Two weeks after that historic Manila card, ONE Championship is back with a bang as it returns to Bangkok, Thailand for the stacked ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD set on 16 August at the Impact Arena.
ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion “The Baby Shark” Petchdam Petchyindee Academy defends his belt against six-time World Champion Ilias Ennahachi in the main event.
ONE Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion Stamp Fairtex starts her hunt for a third World Title when she returns to mixed martial arts to take on India’s Asha “Knockout Queen” Roka in the co-main event.
But despite the lack of notable Filipinos on the show, there are plenty of reasons for local fans to tune in.
1. It Is Time To Take Notice Of Ramon Gonzales
When you talk about Filipinos on a winning trail, guys like Danny “The King” Kingad and Rene “The Challenger” Catalan immediately come to mind.
But Ramon “The Bicolano” Gonzales is certainly getting up there.
The Kyokushin Fight Academy stand-out is turning heads with his evolving game. He has not only won three straight matches, he has done it by impressive submissions.
Now he returns to action when he takes on “Wolf of the Grasslands” Hexigetu in a match that could finally put Gonzales in the spotlight for good.
2. Filipino-Indonesian Aziz Calim Tests OWS Hotshot
Aziz “The Krauser” Calim is targeting his second-straight win in The Home of Martial Arts and it certainly will not be easy.
Calim will be battling the red-hot Ryuto “Dragon Boy” Sawada who certainly made an impression in Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series.
The Filipino-Indonesian came away with a first-round submission win over Adi Paryanto last January, and he hopes to introduce himself to his Filipino roots with an impressive win over the Japanese athlete.
3. The World’s Best Strikers In Action
One of the main attractions of the card is the semifinals of the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix.
The dazzling Giorgio “The Doctor” Petrosyan will once again be starring in one of the matches as he takes on local hero “Smokin” Jo Nattawut, while the towering Samy “AK47” Sana will battle Dzhabar “Genghis Khan” Askerov in the other pairing.
Four Muay Thai matches, including the main event, are also fittingly in the event where the sport was born.
With the Filipino’s love-affair with striking, this card is certainly the one not to miss.
Tune in to watch ONE Championship’s next event, ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD, this Friday, 16 August.
The main card airs live on ABS-CBN S+A at 9:30pm PHT. To catch the prelims, tune in to ONE’s Facebook and Twitter
