Preview: One Championship 'Conquest of Heroes'

Michael CliftonSep 20, 2018


Prelims

Atomweights

Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol (3-3-0) vs. Jomary Torres (4-0-0)

Lumban Gaol was set to make a run at the atomweight title until her three-fight winning streak was derailed by 19-year-old Hayatun Jihin Radzuan in July at ONE: Pursuit of Power. Jihin Radzuan’s grappling was too much for the 30-year-old Lumban Gaol, and despite going into the bout as the favorite, she emerged with a unanimous decision defeat. However, with atomweight champion Angela Lee announcing her November move up to strawweight, the atomweight title will most likely not be defended until next year. This delay provides a window of opportunity for Lumban Gaol to rebuild her case for a title fight.

Lumban Gaol is a South East Asian Games Wushu bronze medalist, and it shows in the fact that her striking is some of sharpest in the division. In her bout with Jihin Radzuan it was her ground game that was tested, but against Torres it will be her stand-up. Torres’ promotional debut saw her upset fan favourite Rika Ishige. Torres’s power punches overwhelmed Ishige, and after being knocked to the ground following a barrage of shots, Ishige was forced to tap to a rear-naked-choke. The 22 year-old Torres trains under the tutelage of One strawweight Rene Catalan and while her technique is still rough around the edges, the power she puts into her strikes means she is a danger for anyone in the division. Lumban Gaol will be the better all-around fighter, but all Torres needs is one opening in which to land one big shot and Lumban Gaol’s night could be over very quickly. Torres and Jihin Radzuan represent an arrival of a new generation into the ONE atomweight division, but they are both still developing as fighters. If Lumban Gaol wants a title shot the time is now for her.

Super Series Muay Thai - Bantamweights

Fabrice Fairtex Delannon (55-10-0) vs. Yodpanomrung Jitmuangnon (230-68-2)

Jitmuangnon at only 24 years of age is already being talked about as one of the world’s top pound for pound muay Thai fighters. Yodpanomrung trains out of the same gym as Rodtang Jitmuangnon and has accumulated multiple championships throughout his career including WMC and WPMF World Championships. In Fabrice Fairtex Delannon of French Guiana, he will face off against a decorated veteran muay Thai fighter. Delannon has three Max Muay Thai World Championships and trains at Fairtex Gym. At 36 years of age, Delannon is closer to the end of his career than Yodpanomrung, but he should still provide a stern test for his younger opponent. Both fighters will be making their ONE debut but expect Yodpanomrung to chalk up another victory for the Thai Super Series contingent.

Bantamweights

Victorio Senduk (6-1-0) vs. Sunoto Peringkat (9-4-0)

After appearing at ONE: Battle of Heroes back in 2012, the second event in the company’s history Victorio Senduk (Indonesia) took a lengthy hiatus from MMA. He emerged to fight once in 2014 for a local Indonesian promotion before disappearing for a four-year break from the sport. At the start of 2018 Senduk reappeared to defeat countrymen Yohan Mulia Legowo via second-round TKO taking his MMA record to 6-0. The 37-year-old then completed a quick turnaround to fight Sor Sey in May. Despite dominating the early exchanges, Sor Sey’s grit and relentlessness eventually wore Senduk down and he went on to lose the bout via unanimous decision. This weekend he takes on Sunoto for his third appearance of the year. Senduk comes from a Wushu background and has competed in the sport at the Southeast Asian Games, medalling in 2007 and 2011. He will need to keep the fight standing because if he does get taken down, he will struggle to regain his footing.

Sunoto may not have the greatest of MMA records, but he is a strong wrestler with decent stand-up and is more than capable of either claiming a submission or grounding out a three-round victory over Senduk. This will be the 33-year-old’s first bantamweight bout after moving down from featherweight. Sunoto has shared the cage with a number of quality competitors such as Edward Kelly and provided he keeps his focus should take home the win.

Strawweights

Adrian Mattheis (6-5-0) vs. Angelo Bimoadji (1-0)

Adrian Mattheis will be looking to get his name back in the winning column when he takes on promotional debutant and fellow Indonesian Bimoadji this weekend. Mattheis is coming off a recent defeat to Robin Catalan at July’s ONE: Battle for the Heavens, a loss which halted the three-fight winning streak he had been riding.

Mattheis, who trains out of Jakarta‘s Tigershark Fighting Academy, has had a mixed career fighting for ONE Championship. Alternating between winning and losing streaks he has yet to demonstrate he has the skills required to compete with the upper echelon of the strawweight division.

There is not a lot of information out about Bimoadji, who goes by the moniker “The Unicorn King.” His previous bout was a first-round submission victory for the Garuda Fight League, a promotion that has seen a number of its fighters move on to compete in ONE Championship. The 21-year-old has a B.J.J and boxing background and trains out of Team Phantom MMA/Indogym , which is also home to One bantamweight Sunoto.

Catchweight (130 pounds)

Riski Umar (3-1-0) vs Egi Rozten (3-1-0)

At January’s ONE: Kings of Courage event, Indonesians Umar and Rozten engaged in a wild back-and-forth brawl ending in a first-round TKO victory to Umar. The result could have easily gone Rozten’s way after he landed heavy shots in the opening exchanges, and it appears the matchmakers have paired the two together again hoping for a repeat of their first encounter.

Umar, who was with Bali MMA but now trains at Tiger Muay Thai, will be the favorite heading into this bout. This will be the 25-year-old’s fifth One Championship fight and he is coming off a second-round submission victory over Doan Birawa. Umar prefers to keep fights standing and has exhibited vulnerabilities when competing against fighters from grappling backgrounds. However it is unlikely his wrestling skills will be tested against Rozten.

Rozten is a new arrival to MMA and the professional boxer whose record stands at 5-19-2 has only recently started competing in the sport. The 30-year-old took January’s bout on short notice, and he struggled to deal with Umar’s kicking and grappling game. It is unlikely that in the intervening months Rozten has been able to acquire enough MMA knowledge to alter his approach. The fight should play out similar to the first bout with Rozten going headhunting as soon as the bell rings and Umar looking to use his overall MMA game to nullify the boxer’s one-dimensional tactics. It will be an entertaining but most likely short-lived affair.