ONE Championship: Ariel Sexton, Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev Move Forward in Lightweight Grand Prix

By
Jay Anderson
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Ariel Sexton ONE Championship
Ariel Sexton Credit: ONE Championship

Lightweights stole the show at Call to Greatness, as Ariel Sexton and Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev came up with big finishes to move forward in ONE Championship’s lightweight grand prix.

Following Friday’s ONE Championship show in Singapore, Call to Greatness, one thing was clear: the lightweight grand prix was the star of the show. Though topped by a Muay Thai title fight between Stamp Fairtex and Janet Todd, the grand prix format upped the stakes, and brought out the best in the lightweight competitors.

Case in point, Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev. A focus in our Weekly MMA Prospect report this week due to his explosive nature, Arslanaliev came out firing on all cylinders at Call the Greatness. Paired up against Ev Ting, a former title challenger in ONE, the Dagestani fighting out of Turkey took just twenty-five seconds to finish Ting.

Next up, in the co-main event, the second lightweight grand prix quarterfinal of the night saw Amir Khan find success early. However, Ariel Sexton survived the storm on the feet, and on the ground, he was able to wear Khan down. By the third, Singapore’s Khan was tiring, and Sexton was able to take the back, sinking in the rear-naked choke and earning the tap.

His win moves him forward in the tournament, where he’ll meet Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev. That is an exciting pairing, and the winner of their semi-final fight could end up facing Eddie Alvarez when all is said and done.

For full results and a replay of today’s live stream from the event, head on over to our ONE Championship: Call to Greatness results page.

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