for following the conclusion of ONE: Winter Warriors. Stamp enjoyed a terrific year despite losing to Ukrainian Alyona Rassohyna in early 2021.

She defeated Rassohyna in their Grand Prix quarterfinal rematch by a margin before ousting Brazil’s Mezabarba in the semis.

In the final, she beat Phogat at her own game enroute to the tournament's silver belt and a chance to face Lee for the atomweight world title.

Since ‘Unstoppable’ sensationally defended her gold against Xiong Jing Nan with a fifth-round knockout, Stamp has collected six wins in the atomweight division. She finished three of those fights before the final bell.

The 24-year-old Thai athlete is now one win away from becoming the promotion’s first-ever three-sport world champion. However, the division’s longtime queen will be a far greater threat than anyone she has faced so far.

Lee's ability to blend her grappling prowess from Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling together with her striking has seen her score huge victories over MMA stars like Mei Yamaguchi, Jenny Huang, and Xiong Jing Nan.

The Hawaii-based world champion is undefeated in the atomweight division, and more worryingly for Stamp, 'Unstoppable' has an 80 percent finishing rate.

There are few fights that ONE Championship could book that would be better than this atomweight showdown.