Clash of titans: Kang Ji Won-Mikhail Jamal Abdul-Latif heavyweight MMA slugfest added to ONE Fight Night 18

‘Mighty Warrior’ Kang Ji Won will look to get back into the winning mix when he returns at ONE Fight Night 18 this Friday, January 13.

The South Korean superstar is slated to face promotional newcomer Mikhail Jamal Abdul-Latif in a heavyweight MMA tussle that emanates live from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

This match and four others were unveiled by the organization on its website on Monday, January 8. It marks the start of a new campaign following a thrilling 2023 for ONE Championship.

The 28-year-old has used his ferocious punching power to pick up a trio of impressive wins inside the circle, and he hopes that very power will yield another positive result against the Dutch-American competitor.

In his first two outings, the Wang Ho athlete ripped his way to a pair of first-round finishes against Iranian duo Mehdi Barghi and Amir Aliakbari.

Unfortunately, his third promotional outing didn’t go as planned, as he succumbed to Marcus Almeida’s inch-perfect grappling game in the opening round of their duel at ONE: Winter Warriors in December 2021.

Kang Ji Won didn’t let that defeat disrupt his plans to make it to the pinnacle of the heavyweight division, though. Just three months later, he earned the quickest victory of his tenure with a 58-second KO of Paul Elliott at ONE X.

Despite riding positive momentum, ‘Mighty Warrior’ fell short in his return to competition against debutant Ben Tynan, who took the heavyweight favorite past the opening round for the first time in his career.

With that submission loss to Tynan clear in his mind, Kang Ji Won, a knockout specialist with a 100 percent finishing rate, promises to be back better than ever, knowing a win could position himself as a heavyweight world title prospect down the line.

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Kang Ji Won needs to showcase an improved grappling game in his return

Kang Ji Won’s monstrous fists and ability to find an opening in the stand-up department is the only way he knows how to punch a ticket to success.

But, at the same time, the heavyweight superstar needs to focus more on his wrestling and jiu-jitsu game, as proven by his submission defeats to Tynan and Almeida over the past two years.

With a more polished skill set on the canvas, Kang Ji Won can be one to watch when ONE returns to Bangkok, Thailand, on January 13.

North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE Fight Night 18 card live and for free in American primetime this Friday.