Four MMA Bouts To Watch Out For At Muay Thai-Heavy ONE 157

Eight of the 16 matches slated on the ONE 157 card this Friday, May 20 will be contested under Muay Thai rules, including the respective world title defenses of Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy and Prajanchai P.K. Saenchai Muay Thai Gym as well as the quarterfinal round of the highly-anticipated ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix.

Although the celebrated combat discipline known as “The Art of Eight Limbs” will have the spotlight at the aforementioned live event, bouts from the Singapore-based promotion’s flagship sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) will complete the stacked lineup.

Here are the four MMA fights that fans should look forward to on Friday.

Marcus Almeida vs. Hugo Cunha

Brazilian jiu-jitsu superstar Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida will look to extend his undefeated MMA run on ONE Championship’s next show as he is set to square off against compatriot Hugo Cunha on the main card.

Almeida holds a perfect 2-0 record after making a seemingly seamless transition to the sport, pulling off a successful professional debut opposite fellow Brazilian Anderson “Braddock” Silva via first-round submission in September 2021 and then replicating the same feat nearly three months later by defeat South Korean slugger Kang Ji Won.

The grappling stud was supposed to return to action versus Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane at ONE 156 this past April, but the joust got canceled a few days before fight night due to undisclosed reasons.

Meanwhile, Cunha—who’s also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist—owns a 6-1 standing with a 100% finishing rate.

After suffering his first career loss at the hands of Dustin Joynson in his maiden ONE Championship appearance last February, Cunha is eager to get back in the win column and redeem himself.

Asha Roka vs. Alyse Anderson

The three-round women’s atomweight clash between India’s Asha Roka (4-2) and American vixen Alyse Anderson (5-2) was supposed to be part of ONE X last March, but the organization had to postpone the match-up a few weeks before its historic 10th-year anniversary event.

The outfit confirmed in late April that the intriguing showdown was added to the talent-filled ONE 157.

Both ladies will be looking for their first win under the ONE Championship banner, making it a must-win contest.

Roka has lost her last two outings, falling short in getting her raised in triumph against Stamp Fairtex and Team Lakay’s Gina Iniong. Meanwhile, Anderson bowed out of the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix in September 2021 at the hands of Japanese sensation Itsuki Hirata.

Nat Jaroonsak vs. Zeba Bano

One of the prizefighters to keep an eye on at ONE 157 is Thai heroine Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak, who will be figuring in her first MMA bout versus promotional newcomer Zeba Bano.

Jaroonsak first turned heads as part of the ONE Super Series roster, beating Brooke Farrell and KC Carlos within two rounds.

However, her momentum got derailed when she met Filipina-American striker Jackie Buntan in February 2021, losing by way of a lopsided unanimous decision.

The 23-year-old Bangkok native has finally decided to step away from Muay Thai to focus strictly on her MMA pursuits.

On the other hand, Bano owns a perfect 6-0 record—with four of those victories coming via first-round knockout and another via submission in the second frame.

A win over Jaroonsak will certainly benefit Bano in her future campaigns at strawweight, which has been lorded by division queen Xiong Jing Nan since 2018.

Elipitua Siregar vs. Robin Catalan

Filipino journeyman Robin Catalan (10-7) is scheduled to face Indonesian prospect Elipitua Siregar (4-2) in the curtain-raiser of ONE 157.

Ever since making his promotional debut in ONE Championship back in 2018, Siregar has utilized his grappling to rattle off four victories.

Moreover, the Indonesian finished all four opponents–three via rear-naked choke and another one by stoppage.

A victory for Catalan over the highly-touted Siregar would be huge for the Filipino’s stock as he seeks to break into the strawweight rankings.

Consistency has been lacking on the part of Catalan, alternating between wins and losses since 2018.

How to watch

The full event stream will be available on watch.onefc.com and the ONE Super App beginning with the lead card at 5:00 a.m. EST/2:00 a.m. PST.

Meanwhile, the main card will broadcast live through the previously-mentioned streaming channels at 8:30 a.m. EST/5:30 a.m. PST.

ONE 157 is set to take place at the 12,000-seater Singapore Indoor Stadium.