Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Shanghai hosts first-ever ONE Championship

ONE Championship has made a major statement in the Chinese mixed martial arts scene by announcing its first MMA event in Shanghai this coming September 2.

In making the announcement, ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong states, "There is always a tremendous atmosphere and excitement when ONE Championship visits China, and it is a delight to finally announce our maiden event in the beautiful city of Shanghai. We are coming at you live and ready to showcase the world's most authentic display of martial arts."

To take place at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, ONE Championship: Shanghai will feature a title defense for a main event that is packed with the absolute best in world-class martial arts talent, as Ben "Funky" Askren will be facing off against Zebaztian "The Bandit" Kadestam for the ONE Welterweight World Championship.

Askren is considered as one of the best welterweights in the MMA scene today, and one might even say is one of best pound-for-pound fighters out there. He currently totes a 16-0 record, making his ONE Championship debut back in May 2014 and then claiming the Welterweight title three months later. Ben is fresh from defending his title with a first round submission win against Agilan Thani this past May.

Challenging Askren for the title is Kadestam, a Swede based in the Philippines armed with a wide array of striking and grappling techniques, which allowed "The Bandit" to erect a 9-3 professional record. Seven of those nine victories came by way of knockout, including the last one that elevated him into the title picture. His upset of Luis "Sapo" Santos got the attention of the ONE matchmakers, which set him up for a title shot.

In revealing the exhilarating main event, Sityodtong says, "The interesting clash of styles should provide fans a solid matchup."

Other matches announced for ONE Championship: Shanghai include:

Former ONE Featherweight World Champion Narantungalag Jadambaa against Tatsuya Yamada
Lightweight prospect Amir Kham against Jaroslav Jartim
Multiple-time Muay Thai champion Saketdao Pephayathai versus Mahmoud Mohamed
"The Sweeping Monk" Chen Geng Min against Peng Xue Wen
Bantamweight prospect Miao Litao against Liu Deli
Xu Chunyan against Eh Ya Nut
A women's flyweight matchup between Miao Jie and Mona Samir
Hometown matchup between Zhang Zehao and Li Chengchao
Bantamweights prospects Marc Marcellinus and Tran Quang Loc

In having its eight event in China since 2014, Sityodtong wants to highlight the nation's "rich cultural history of martial arts" and guarantees that its inaugural Shanghai event will be one to remember.

For further details on ONE Championship: Shanghai and others, check out www.onefc.com.

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