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ONE Championship had a successful 2021. The year produced some of the best moments in combat sports. Now that it is officially in the bag, it's time for us to look forward to 2022.
What's good is that ONE already has some fights officially signed, which shows tremendous promise for this new calendar year. 2022 has some really amazing fights to look forward to and we're here to list some of them.
From official title fights to special rules matches, ONE Championship has a few bouts already gathering hype.
It's still early and more fights will be made as the year progresses, but right now, some bouts are already official. We'll keep this list exclusive to fights already officially signed, so rumored bouts and verbally agreed upon fights won't be included.
With that said, let's get on with the list.
#5. Saygid Izagakhmaev vs. James Nakashima - ONE Championship: Heavy Hitters
This one's already happening in a little over a week and the fight is increasingly gaining hype. Why? One name: Khabib Nurmagomedov.
What does the undefeated former UFC champion have to do with this ONE Championship lightweight bout? The retired UFC great is mentoring and coaching Saygid Izagakhmaev for his ONE Championship debut.
Ever since retiring in 2020, Khabib has had a successful run as an MMA coach. He's cornered his countryman and teammate Islam Makhachev and his cousins Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov to dominant wins.
Izagakhmaev is another one of Khabib's proteges entering the world stage. The Dagestani is like a brother to 'The Eagle' and trained under the tutelage of Khabib's father, the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
Though there are a few fighters on ONE Championship's roster hailing from the Causasus region of Russia, this is the first time ONE will see a fighter from Khabib's Eagle MMA team. This is also the first time we'll see the UFC legend's presence inside the ONE Championship Circle.
At ONE: Heavy Hitters on January 14, Izagakhmaev will enter the Circle for the first time against tough wrestling standout James Nakashima. It's the perfect bout to see if the much-hyped debutant can live up to his team and mentor's legendary reputation.
With just a few days ahead of his debut, we'll soon get to find out.
#4. ONE Championship atomweight world champion Angela Lee vs. Stamp Fairtex (Event TBD)
Though the exact event and date has not yet been determined, this ONE Championship title bout is officially happening in 2022. The title unification bout between atomweight world champion Angela 'Unstoppable' Lee versus atomweight Grand Prix champion Stamp Fairtex has history written all over it.
If this fight was made three years ago, one would say it's a classic striker vs. grappler affair. In 2022, however, the tale of the tape may no longer be as clear-cut as it was before.
Since debuting in MMA in 2018, the former ONE Muay Thai and kickboxing champion Stamp Fairtex has come a long way with her ground game. In 2021's atomweight Grand Prix tournament, Stamp handled ground specialist Alyona Rassohyna and out-classed MMA standout Julie Mezabarba.
The Fairtex kickboxer then capped off her year with a surprise submission win over wrestling machine Ritu Phogat.
The striking specialist has developed a dangerous grappling game and ONE Championship's atomweight queen Angela Lee better not be careless. Stamp can fight off her back and can handle scrambles on the ground.
With a blackbelt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a world title in Pancration, ONE atomweight champion Lee has proven that she's cut from a different cloth from the rest.
Although Stamp poses a threat on the ground, it's still Lee's world she's entering if she chooses to grapple with her. As it stands, Stamp has already won titles in both ONE Muay Thai and kickboxing. If she beats Lee, she'll make history by becoming ONE's first tri-sport champion.
Add to this intrigue the fact that both fighters have star power to break through the mainstream and you've got a fight for the ages.
#3. Bibiano Fernandes vs. John Lineker - ONE Championship: X
ONE Championship's 10-year anniversary event is packed to the 9's with fights that showcase the organization's best. One of the fights on this explosive card is a grudge match between ONE's most dominant champion Bibiano 'The Flash' Fernandes and former UFC veteran John 'Hands of Stone' Lineker.
Lineker has been on a tear ever since debuting inside the Circle. He's on a three-fight streak with back-to-back knockouts of Kevin Belingon and Troy Worthen. Pitting him in a fight against ONE Championship's dominant bantamweight king Fernandes has fireworks written all over it.
The trash talk, however, sent the fight's hype through the roof. The usually calm and reserved champion Fernandes bared his teeth and showed the world his angrier side. Challenger Lineker didn't back down as well when it came to his verbal attacks.
Watch this face-off interview between the two. The tension in the air is so thick you can slice it with a knife:
We're not sure where the bad blood originated, but it's definitely garnering more attention to this budding rivalry. It will all come to a head early this year at ONE Championship: X.
#2. Thanh Le vs. Garry Tonon - ONE Championship: X
Speaking of ONE Championship: X, they're really packing this event like it's a closing out sale. This ONE Championship featherweight title bout is one for the marvels.
For one, it features the culmination of Garry 'The Lion Killer' Tonon's journey from being a submission grappling legend to a Mixed Martial Arts champion. The grappling world will, for sure, have its eyes on this one.
Granted, many jiu-jitsu world champions like Rodolfo Vieira, Roger Gracie, Andre Galvao, Kron Gracie and Gilbert Burns have transitioned to MMA. None, however, achieved the level of success and domination like Tonon did.
The former submission grappling champion has had a clean 6-0 record in his MMA run thus far, finishing all but one of his opponents. The Danaher Death Squad member successfully translated his grappling genius to MMA and has developed a threatening stand-up game as well.
Against the Vietnamese-American ONE champion Thanh Le, Tonon will be facing a different kind of beast. The well-rounded and dangerous Le is looking forward to locking horns with a specialist like Tonon. In an interview with ONE, the champion had a very interesting insight about his challenger:
“I believe that both of us have that [specialist tag] in opposite ends of the spectrum. And we're not slouches on the other side of the coin either. So I think it's going to be a really interesting matchup for the fans because it is traditional grappler versus striker, but he’s got some striking and I've got some grappling. So if it touches the ground for two seconds, I'm not getting subbed. If he stays standing and keeps his hands up for two seconds, he's not getting knocked out.”
However this clash of styles would turn out, it's definitely a fight we can't wait to see.
#1. Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Demetrious Johnson - ONE Championship: X
ONE Championship has ventured into the unknown with its brand-new experiment: a special-rules match.
Without a doubt, this match between ONE flyweight Muay Thai champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon and UFC legend Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson is the most anticipated of the year so far.
The blockbuster ONE Championship fight will be fought under a hybrid ruleset. Rounds one and three will be under Muay Thai rules, while rounds two and four will be fought under MMA rules. The sheer intrigue a fight of this nature can produce harkens back to the golden age of former Asian MMA giant PRIDE.
The bout has the potential to produce moments and highlights we've never seen before. With that said, it can either be the future of something truly great or a disaster experiment never to be repeated again.
We'll just have to wait for ONE Championship: X to see the fight happen.
