5 reasons to watch ONE: NextGen III

ONE Championship wraps up its most recent event series on Friday, November 26, with the airing of ONE: NextGen III via tape delay. The event will feature a six-fight slate with bouts fought under a blend of Muay Thai, kickboxing and mixed martial arts rules.

The prior two installments of the NextGen series have delivered in a big way, providing spectacular knockouts, surprising upsets and highly anticipated debuts.

In the foremost NextGen show, Ritu Phogat and Stamp Fairtex punched their tickets to the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Final, each with dominant unanimous decision victories.

The show also saw the successful debut of heavyweight kickboxing standout Iraj Azizpour, who put on a show for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision triumph. In the series’ headline bout, a new contender was introduced into the bantamweight Muay Thai division with Rittewada, a ONE Championship newcomer, finishing top-ranked Saemapetch Fairtex with a slicing elbow in the second round.

Fans should expect more of the same in the trilogy’s final installment, which features multiple ranked athletes across a variety of martial arts disciplines, an exciting debutant from the United States, and much more.

As the calendar quickly approaches show time, here are five reasons to watch ONE: NextGen III on November 26.

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#5. ONE lightweights determine the division’s next contender

Pieter Buist and Ruslan Emilbek Uulu each stand on the precipice of the ONE lightweight division’s top five.

For Buist, a victory would mean a return to the win column and the resumption of the Dutch fighter’s hot streak which saw him win eight fights in a row before losing to Timofey Nastyukhin last November. With a 59 percent finishing rate, Buist remains one of the most dangerous lightweights on the planet. Can he make it back to the top five?

Standing in Buist’s way is a capable finisher in Emilbek Uulu. The Kyrgyzstan native had won 12 consecutive fights prior to being caught by Yoshiki Nakahara in March. Looked at as the division’s boogeyman, Emilbek Uulu aims to make a name for himself on the global stage in his second trip to the Circle.

In this matchup of rising contenders, the only way through is victory. For one, it'll be a slingshot back into title contention. For the other, a painful step backward.

#4. Muay Thai stars aim for ONE kickboxing gold

It’s a Muay Thai invasion in the ONE flyweight and bantamweight kickboxing divisions.

First, bantamweight Nak Muay Rodlek PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym starts the show by making his ONE kickboxing debut opposite Felipe Lobo of Brazil. With an unbelievable record of 129-42-5 under Muay Thai rules, Rodlek’s striking is first class. It will be gripping to see the 31-year-old compete without the ability to use his knees and elbows due to the bout being held under kickboxing rules.

Next, multi-time Lumpinee and Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai world champion Panpayak Jitmuangnon will fight under ONE kickboxing rules for the second time. In his first venture, Panpayak put forward a strong unanimous decision victory over a veteran in Masahide Kudo. He will now meet a young speedster in Spain’s Daniel Puertas, as the stakes continue to rise.

Will the Muay Thai invasion be a success? The only way to find out is to tune in.

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#3. Top ONE strawweights Rene Catalan and Alex Silva meet again

There will be a lot on the line when Rene Catalan and Alex Silva meet again, eight years removed from their first fight.

Catalan has more than a spot in the rankings to fight for. The 42-year-old dropped his 2013 bout with ‘Little Rock’ via armbar, which led to both of his brothers, Ruel and Robin, challenging the veteran Silva.

Unfortunately for the Catalan clan, all three brothers came up short as Silva secured a submission victory in each bout. Now, 10 fights later, the 42-year-old Catalan has a chance to avenge his family’s defeats and jumpstart his final sprint towards world title contention.

For Silva, a loss would significantly hamper his hopes of reclaiming the belt he once held. After winning three of his last five, Silva feels his game is rounding out nicely, making him a more dangerous version of the former ONE strawweight world champion.

#2. Former ONE world champion Alaverdi Ramazanov dons the small gloves again

Former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Alaverdi Ramazanov makes his triumphant return to Muay Thai as he takes on Pongsiri PK. Saenchai Muaythaigym.

Russia’s best striker is highly-regarded for his attack-first style of combat, a modus operandi which has endeared ‘The Babyface Killer’ to fans around the world. At just 26 years old, Ramazanov’s full potential remains to be realized, making him a scary proposition for anyone willing to oppose.

But it takes two to tango and Ramazanov’s dance partner is more than willing to fight fire with fire.

Widely known as one of the most aggressive Nak Muay’s today, Pongsiri knows nothing of a boring fight, relentlessly pushing the pace with each appearance. Coupling this approach with a high fight IQ, expect a highly-aggressive but technical showdown between two elite strikers.

Ramazanov and Pongsiri might just steal the show.

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#1. Lito Adiwang and Jarred Brooks hash out their rivalry in the ONE Circle

Normally cool, calm and collected, Team Lakay phenom Lito ‘Thunder Kid’ Adiwang has been admittedly bothered by the trash talk coming from Jarred ‘The Monkey God’ Brooks, who is set to make his promotional debut.

The heat came to a boil ahead of fight week when Brooks brought Adiwang’s signature mullet into the conversation, saying he would not only defeat the Filipino stalwart, but also cut off his mullet to celebrate.

Additionally, Brooks called into question the talent of the vaunted Team Lakay, claiming that he was prepared to defeat Adiwang and then “rip apart” his teammate Joshua Pacio. Of course, if Brooks intends on eventually fighting for the ONE strawweight world title, he’ll be required to get by Pacio, who is the division’s reigning champion.

Adiwang versus Brooks isn’t just a rivalry, it’s two of the world's best strawweights putting everything on the line with a chance to be firmly inserted into world title contention. Expect nothing short of a firefight in the evening’s main event.