Initial bouts announced at 'ONE: Visions of Victory' set for March 9, 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

07 February 2018 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced its return to Malaysia’s bustling capital city of Kuala Lumpur. ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY is set to ignite the Axiata Stadium with an evening of authentic martial arts action. While a main event is yet to be announced, ONE Championship has revealed a handful of compelling bouts featuring the absolute best in local and international martial arts talent.

Ticket information for ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY is available at www.onefc.com.

Agilan “Alligator” Thani of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is a 22-year-old martial artist and one of the top welterweights in ONE Championship. Thani’s quick rise through the ranks has seen him amass a stellar 8-1 professional record, including a title shot against former ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren in May of 2017. Although Thani fell short of victory against the American, he gained a great amount of experience as a result and has emerged as a more seasoned combatant. All but one of Thani’s victories have come by exciting finish. The young Malaysian has shown steady improvement in each outing and he will now face Amitesh Chaubey in his next assignment.

Amitesh Chaubey is a martial artist from India and a welterweight newcomer in ONE Championship. He owns a professional record of 8-5 and is a former SFL Welterweight Champion known for his knockout power. Primarily a boxing stylist who stifles opponents with his quick hands and fluid combinations, Chaubey joins a deep ONE Championship welterweight division looking for a new champion. He takes on former welterweight title challenger Agilan Thani in his promotional debut.

19-year-old Christian “The Warrior” Lee, younger brother of reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee, began his professional career on an absolute tear, railing off five straight victories by thrilling finish. He has impressed fans with his ability to seek out stoppage wins over top-caliber opponents. A former Pankration World Champion, Lee toppled Japanese veteran and former ONE Lightweight World Champion Kotetsu Boku in his most recent bout, winning by first-round technical knockout to improve his record to 8-1. Known as a creative and fluid striker with unorthodox grappling technique, Lee is now set to face another Japanese veteran in Kazunori Yokota.

39-year-old Kazunori Yokota of Chiba, Japan is a martial arts fixture with over 12 years of professional experience under his belt. A champion of Japanese promotion, DEEP, Yokota is one of the toughest competitors at featherweight as he has constantly punished his opponents and grinded out impressive victories. Yokota made his ONE Championship debut in May of 2016, challenging former ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat Gafurov for the title. Yokota sports a stellar record of 26-7-3 and in his most recent bout, submitted his opponent in another promotion. Now, Yokota is set to take on the surging Christian Lee.

Malaysia’s Gianni Subba is a 25-year old flyweight talent from the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. He spends time carefully honing his craft with talented teammates, including brother Keanu, at Bali MMA in Indonesia. A winner of six of his last seven bouts, Subba is a seasoned athlete with a stellar 9-2 clip in his young career. Five of his nine wins have come either by submission or by crowd-pleasing knockout. In his next assignment, the crafty wushu specialist Danny Kingad poses a stern challenge.

Top flyweight talent from the famed Team Lakay of Baguio City, Danny “The King” Kingad is a regional wushu champion with a wushu record of 29-1 and martial artist with a professional record of 8-1. A true warrior from the mountains of the Philippines and one of the top prospects to come out of the country, Kingad is a tremendous striker who possesses well-rounded grappling skills. In his most recent bout, Kingad suffered the first defeat of his career after being submitted by reigning ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano Moraes in the first round. Kingad will now return to action against Gianni Subba.

Former amateur standout Muhammad Aiman of Malaysia is one of the country’s fastest rising young martial arts talents. Featuring a well-rounded skill set, Aiman has impressed in his time inside the ONE Championship cage thus far, defeating Hisyam Samsudin by unanimous decision in his first match in the promotion before stopping Brazilian grappler Eduardo Novaes in his second outing. In his most recent contest, Aiman thoroughly dominated Chinese prospect Yang Fei to win a unanimous decision. The 23-year-old is now set to take on his next challenge in Burn Soriano.

Burn “The Hitman” Soriano of Ilocos Sur, Philippines, is coming off a tough contest against China’s Chen Lei last November. The Filipino featherweight features an aggressive style, with solid power and seasoned grappling technique leading to all of his wins to date coming by way of stoppage. His 15-second spinning back fist knockout of Indonesia’s Mario Sitya Wirawan in 2016 was one of the fastest finishes in ONE history. A national kickboxing champion with a kickboxing record of 14-3, Soriano has shown steady improvement over his last few contests and now looks for victory next against Muhammad Aiman.

18-year-old Jihin Radzuan of Johor Bahru, Malaysia is a highly-touted young martial arts prospect making her ONE Championship debut. A well-rounded competitor, Radzuan is a Muay Thai and boxing practitioner with a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. A former Southeast Asian Open Gold and Silver Medalist in Muay Thai, Radzuan is known for her varied striking skills and terrific knockout power. Radzuan will step into the ONE Championship cage in Kuala Lumpur to face Puja Tomar.

Flyweight competitor Puja Tomar is a martial artist from India with a professional record of three wins and two losses. With a knack for showcasing her solid striking skills, Tomar has recorded all three of her victories by knockout. Competing largely in her home country of India, the former India wushu champion Tomar now makes her second appearance on the biggest stage in Asian martial arts as she is set to face Jihin Radzuan in the ONE Championship cage.

Hisyam “Zephyrus” Samsudin of Malaysia is a former WBF Asia-Pacific Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion who trains at the highly-regarded Borneo Tribal Squad with former female strawweight talent Ann “Athena” Osman and coach AJ “Pyro” Lias Mansor. Samsudin likes to pepper opponents with heavy handed strikes, utilizing his world-class boxing base to break down opponents. Samsudin’s next assignment is against Jerome S. Paye.

Liberian martial artist Jerome S. Paye made his ONE Championship debut in February 2016 against China’s Li Hao Jie. In the bout, Paye showcased a well-rounded set of techniques, stifling his opponent with an array of striking combinations. With the ability to make bouts difficult for any opponent, Paye has shown incredible heart and determination in his time inside the ONE Championship cage. This time Paye will take on Malaysia’s Hisyam Samsudin.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

Singaporean martial arts prodigy Amir Khan marches on to fulfill destiny

Amir Khan 

Persistence plays a pivotal role in life. It is defined as continuing to move on with whatever goal has been planned originally even though an external event or initial losses may have slowed down, or temporarily halt a person while the person is on the way towards achieving their goals. It requires a person to continue keeping their mental attitude positive no matter what happened.

Singapore martial arts sensation Amir Khan had to hold onto his persistence as he found out at an early age that life was never a straightforward pathway.

The 23-year-old prospect from Singapore is a self-described introvert as he was once embarrassed by his peers due to the involuntary tics and twitches that were caused by having the neurological disorder Tourette's Syndrome.

Although Khan has learned to control his tics now, life was very different for him when he was younger.

“Growing up, I used to have spasms. I used to shake my head a lot. I would blink my eyes and make facial expressions. When I was younger, it was really bad. When I was in school, the other kids would pick on me and imitate me. It was tough growing up with it,” he recalled.

Khan took up martial arts to gain confidence after a difficult time at school, when his Tourette's Syndrome was at its worst.

"After I did martial arts, partly because I look better and mentally I feel better as well, I have more confidence," he said. “I didn't really enjoy my school days. After a while, I gained more confidence and it subsided. I felt more confident and I wasn't embarrassed about myself.”

With a supportive family behind him, Khan never felt his condition prevented him from achieving his goals.

Khan started his martial arts journey at the age of 13, having the sudden impulse to learn Muay Thai and quickly falling in love with it. He discovered that Muay Thai, which is widely regarded as the art of eight limbs, helped him focus and eventually overcome his disorder.

“I believe martial arts has helped me through my Tourette’s. Whenever I felt like I could not control my Tourette’s, then I would go to the gym and I would sweat it out. I felt relaxed and better after each session,” he stated.

“In martial arts, you cannot really take your eyes off your opponent when you are sparring with him. You have got to really focus, or else you will get hurt, so it definitely taught me how to focus, and I was able to bring it over into real-life situations,” he added.

Muay Thai began to flow through Khan’s blood, and soon at the tender age of 14, he competed in his first amateur contest.

After a few more bouts, he spent two months training in Thailand, which led him to consider turning professional.

After mastering Muay Thai that demands steady hands and Zen-like concentration despite having Tourette's Syndrome, Khan transitioned to the constantly-evolving world of mixed martial arts, winning his first four amateur bouts from 2012 to 2014 in the U.S. state of Louisiana.

Khan honed his skills there for nearly four years before returning to Singapore, aspiring to make himself a household name.

Four years later, Khan is considered one of the most promising young talents to represent Singapore on the international stage of martial arts like ONE Championship.

Holding a professional record of 9-2, Khan is currently riding high on a six-match winning streak with his victories coming by way of exciting finish.

In his recent trip to the ONE Championship cage last November, Khan figured in his most impressive performance yet, overwhelming lightweight veteran Adrian “The Hunter” Pang with a showcase of impeccable striking and great takedown defense.

Khan will once again strut his wares on the global stage as he takes on Russian wrecking machine Timofey Nastyukhin at ONE: QUEST FOR GOLD, which takes place at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar on 23 February.

While Khan admitted his decision to choose a path less travelled has earned him the derision of his naysayers, he is determined to prove them wrong by carving a successful career in the sport.

“I try to stay positive, but then sometimes people will talk and negative thoughts go into your head,” he stressed. “Some of them are sarcastic and mock me for taking the sport so seriously. They question if I can make a living out of it, and ask what happens when I’m old and have no other skills.

“So I tell them to watch me. In ten years, let’s see who’s successful. I have my long-term goals in the sport and I’ll remain focused on achieving them. That’s the best way to prove my critics wrong,” he said.

Among Khan’s goals is to inspire others to pursue their dreams and passion wholeheartedly. In order to champion that cause, he knows that he will first have to show that he can reach the top and win a ONE Championship world title.

“My current goal is to be a world champion on a big global promotion like ONE Championship. What I hope to do is inspire people to chase what they love. I want my martial arts career to be proof that if you have the passion for something, and if you’re good at it, you’ll be able to make a living out of it,” he ended.

​​

 Amir Khan, Vaughn Donayre

Amir Khan, Yuji Shimada, Adrian Pang

​

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

2 Pinoys to headline Ringstar Boxing's 'Roar of Singapore IV- Night of Champions' on April 20

Fight poster for ‘Roar of Singapore IV - Night of Champions’ 

05 FEBRUARY 2018 - SINGAPORE: Expect an action-packed fight night at Ringstar Boxing’s ‘Roar of Singapore IV - Night of Champions’ on April 20, which will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.  The back-to-back IBO and WBC event will also be the first professional boxing bout at the venue. 

The ‘Night of Champions’ will have 3 main events, with unbeaten Singaporean boxer Muhamad “The Chosen Wan” Ridhwan (9-0), who will go against 23-year old Filipino boxer Jeson Umbal, currently ranked 8 places higher than Ridhwan in their IBO ranking.  At stake is the vacant Intercontinental Featherweight title for both boxers.  

Another Filipino boxer who is making waves in his country, Michael Dasmarinas, will go against French boxer Karim Guerfi, at stake is an IBO world championship title. Finally, the last main event will witness Malaysia’s Mirage Kahn show his wares against New Zealander Chase “Hellboy” Haley, who will be defending his current IBO Oceania title, as they both challenge each other for the vacant WBC Asia Continental light heavyweight title.

Ringstar Founder & CEO Scott Farrell says, “We are Asia’s hottest sporting property and we have raised the bar by having the first professional international boxing match at the Singapore Indoor Stadium - a premiere venue in Singapore.”

Tickets go live on February 10, 2018, with ticket prices for VVIP tables at SGD 5,000, with early bird rates at SGD 4,000, up to March 20, 2018.  This includes a 4-course dinner with free-flowing wine and beer, VVIP gift bag which includes Ringstar shirts, corporate branding on the table, half-page ad in the fight program, exclusive VIP entrance and red-carpet access and photo opportunities with top celebrities and world-renowned athletes.

The VIP Ringside Seats are at SGD 288, with early bird rates of SGD 200 up to March 20, 2018 while Stadium Seating are at SGD 38, with early bird rates at SGD 20. Promo codes will also be released on sale date - February 10, 2018.

Sponsors and partners of ‘Night of Champions’ include Roomaif International, and Marina Bay Sands, which will be the official venue for the pre-fight events, such as the press conference and the weigh-ins, also for the post-fight events.

For more information, please visit www.ringstar-boxing.com.  Tickets go live on sale on February 10, at www.sportshub.com.sg/roarofsg4