3 fights fans are dying to see in ONE Championship this year
ONE Championship is all about giving its loyal fans the dream fights they've been wishing for. The world's largest martial arts organization certainly aims to please and has already come up with some massive showdowns in 2025, like the gargantuan Takeru Segawa vs Rodtang Jitmuangnon spectacle at ONE 172 last month.
By the looks of it, there are more scintillating matchups loaded in the barrel. This includes the confirmed atomweight MMA world title unification bout between reigning queen Stamp Fairtex and interim champ Denice Zamboanga in the promotion's return to "The Mile High City" at ONE 173: Denver on Aug. 2.
That said, let's list down three absolute barnburners that fans want to see the most in ONE Championship this year.
1. Anatoly Malykhin vs. Reug Reug rematch
'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane shocked the world when he did the unthinkable at ONE 169 last year. The pride of Senegal became the next great African MMA world champion after taking away Anatoly Malykhin's undefeated record and ONE heavyweight MMA world title.
'Reug Reug' was able to withstand the Russian's destructive knockout power and even outgrappled the decorated wrestler en route to a unanimous decision victory.
While 'Sladkiy' is at fault for his underwhelming performance, the case can be made that he deserves an outright rematch to reclaim his world title. After all, he still holds an absurd 100 percent finishing rate in his 14 career victories.
2. Jonathan Haggerty vs. Nico Carrillo
ONE Championship has often teased a possible event in the United Kingdom, and there's no fitting main event for that dream card than this one.
To say that Jonathan Haggerty and Nico Carrillo have no love lost for one another is an understatement. While these two heavy-handed strikers have buried the hatchet for now, there's still a lingering desire on both sides to settle their differences once and for all.
Plus, ONE Championship is currently brimming with premiere British talent, including the likes of Freddie Haggerty, George Jarvis, Liam Nolan, and Liam Harrison, just to name a few. It's the perfect time for ONE to invade the UK, and fans will certainly flock in droves for a long-overdue Haggerty-Carrillo showdown.
3. Adrian Lee vs. Kade Ruotolo
Quite frankly, this showdown might come sooner than we think. Some may argue that it's quite early for Adrian Lee and Kade Ruotolo to butt heads.
These two lightweight MMA prospects raced to a sensational 3-0 start in their MMA career, with all those victories coming by way of slick submissions.
It seems both rising stars are ready for some of the biggest names in the division. Then again, why not settle who gets that opportunity the old-fashioned way?
Inevitably, these two sensational talents will eventually cross paths. While the jury is still out on how soon it will be, Lee vs Ruotolo will indeed be an action-packed affair to determine the next big thing in the 170-pound ranks.