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FIGHT ODDS

Matches to Make After ONE Fight Night 10

Lev PisarskyMay 06, 2023


One Championship made its first foray into the U.S. with ONE Fight Night 10, which was headlined by the trilogy bout between living legend Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes. Since losing a split decision to Henry Cejudo for the flyweight crown in a verdict that could have gone either way in 2018, Johnson moved to ONE, generally enjoying success. After going 3-0 in 2019 to win a tournament championship, Johnson was shockingly knocked out by then-champion Moraes in 2021, as the Brazilian caught him with an uppercut and then smashed him with a knee as he was grounded, a legal tactic in ONE, leaving Johnson limp on the canvas. However, “Mighty Mouse” would have his revenge in their 2022 rematch, with a gorgeous right cross into knee for a knockout of his own in the fourth round.

Moraes for his part first won a ONE title with a decision over Geje Eustaquio in 2019, avenging an earlier split decision defeat, and then defended twice against Johnson and Yuya Wakamatsu, both via stoppage, before losing his throne to “Mighty Mouse.”

This one didn't end in a violent fashion like their first two encounters did. Instead, it was a gritty, grinding affair, with Moraes constantly clinching with Johnson against the fence, hoping to wear his foe down with his massive size advantage. However, Johnson's cardio, arguably the best in MMA history, was up to the task, and he repeatedly punished the Brazilian with short elbows and knees to the stomach. All three judges had the fight for Johnson.

In other significant MMA bouts, highly regarded Croatian striker Roberto Soldic, whose initial ONE debut was a no contest due to sustaining a horrific knee to the groin, battled former ONE champion Zebaztian Kadestam. The first round went well for Soldic, who convincingly outstruck his foe. But Kadestam caught him with a huge right early in the second, then added several brain-rattling follow-up shots that caused referee Herb Dean to save Soldic.

Also, the wildly popular Sage Northcutt returned to MMA for the first time since 2019 against Pakistan's Ahmed Mujtaba. He was knocked down by a jab seconds into the fight, but quickly locked on a heel hook against his opponent, who was unable to escape and tapped just 39 seconds into the affair.

Former champion Kairat Akhmetov, behind only Johnson and Moraes in the rankings, confirmed his status with a dominant decision over Reece McLaren, whom he defeated for a second time. Akhmetov scored repeated takedowns and also battered McLaren against the cage for good measure.

Finally, in the opening bout, Rae Yoon Ok, who holds victories over Eddie Alvarez and current ONE champ-champ Christian Lee scored a well-deserved decision over game Lowen Tynanes, winning the first two rounds with superior striking before being outgrappled in the final frame.

Here are some interesting MMA bouts that come to mind after the event:

Demetrious Johnson vs. Kairat Akhmetov

Akhmetov is a former world champion, so this is a natural next opponent for Johnson. He also offers a certain challenge for the MMA legend, since Akhmetov, like Moraes, is much bigger. The Kazakh is also a significantly better wrestler than Moraes, which could trouble, who was taken down a few times by Moraes and kept there while being unable to work his own takedowns. It's an interesting fight from a technical standpoint and a no-brainer based on the rankings.

Zebaztian Kadestam vs. Kiamrian Abbasov

Kadestam has now won three in a row in ONE, all by vicious knockout, with none bigger than his triumph over Soldic. Abbasov won a title against Kadestam back in 2019 but lost it to Christian Lee late last year. Why not have them collide again to determine the clear top contender? Kadestam and Abbasov have both only gotten better since their first battle four years ago, as Kadestam is 32 and Abbasov 29. Will Abbasov's grappling reign supreme again, or will Kadestam crash through with his deadly fists?

Sage Northcutt vs. Shinya Aoki

Northcutt won, but his chin and striking remains a question mark as he was floored by a jab early. Aoki is a legend, but is a few days shy of turning 40 and has lost two in a row by knockout. Why not make one of his last matches a big one and simultaneously avoid exposing Northcutt against a dangerous striker? This would be one of the biggest matches ONE could book and would certainly draw many new eyeballs to the product, curious to see if one of MMA's greatest grapplers ever can pull a rabbit out of his hat one last time against the much younger striker in Northcutt, who could knock him out with any clean connection.

Rae Yoon Ok vs. Christian Lee

Ok left no doubts that he is the clear top contender in the division, and is currently 1-1 against Lee. Why not a rubber match to settle who the better welterweight is? Ok is the better striker but Lee is the better grappler. Ok managed to implement his gameplan and win in 2021, and Lee was the better man in 2022, stopping Ok in the second round. Who will prevail in 2023 for the ONE belt?