Former ranked bantamweight contenders Yusup Saadulaev and Shoko Sato collide at ONE X

The journey back to the top for Yusup Saadulaev and Shoko Sato begins at ONE X. The promotion’s latest addition to its 10-year anniversary show adds another exciting matchup to an already stacked card.

Saadulaev reached the No.3 spot in the bantamweight rankings after three straight impressive victories in the Circle. In his 13 appearances on the ONE Championship global stage, he already has wins against former world title challenger Dae Hwan Kim and legendary grappler Masakazu Imanari. He also handed American Troy Worthen his first professional MMA loss, and owns a victory over current ONE flyweight world champion Adriano Moraes.

However, after absorbing a crushing loss to promotional newcomer Stephen Loman in December 2021’s ONE: Winter Warriors II, Saadulaev dropped his position in the top five of the division. Now, he’s looking to get back in the hunt by starting his preparations at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s gym in Dagestan.

Meanwhile, former No.5-ranked Sato was riding a six-bout win streak that saw him defend his Shooto bantamweight championship twice. However, he was knocked out of the rankings after suffering a loss to rising star Fabricio Andrade in February 2021’s ONE: Unbreakable III.

Like Saadulaev, Sato will be eager to get back on track and reclaim his place in the upper echelon of the bantamweight division.

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Japanese compatriots Senzo Ikeda and Ryuto Sawada battle each other at ONE X

Former Pancrase flyweight champion Senzo Ikeda and ONE Warrior Series alum Ryuto Sawada were also announced to face each other at ONE X.

Ikeda had a rude welcoming to the global stage of ONE Championship, losing to a pair of Team Lakay standouts in Danny Kingad and Lito Adiwang at flyweight and strawweight, respectively. However, he seems to have found his groove in the strawweight division, as he’s strung together a couple of wins.

His latest victory made him $50,000 richer. He earned a performance bonus for dropping Elipitua Siregar with a barrage of blows to the body at ONE: Heavy Hitters.

Meanwhile, Sawada earned his right to be part of the big show by winning a contract in the ONE Warrior Series. ‘Dragon Boy’ started strong with a 3-1 start on the main roster, but recently hit a snag with back-to-back losses – the first of his career.

In a recent interview, he expressed surprise at being matched up against a fellow Japanese fighter. However, Sawada said that he is just grateful to be part of such a momentous event like ONE X:

“I feel grateful from the bottom of my heart. I hope to showcase the power of the Japanese athletes in the bout. With gratitude and respect, I want to beat Senzo.”