ONE Championship is celebrating its 100th live show later this year by bringing three title fights to Tokyo at ONE Championship: Century.
To mark the occasion of ONE Championship’s 100th live event, the promotion has announced that it will return to Tokyo, Japan. ONE Championship: Century will feature a rematch between ‘Unstoppable’ Angela Lee, the organization’s atomweight champ, and Xiong Jing Nan, with the atomweight title on the line. Additionally, Aung La N Sang will defend his light heavyweight championship against Brandon Vera, ONE’s heavyweight champ. And Bibiano Fernandes will defend his bantamweight title against Kevin Belingon.
Interestingly, Lee (9-1) was originally booked for a strawweight fight against Michelle Nicolini at ONE Championship: Masters of Destiny later this month. It looks as if that fight has fallen by the wayside, to facilitate the rematch between Lee and Xiong Jing Nan, the only woman to defeat her (UPDATE: Lee is remaining on the Masters of Destiny card).
Aung La N Sang (25-10, 1NC), meanwhile, has won six straight fights, and positioned himself as one of the biggest home-grown stars in ONE Championship. Along the way, he’s captured the promotion’s middleweight and light heavyweight titles. The fight against Vera will be his first defense of the light heavyweight belt.
Vera (16–7 (1)) has won all four of his bouts since parting ways with the UFC and joining ONE Championship. He captured the inaugural ONE heavyweight title in 2015, and has defended it twice.
Bibiano Fernandes (23–4) will meet Kevin Belingon (20-6) for the fourth time under the ONE banner at ONE Championship: Century. The pair’s last bout ended in a DQ win for Fernandes, which saw him reclaim the title after losing it to Belingon in a split decision in their previous bout.
Overall, Fernandes leads the pair’s career series 2-1. It’s rare, however, to see fighters face off in three consecutive fights.
“I am thrilled to announce that ONE Championship is set to throw the biggest martial arts event in history this October in Tokyo, Japan. ONE Championship has come a long way since 2011 and is ushering in a new era for martial arts across the globe,” ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong said in a press release Monday. “ONE: CENTURY 世紀 is our historic 100th live event. Set at the iconic Ryōgoku Kokugikan, three World Championship bouts are scheduled to take place alongside three World Grand Prix Championships. In addition, ONE Championship will be holding the inaugural World Martial Arts Week, which kicks off with our very first ONE Martial Arts Fan Fest. The biggest and brightest stars of ONE Championship are ready to shine in Tokyo, and fans will surely not want to miss the festivities.”
In an interesting twist, the promotion has also announced a series of “Japan Super Bouts,” which will see four Shooto World Champions going head-to-head with four Pancrase World Champions. The winners of each fight will pick up $50,000 U.S. in prize money.
ONE Championship: Century will take place October 13 at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.
