The most anticipated ONE Championship fights of 2022
ONE Championship had a successful 2021. The year produced some of the best moments in combat sports. Now that it is officially in the bag, it's time for us to look forward to 2022.
What's good is that ONE already has some fights officially signed, which shows tremendous promise for this new calendar year. 2022 has some really amazing fights to look forward to and we're here to list some of them.
From official title fights to special rules matches, ONE Championship has a few bouts already gathering hype.
Rodtang and Demetrious Johnson COLLIDE in a special rules SUPER-FIGHT at ONE X! 🤯 @MightyMouse #ONEX #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship https://t.co/Ot2UQXpgXO
It's still early and more fights will be made as the year progresses, but right now, some bouts are already official. We'll keep this list exclusive to fights already officially signed, so rumored bouts and verbally agreed upon fights won't be included.
With that said, let's get on with the list.
#5. Saygid Izagakhmaev vs. James Nakashima - ONE Championship: Heavy Hitters
This one's already happening in a little over a week and the fight is increasingly gaining hype. Why? One name: Khabib Nurmagomedov.
What does the undefeated former UFC champion have to do with this ONE Championship lightweight bout? The retired UFC great is mentoring and coaching Saygid Izagakhmaev for his ONE Championship debut.
Ever since retiring in 2020, Khabib has had a successful run as an MMA coach. He's cornered his countryman and teammate Islam Makhachev and his cousins Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov to dominant wins.
Izagakhmaev is another one of Khabib's proteges entering the world stage. The Dagestani is like a brother to 'The Eagle' and trained under the tutelage of Khabib's father, the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
Though there are a few fighters on ONE Championship's roster hailing from the Causasus region of Russia, this is the first time ONE will see a fighter from Khabib's Eagle MMA team. This is also the first time we'll see the UFC legend's presence inside the ONE Championship Circle.
At ONE: Heavy Hitters on January 14, Izagakhmaev will enter the Circle for the first time against tough wrestling standout James Nakashima. It's the perfect bout to see if the much-hyped debutant can live up to his team and mentor's legendary reputation.
With just a few days ahead of his debut, we'll soon get to find out.