02 July 2018 – Guangzhou, China: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced the complete card for ONE: BATTLE FOR THE HEAVENS, set for Saturday, 7 July at the Guangzhou Tianhe Gymnasium in Guangzhou, China. The absolute best in local and international martial arts talent are ready to enter the ONE Championship ring and showcase their skills. In the main event, Yodcherry Sityodtong of Thailand takes on Kai Ting Chuang of Chinese Taipei for the inaugural ONE Super Series Kickboxing Atomweight World Championship.
Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “World-class martial arts makes a triumphant return to the beautiful city of Guangzhou with another spectacular event. ONE: BATTLE FOR THE HEAVENS will feature a titanic clash between superstar strikers, as Thailand’s Yodcherry Sityodtong faces Chinese Taipei’s Kai Ting Chuang for the inaugural ONE Super Series Kickboxing Atomweight World Championship. The two will be joined by several of the very best martial arts talent from China and the world, so don’t miss this awesome evening of authentic martial arts action.”
19-year-old Muay Thai phenom Yodcherry Sityodtong makes her long-awaited ONE Championship debut when she competes for the inaugural ONE Super Series Kickboxing Atomweight World Championship. Sityodtong, who represents Evolve MMA in Singapore, owns an impressive professional Muay Thai record of 81-18-1. At such a young age, Sityodtong has already garnered many achievements in the ring, having won various Muay Thai World Championships throughout her young career. Now, Sityodtong looks to make her first appearance in ONE Super Series, taking on Kai Ting Chuang.
23-year-old Kai Ting Chuang of Chinese Taipei is making her ONE Championship debut at ONE: BATTLE FOR THE HEAVENS. A professional kickboxer with a record of 16-5, Chuang represents Iron Boxing, and is a two-time WAKO National Kickboxing Champion. Nicknamed “Killer Bee,” Chuang will go up against Yodcherry Sityodtong in the main event, which is set to crown the first-ever ONE Super Series Kickboxing Atomweight World Champion.
DEEP Flyweight Champion Tatsumitsu Wada is originally from the Yamanashi prefecture of Japan, but moved to Tokyo after high school to further his martial arts career. He originally started his training with karate, and later added judo to his growing skill set. Nicknamed “The Sweeper,” Wada has gone 11-1 in his career thus far, and twice captured the flyweight belt in DEEP. Currently on an eight-bout win streak, which includes five stoppage wins, he rides a huge wave of momentum coming into his ONE Championship debut. He is set to face the highly-regarded Reece McLaren in his first appearance in the promotion.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Reece “Lightning” McLaren of Sydney, Australia is a highly-decorated martial artist, claiming the Eternal MMA and XFL Bantamweight Championships before making his ONE Championship debut. He emerged on the global stage in perfect fashion, scoring a stunning upset by submitting Mark Striegl for a hugely impressive win. He would continue that trend of success against highly-regarded prospect Muin Gafurov, and earn a shot at the ONE Bantamweight World Championship against dominant titleholder Bibiano Fernandes. McLaren gave the living legend an incredibly tough test, but narrowly missed out on gold via split decision. Now, he continues his quest for a world championship in the flyweight division, and he got off to a great start by submitting Thai star Anatpong Bunrad in November, and then Malaysian hero Gianni Subba in March. Next up, McLaren heads to Guangzhou to face newcomer Tatsumitsu Wada.
Four-time Kickboxing World Champion Andre “The Giant” Meunier grew up in a rough neighborhood in Melbourne, Australia, and originally trained in martial arts to learn self-discipline. A proven knockout artist, Meunier trains out of the Ultimate Kickboxing gym under James Roesler, and also regularly travels to Thailand to sharpen his skills with former WMTA Light Heavyweight Champion Nick Kara. Having competed all over Australia and Asia, Meunier has faced some of the striking arena’s biggest names, and has never backed down from a challenge. That warrior spirit will serve him well in ONE Super Series, as he goes up against Ibrahim El Bouni in his promotional debut.
Ibrahim El Bouni is of Moroccan-Dutch descent, and was born and raised in Haarlem, a part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. El Bouni has developed himself into a true knockout artist with almost all of his wins coming by way of spectacular stoppage. He has put that overwhelming power to good use, even winning a one-night, eight-man tournament to become the A1WCC World Champion. A young man still just at the beginning of his career, a confident El Bouni says his biggest wins are yet to come, and is intent to rule over the heavier weight classes in ONE Super Series. He makes his promotional debut against Andre Meunier.
Fu Chang Xin began training to compete in mixed martial arts in 2011, and took the plunge by making his professional debut just three years later. He has since experienced great success, winning the majority of his bouts via stoppage, even claiming the CKF Championship along the way. What sets Fu apart from other Chinese mixed martial artists is the fact that he has already competed abroad several times in his young career, and is undefeated against foreign opposition. He brings an impressive win streak into his ONE Championship debut, which will come against Tang De Pan.
Tang De Pan is from Yongzhou, in the Hunan province of China. He began training in martial arts in 2011, because he loved the fun and excitement of competition. He has never stopped growing his skill set since. Determined to challenge himself on the greatest stage possible, Tang aims to see how well he matches up against the best martial artists in the world in ONE Championship, and prove the effectiveness of sanda against other styles and disciplines. He took the first step towards his goal at ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS (CHANGSHA) upon his promotional debut, knocking out fellow countryman Zhou Biao via spectacular highlight-reel slam. He has since gone 2-1 in his young career. Up next, Tang faces Fu Chang Xin.
Saempetch Fairtex of Thailand first stepped into the ring at the age of 11, and a mere three years later, was already competing in the famed Rajadamnern Stadium in Bangkok. Now, Saemapetch trains out of the renowned Fairtex camp in Pattaya. He won the prestigious Tiger Cement Tournament at Channel 7 Stadium when he was just 17 years old, and in April 2018, added the MTGP Welterweight World Title to his resume. Another rising star from a well-regarded camp, Saemapetch looks to make his mark on the world in ONE Super Series. He will face Deividas Danyla in his ONE Championship debut.
IMC Muay Thai World Champion Deividas Danyla began training in Muay Thai when he was just 10 years old. After great success in the Lithuanian and European scene, where he captured four national and two regional championships, Danyla moved to Thailand in 2017 in search of a greater challenge. He has since faced a host of elite competition in Muay Thai, and proved he has what it takes to be counted amongst the world’s best. He makes his ONE Super Series debut against Saemapetch Fairtex.
Chinese Sanda Champion Zhao Zhi Kang is from the desert region of Inner Mongolia, where he began training in martial arts at the age of 15, inspired by heroes such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li. Zhao later made his professional debut in 2012, amassing an excellent 22-3 record by competing all across China, which brought him to the bright lights of ONE Championship. Driven by the competitive spirit of martial arts, Zhao aims to achieve glory on the global stage. In his next outing, Zhao returns to action to face Meas Meul.
Khmer Warrior Challenge Champion Meas Meul began training in Kun Khmer at an early age to deal with bullying in his childhood. Shortly after, Meul realized opportunities to build a professional martial arts career, and began to focus on training in other disciplines. He is well-versed in disciplines such as Kun Khmer, judo, wrestling, and boxing, becoming a five-time national champion in judo while compiling an unblemished 13-0 record in Kun Khmer. Meul made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2014, and has racked up several impressive victories since then, with the majority of his wins being finishes. Training alongside the best martial artists in his native Cambodia, Meul looks to become the first from his country to win a world championship in mixed martial arts. Next up, he faces Zhao Zhi Kang.
Two-time Muay Thai World Champion Istela Nunes was born in Pau dos Ferros, a small industrial and agricultural town in Brazil’s northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte. When she was just 5 years old, Nunes began training in the Brazilian martial art of capoeira, but switched to Muay Thai at the age of 10. She eventually settled in Rio de Janeiro, and after a professional Muay Thai career that saw her go 52-4 with two world championships in Thailand, she walked away from the sport. Shortly after, she picked up Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and after that, mixed martial arts. Nunes earned a shot at Angela Lee’s ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship following a split decision win over Mei Yamaguchi in 2016. Although she fell short in her first ONE World Title challenge, Nunes proved that she is indeed one of the best female martial artists in the world. She will return to action to face Gina Iniong next.
Six-time Philippine National Wushu Champion Gina Iniong is originally from Baguio City, and first trained in martial arts when she took up boxing as a high school student. Later on, she transitioned to wushu as a means to earn a scholarship to the University of the Cordilleras, much like many of her teammates at Team Lakay. Upon graduation in 2012, Iniong became a full-time martial artist, making a name for herself as a six-time national wushu gold medalist. After establishing herself as one of the Philippines’ top women warriors, Iniong joined ONE Championship and has since registered impressive wins over tough opponents. Following her victory over former ONE World Title Challenger Jenny Huang last April, the Filipina now returns to action to face Istela Nunes.
DEEP Future King 2014 Tournament Champion Shuya Kamikubo is a former collegiate judoka who was born and raised in Yokohama, a part of Japan’s Kawasaki prefecture. During his studies at Nihon University, Kamikubo dedicated himself to his judo training, achieving several top finishes in major tournaments. Kamikubo was then inspired to compete in the cage, following the success of fellow judoka and Japanese martial arts legend Shinya Aoki. The man known as “Stealth” has put together an impressive 7-1-1 record in under four years as a professional, competing mostly in Japanese regional promotions such as Pancrase and Tribe Tokyo Fight. Now, he makes his ONE Championship debut against the veteran Sunoto.
WKF Indonesia Champion “The Terminator” Sunoto is from East Java, but moved to Jakarta in 2012 to pursue his martial arts dreams. He first started training in taekwondo as a child, but soon picked up other disciplines while travelling around the country to compete in several tournaments. Besides becoming a regional sanda champion, Sunoto also currently holds the rank of brown belt in traditional Japanese jiu-jitsu, and is a member of the Indonesian national sambo team, belying his growing all-around skills. Sunoto signed with ONE Championship in 2015, and has since put on many thrilling displays. Sunoto will take on Shuya Kamikubo in his next outing.
Growing up, Chinese National Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion Peng Xue Wen played football and practiced kung fu, but soon fell in love with wrestling after he began training and competing in the sport. He then went on to win several accolades in the discipline, and set his sights on mixed martial arts after he saw more and more of his seniors making their professional debuts. Peng believes his wrestling skills and flexibility are his keys to victory, and will be relying on them to achieve international fame under the bright lights of ONE Championship. He returns to action in Guangzhou to face Eddey Kalai.
Two-time SEA Games Boxing Bronze Medalist Eddey Kalai comes from a long line of boxers. After several years spent on the regional boxing circuit, Kalai became intrigued at the prospect of competing in mixed martial arts. He first took part in a national amateur tournament in 2013, and although he lost, he was instantly hooked. Kalai then decided to dedicate himself to training in all disciplines, and is constantly adding new tools to his strong boxing base. After 10 wins as an amateur with eight stoppages, Kalai turned professional, and now finds himself among the world’s best martial artists in ONE Championship. He is set to face Peng Xue Wen in his next appearance.
ONE Strawweight Indonesian Tournament Champion Adrian Mattheis was born in the Maluku islands of Indonesia, and one of the fastest rising stars in ONE Championship today. After first training in karate as a child, Mattheis later met famed coach Zuli Silawanto while studying at a university in Jakarta. He made his ONE Championship debut in August 2016, defeating two opponents via knockout in the same night to win the four-man tournament. He is currently riding a three-bout win streak, and in his last outing, defeated Lan Ming Qiang via three-round unanimous decision. Mattheis will now face Robin Catalan.
Muay Thai World Champion Robin Catalan was born in Santa Barbara, Iloilo, in the Visayan province of the Philippines, which is known for producing world-class boxers. He started training in martial arts in 2006, with hopes of following in the footsteps of his older brother Rene, a multiple-time wushu world champion. Catalan would go on to win numerous tournaments in both wushu and Muay Thai, including the Philippines National Wushu Sanda Championship in 2007 and 2008, and the IFMA World Muay Thai Championship in 2011. Inevitably, just like his brothers, he turned his attention to mixed martial arts. Training under Catalan Fighting Systems in Manila, Catalan looks to further showcase his skills by taking on Adrian Mattheis.
ONE: BATTLE FOR THE HEAVENS
Saturday, 7 July
Guangzhou Tianhe Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China
Main Event
ONE Super Series Kickboxing Atomweight World Championship
Yodcherry Sityodtong vs Kai Ting Chuang
ONE Super Series Kickboxing: 52.2kg
Co-Main Event
Tatsumitsu Wada vs Reece McLaren
Mixed Martial Arts: 61.2kg
Andre Meunier vs Ibrahim El Bouni
ONE Super Series Kickboxing: 105.0kg
Fu Chang Xin vs Tang De Pan
Mixed Martial Arts: 65.8kg
Saemapetch Fairtex vs Deividas Danyla
ONE Super Series Muay Thai: 65.8kg
Zhao Zhi Kang vs Meas Meul
Mixed Martial Arts: 68.0kg
Istela Nunes vs Gina Iniong
Mixed Martial Arts: 52.2kg
Shuya Kamikubo vs Sunoto
Mixed Martial Arts: 65.8kg
Peng Xue Wen vs Eddey Kalai
Mixed Martial Arts: 56.7kg
Adrian Mattheis vs Robin Catalan
Mixed Martial Arts: 56.7kg
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