Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents a live broadcast of ONE Fighting Championship 19: Reign of Champions featuring a trio of highly anticipated championship clashes this Friday, August 29, at 10 a.m. ET.
Fight Network’s live broadcast will air exclusively in Canada and Turkey.
Emanating from Dubai’s World Trade Centre, ONE FC 19: Reign of Champions is set to be the biggest combat sports event to ever be held in the Middle East.
In the featured title bout, ONE FC lightweight champion Shinya Aoki will make the first defense of his belt since winning it in April 2013, as he takes on UFC veteran Kamal Shalorus of Iran.
Plus, ONE FC welterweight champion Nobutatsu Suzuki will meet undefeated wrestling superstar and former Bellator champion Ben Askren.
In the third championship tilt, ONE FC featherweight champion Koji Oishi meets Mongolian striking expert Jadamba Narantungalag. Oishi was originally scheduled to face Eric Kelly, but he wasn’t medically cleared to accept the bout after his most recent win. Meanwhile, Oishi is fresh off a victory over former ONE FC titleholder Honorio Banario last May.
Mixed martial arts superstar Roger Huerta will also return to action to take on the undefeated Christian Holley, plus former WBO and IBA female boxing champion Ana Julaton will take on Malaysian prospect Ann Osman.
In other featured bouts, top featherweights Herbert Burns and Hiroshige Tanaka will throw down, while James McSweeney will drop a division to light heavyweight to take on Cristiano Kaminishi.
“After wowing sold out audiences across Asia, Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization will enter the Middle East for the first time on August 29th,” said Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Fighting Championship. “Dubai will be treated to a night of adrenaline-pumping mixed martial arts action from world-class mixed martial artists. Nobutatsu Suzuki, Koji Oishi and Shinya Aoki are three of the greatest mixed martial artists in the world today and they will put their ONE FC World Championship titles on the line! Ben Askren is the greatest wrestler to compete in mixed martial arts and his clash with Suzuki is one of the most anticipated bouts in the history of the welterweight division. This is going to be the biggest night in the history of combat sports and you do not want to miss it!”
Nobutatsu Suzuki is a striker who has demonstrated the effectiveness of karate in mixed martial arts. He became the first ONE FC welterweight champion by defeating Brock Larson at ONE FC: War of Nations earlier this year. Ten of his 11 wins have been knockouts and he will look to add Ben Askren to the list of opponents he has finished when they clash on Aug. 29.
Ben Askren is a legend in collegiate wrestling with four All-American awards. He finished his wrestling career at the University of Missouri with a record of 153-8. He has won 91 of those bouts with pins, one of the most in NCAA Division I history. He also wrestled on the US Olympics team in 2008 before transitioning to mixed martial arts. Since his mixed martial arts debut in 2009, he has won 13 bouts consecutively in dominating fashion, winning multiple championships and earning recognition as one of the best welterweights in the world.
Shinya Aoki is known as one of the most dangerous submission artists in mixed martial arts today. A former DREAM lightweight champion, he earned his most prestigious title with a quick submission victory over then ONE FC lightweight champion, Kotetsu Boku, at ONE FC: Kings & Champions last year. He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under the legendary Yuki Nakai, and boasts 23 wins via submission.
Kamal ‘Prince Of Persia’ Shalorus is a former national wrestler who transitioned to mixed martial arts after mixed martial artists began to seek him out for his wrestling expertise. Despite beginning his career as a wrestler, Shalorus has four knockout victories which showcase the power he possesses. He has won both his bouts impressively since debuting in Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization, and has earned the biggest opportunity in his life as he takes on grappling legend Aoki.
ONE FC featherweight champion Koji Oishi is a veteran of over 40 fights and a former Lightweight King of Pancrase. He is a seasoned veteran who has been consistently facing the best opposition in the world. At ONE FC: Rise to Power, his lifelong dream of becoming a world champion came true when he captured the ONE FC featherweight championship by knocking out Honorio Banario. Oishi has fought almost 100 rounds in his career and faced over 36 opponents, making him one of the most experienced featherweights in the world.
Jadamba Narantungalag is the top mixed martial artist to emerge from Mongolia. He boasts an impressive record of nine wins and three losses against top competition in Asia. He also has kickboxing experience, facing the likes of renowned kickboxing champions Buakaw Banchamek and Masato. Narantungalag made an impressive ONE FC debut by defeating former ONE FC featherweight champion Honorio Banario at ONE FC: Honor & Glory. He now gets the biggest opportunity in his career when he takes on current ONE FC featherweight champion Koji Oishi.
Roger Huerta is a renowned mixed martial arts superstar and one of the most recognizable faces in the sport. He began his career impressively by winning 20 of his first 23 bouts, before moving on to star in several movies. Huerta is determined to return to mixed martial arts action with a bang, but will face a stern test in the undefeated up-and-comer, Christian Holley.
Christian Holley is an undefeated mixed martial artist. Originally from England, he spent most of his life in Spain having moved there when he was five years old. He has finished eight of the 10 opponents he has faced thus far, all in impressive fashion. Having reached the pinnacle of the sport in Europe, Holley has set his sights on conquering the lightweight division in ONE FC and he gets the opportunity when he faces the biggest test of his career so far in Roger Huerta.
Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton is the first Filipina boxer to win the women’s WBO super bantamweight and IBA super bantamweight championships. Julaton’s signing with ONE FC marks her first step to becoming a two-sport athlete. Her overpowering attacks in the ring earned her the nickname “The Hurricane” and made her a fan favorite in the Philippines. It took her only seven professional bouts to win a championship in boxing and she hopes her mixed martial arts career will be equally successful. She made a successful ONE FC debut by defeating Aya Saber and will return to the ONE FC cage looking for the second win in her mixed martial arts career.
Ann Osman is the first female Malaysian mixed martial artist to compete in a major mixed martial arts organization. Osman possesses wrestling skills and powerful ground and pound, making her a tough test for any opponent. She made her debut in an empathic battle last October, and has been eagerly awaiting an opportunity to get back into the ONE FC cage.
James McSweeney is a top English mixed martial artist and kickboxer who have competed against some of the best mixed martial artists in the world, racking up numerous titles in the process. He is currently on the best streak of his career, with nine wins in his last 12 fights. McSweeney is a proven finisher and have gone to a decision only once in 24 fights.
Cristiano Kaminishi has gone 8-1 while competing predominantly in Japan and will be making his debut for Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization on 29 August. Kaminishi is a former Heat heavyweight champion and has also won multiple Brazilian jiu-jitsu titles across multiple weight divisions. Originally from Brazil, he made the move to Japan at the age of 17. Kaminishi is a BJJ black belt under Taka Watanabe of Axis Jiu-Jitsu, one of the pioneering academies in Japan. Kaminishi has spent years training with some of the best fighters in the world, including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and has also cornered luminaries such as Nogueira, Paulo Filho and Mario Sperry.
Herbert Burns is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who represents Evolve MMA in Singapore. Originally from Brazil, he made a successful ONE FC debut by submitting Edward Kelly last December, and followed that up with a unanimous decision victory over former Harris Sarmiento earlier this year. An impressive victory over Tanaka will extend his undefeated record to four and push him to the forefront of potential contenders for the ONE FC featherweight title.
Hiroshige Tanaka is one of the best featherweights from Japan. He is riding a seven-fight winning streak and has defeated some of the top featherweights in the region. Tanaka is a deadly striker who possesses knockout power in both hands. Tanaka will make his ONE FC debut against one of the best grapplers in the division and it will be interesting to see how this classic matchup between striker and grappler plays out.
The full fight card for ONE FC 19: Reign of Champions includes:
-Shinya Aoki vs. Kamal Shalorus (lightweight title)
-Nobutatsu Suzuki vs. Ben Askren (welterweight title)
-Koji Oishi vs. Jadamba Narantungalag (featherweight title)
-Roger Huerta vs. Christian Holley
-Ana Julaton vs. Ann Osman
-James McSweeney vs. Cristiano Kaminishi
-Herbert Burns vs. Hiroshige Tanaka
-Vaughn Donayre vs. Mohammed Walid
-Dejdamrong Sor Amnuasirichoke vs. Ali Yaakub
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