Filipino Bantamweight Star's Opponent Fails Pre-Fight Test; Two Others Miss Weight

ONE Championship fans are set to witness another solid set of fights on Friday, April 21 (Saturday, April 22 in the United States) with ONE Fight Night 9, but one fight is completely up in the air in the meantime.

Rising Filipino bantamweight star Jhanlo Sangiao was set to fight in the show-opener against Matias Farinelli of Argentina, but the latter failed the Singapore-based combat sports promotion's unique pre-fight hydration test in two attempts.

While it does not fully guarantee that the bout is canceled, it does put the onus on him to pass the hydration test first before he can negotiate a catchweight with Sangiao and his camp.

Originally, the pair was supposed to fight at ONE 164, but Farinelli was forced to withdraw from the bout two days before the event due to testing positive for COVID-19.

With the hydration miss, Farinelli's awaited ONE Championship debut has faced another obstacle, though based on Team Lakay's willingness to push on despite an opponent missing weight or failing the pre-fight hydration, there is little doubt that they would decline to negotiate a catchweight bout.

Sangiao is looking to continue his run of dominance early in his young career after netting two rear-naked choke victories in his past two fights in December of 2021 and 2022–both of them happening just under two minutes into round one.

Farinelli was not the only fighter to fail the pre-fight tests however as Muay Thai bantamweights Asa Ten Pow of the United States and his opponent Han Zi Hao of China failed to make weight.

Much like the Argentinian, both men will have an opportunity to still fight at the event, but must also negotiate a catchweight first before it happens.

It was not all doom and gloom at the pre-fight tests as show headliners Nong-O Hama and Jonathan Haggerty are set in stone.

The Muay Thai great from the United Kingdom challenges the Thai king of the bantamweight Muay Thai division.

A lot of things are on the line for both men as the former has never been beaten throughout his 10-fight run with ONE Championship and has no plans of ending it against Haggerty.

As for the UK star, he has since bounced back big time from his devastating TKO loss at the hands of Rodtang Jitmuangnon in January 2020 as he decisively took home three straight wins.

ONE Fight Night 9 takes place at the hallowed halls of the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.