Ilya Freymanov takes his spot in the featherweight top five, three fighters lose one spot

Ilya Freymanov burst through the ONE featherweight rankings in style after knocking out former two-division world champion Martin Nguyen in the first round of their match. The win earned him a 50k bonus, and a few days later, the No.3-spot in the rankings that Nguyen previously held.

Nguyen dropped one spot to No. 4, while Garry Tonon, who was inactive this past weekend, also dropped one spot to No.5. Former No. 5 Ryogo Takahashi fell out of the top five after losing a razor-thin split decision against another newcomer, Oh Ho Taek of South Korea.

Freymanov stepped into the circle as a relative unknown, only previously competing on the regional scene in his home country of Russia. Halfway through the first round of his fight with ‘The Situ-Asian’, fans got a pretty good taste of who Freymanov is. The kickboxing specialist now has 11 MMA career wins with an incredible nine victories by way of knockout.

For his highlight-reel performance, Ilya Fremanov walked away with a $50,000 performance bonus from the ONE CEO. As far as what comes next for the Russian striker, there are definitely options available for a division that is ready for an injection of new blood when it comes to contenders.

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Three logical choices for Ilya Freymanov’s second ONE Championship appearance

Scoring the biggest win of his career on the biggest stage of his career immediately thrust Ilya Freymanov into the featherweight rankings. Taking the No. 3 spot from Martin Nguyen, the Russian knockout artist is already looking for the next man up.

New to ONE Championship, there are plenty of fresh match-ups for the picking that will aid Ilya Freymanov in his quest for a ONE world title opportunity.

Perhaps the most logical is a battle with No. 2 ranked contender Kim Jae Woong. Winner of two of his last three bouts, the South Korean finisher could be a big test for the Russian featherweight. Woong’s last loss came against current featherweight world champion Tang Kai.

Perhaps the most interesting match-up that could be made is a showdown with former featherweight champion Thanh Le. Coming off a loss to Tang Kai and relinquishing his featherweight crown at ONE 160, Le will be looking to get back into the win column. A fresh bout with ONE’s newest Russian sensation could be just what the doctor ordered.

Not to mention, both fighters are strikers at heart with incredible finish rates. Ilya Freymanov vs. Thanh Le could be an absolute striker’s delight and would give Freymanov the biggest boost possible should ONE be eager to put him in the title picture.

Watch the ending sequence of Freymanov vs. Nguyen below: