Five Potential Cannot-Miss MMA Fights At ONE 158

ONE 158 is set to feature 13 fights this coming Friday, June 3 if all things go according to plan, and five mixed martial arts (MMA) fights may just have enough potential to steal the show from the headlining matchup of ONE Muay Thai featherweights Tawanchai PK. Saenchai and Niclas Larsen.

Kwon Won Il vs. Fabricio Andrade

The co-main event of ONE 158 will see a possible knockout showcase in the form of bantamweight contenders Kwon Won Il and Fabricio Andrade.

Both men have been drumming up hype for their respective careers as they are coming off stellar knockout victories against Filipinos Kevin Belingon and Jeremy Pacatiw respectively.

Other than a performance bonus awaiting the winner of this highly-anticipated matchup, whoever comes out on top may also find himself on a date with newly-crowned bantamweight king John Lineker.

No. 2-ranked Kwon’s combination of striking power and speed will clash with the precision and accuracy of the No. 4-seeded Andrade as both men vie for a shot at the title since a Lineker–Bibiano Fernandes rematch may be unlikely to happen.

Reece McLaren vs. Xie Wei

In the flyweight division, Australia’s Reece McLaren is going to want to come out victorious against a young and hungry Xie Wei.

With a ONE record of 7-5, McLaren has the chance to showcase his submission arsenal against the knockout artist in Xie.

The ONE Warrior Series product is currently one of the hottest fighters in his division after winning his last three fights by knockout and is on track to go after his fourth against McLaren.

Kairat Akhmetov vs. Tatsumitsu Wada

No. 2-ranked flyweight Kairat Akhmetov will be taking on Japan’s Tatsumitsu Wada in which a win for the former could put him in prime position for a title shot in the near future.

Akhmetov has steamrolled his past four opponents, including Team Lakay stalwart Danny Kingad and respected grappler McLaren, and has put himself in the conversation for a shot at Adriano Moraes’ flyweight title.

As for Wada, he will be looking to regain his footing within the promotion after having a 5-4 record, the most recent being a unanimous decision win over China’s Wang Shuo.

With Akhmetov’s wrestling skills being put to the test by Wada’s versatile striking, this fight certainly has potential to steal the show early on in the card.

Alex Silva vs. Adrian Mattheis

ONE veteran Alex Silva gets a chance to rectify his most recent loss against Adrian Mattheis when the two square up in the headlining fight of the lead card for ONE 158.

“The Papua Bad Boy” pulled off one of the upsets of the night at ONE: Lights Out last March 11 when he put his MMA idol to sleep within the first five seconds of the second round.

Silva felt like the referee’s stoppage was premature and now the pair get to square off again at ONE 158.

The win netted Mattheis the biggest victory of his career and will look to repeat the feat, further showing his improved striking game since he first entered the organization in August 2016.

Jenelyn Olsim vs. Julie Mezabarba

The Philippines’ Jenelyn Olsim will have her shot at redemption as she takes on fellow ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix participant Julie Mezabarba.

Olsim saw her opportunity get snuffed out by Ritu Phogat, while Mezabarba was taken out by eventual tournament winner Stamp Fairtex in the semifinals.

For both women, getting the win this coming Friday, June 3 is going to be of massive importance as they look to make the climb back to possible contender status.