5 stars ready to shine at ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen

ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen is filled with competitors who are hungry to prove that they are ready to take the leap to superstardom. The Singapore Indoor Stadium will bear witness to what could be matches that will elevate the careers of some rising stars in the circle.

The event features a world title eliminator, four heavyweight bouts, a couple of heated rivalries, and a slew of bouts that could rock the promotions' rankings soon.

Thirteen bouts are scheduled to go down on Friday, June 3, with seven exciting fights on the lead card to get the event started for the high-stakes matches on the main card.

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Look for these five fighters as they look to take their careers to the next level.

#5. ONE flyweight - Gurdarshan Mangat

Gurdarshan Mangat is the son of first-generation Indian immigrants from a small town in Canada. He was an overweight kid with low self-esteem who was often the target of bullies.

He later moved to Vancouver in pursuit of a career as an accountant. There, he discovered martial arts and began to change his life. ‘Saint Lion’ was inspired by the story of ONE Vice President Rich Franklin, a part-time high school teacher who was also fighting for a world title in North America at the time. At 22 years of age, Mangat started his martial arts journey and made it a full-time career not long after.

Now 33, Mangat has amassed a professional MMA record of 16-3, including three wins at ONE Championship. His well-rounded game has helped him defeat opponents in a variety of ways, and will be tested by a dangerous striker in Yodkaikaew Fairtex.

The flyweight division is one of the deepest and most competitive weight classes in the promotion. An impressive win against a quality opponent like Yodkaikaew will let the division know that Gurdarshan Mangat is on the rise.

#4. Odie Delaney

Odie Delaney is a former police officer with the goal of helping and serving people. However, he faced extremely difficult challenges that led him to re-evaluate his life and career. Delaney then turned to MMA with the hopes of inspiring people by living the values of martial arts.

He got off to a good start in his first appearance on the global stage of the organization. The American needed just 66 seconds to force Thomas Narmo to tap out to his version of an assisted hammerlock, which he dubbed the ‘Odie Lock’. It was the quickest submission in the heavyweight division, which led to his fame in the promotion.

‘The Witness’ may need more than 66 seconds when he meets another proven finisher in Mehdi Barghi on June 3. Barghi is an Iranian national wrestling champion who made his professional MMA debut in 2017. All four of his wins came by way of stoppages, with two by knockout and two by submission.

Delaney hopes to build on his success so as to spread his message of love, hope, and peace to a wider audience.

#3. ‘Buchecha’ Marcus Almeida

‘Buchecha’ Marcus Almeida is a man who doesn't need any introduction. The Brazilian is a grappling legend, winning multiple world titles in the sport throughout his career. After years of competing against the best grapplers in the world, he transitioned to MMA to test his skills against fighters from different martial arts backgrounds.

In 2021, he made his promotional debut and has since defeated two formidable strikers in kickboxing veteran Anderson Silva and the heavy-handed Kang Ji Won.

At ONE 158, ‘Buchecha’ will fight another striker in Simon Carson. The Australian currently owns two professional MMA wins, both coming by way of TKO. Carson is also a BJJ brown belt and may have the tools to escape Almeida and keep the bout on their feet.

The heavyweight division is getting crowded, with two other heavyweight MMA bouts slated to be on the card. Collecting another win could help Almeida boost his stock in the division and be in line to conquer a second sport.

#2. Fabricio Andrade

Fabricio Andrade has been on a tear since joining ONE Championship. The 24-year-old is undefeated in four outings which include three stoppages.

He scored back-to-back first-round knockouts, which shot his confidence to the moon. ‘Wonderboy’ claimed that he is the “uncrowned king” of the division, and called out practically everyone in the division to prove that he is the best.

He will face the No.2-ranked Kang Ji Won on Friday, where he can position himself better for a future world title opportunity. Kang has a 100% finishing rate in the circle, including a knockout victory over former ONE bantamweight world champion Kevin Belingon to earn his spot in the rankings.

Andrade has so far shown that he can back up his talk with convincing wins, and adding a highly-ranked opponent to his list of conquests will further legitimize his claim to being the best in the division.

#1. Tawanchai PK.Saenchai

Tawanchai PK.Saenchai is set to compete in his first main event, which could be just the first of many in the years to come.

The 23-year-old already has over 100 wins under his belt before making his debut in in 2021. He currently has two wins in the promotion, with both coming by way of knockout. His latest outing was a stunning knockout victory over No.1-ranked bantamweight Saemapetch Fairtex in January.

He has since decided to make a permanent move to featherweight, and his latest win installed him as the No.5-ranked fighter in the division. Winning his world title eliminator against promotional newcomer Niclas Larsen will vault him into another potential main event against division king Petchmorakot Petchyindee. Adding another highlight-reel knockout will certainly prove to the world that he is ready for superstardom.