Three title fights top the marquee, as well as the long-awaited trilogy bout between former middleweight champs Aung La N Sang and Vitaly Bigdash.

Promotion officialls announced the full card in a press release distributed on Thursday.

Anchoring the main event at Full Circle will be a middleweight title fight between Reinier de Ridder and Kiamrian Abbasov. Known as “The Dutch Knight,” de Ridder (14-0) shocked fight fans by beating N Sang in two consecutive fights in 2020 and 2021, capturing both the middleweight and light heavyweight titles in the process.

In his first defense of either title, Reinier de Ridder draws Abbasov (23-4), winner of five straight, four under the ONE Championship banner. That run includes wins over former UFC title challenger Yushin Okami, and former ONE champ Zebastian Kadestam.

Aung La N Sang (27-12, 1NC) returned to the win column last year, with a knockout of Brazilian Leandro Ataides helping put the dual losses to de Ridder in the rear view mirror. Overall, “The Burmese Python” is 8-2 in his past 10 fights. Rival Vitaly Bigdash (11-2) ended a multi-year hiatus in 2021, with a win over Fan Rong.

The career series between N Sang and Bigdash currently sits at one win apiece. Bigdash won their first meeting in January 2017 by unanimous decision. Three judges saw the fight in favor of Aung La in the rematch later that year.

ONE Championship: Full Circle will also feature a light heavyweight kickboxing title fight between champ Roman Kryklia and Murat Aygun. That fight serves as the evening’s co-main event, while Petchmorakot Petchyindee defends his featherweight Muay Thai title against #1 ranked Jamal Yusupov earlier on the card.

Also appearing at the event, former WSOF champ and UFC fighter David Branch (22-7). He’ll make his promotional debut against Leandro Ataides.

ONE: Full Circle takes place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore on Friday, March 25, 2022. The full card as announced can be found below.

ONE: FULL CIRCLE

Friday, 25 February 2022

MAIN CARD

ONE Middleweight World Championship
(C) Reinier de Ridder vs. Kiamrian Abbasov
Middleweight: 84.0 KG – 93.0 KG

ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Championship
(C) Roman Kryklia vs. Murat Aygun
Light Heavyweight: 93.1 KG – 102.1 KG

ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Championship
(C) Petchmorakot Petchyindee vs. (1) Jamal Yusupov
Featherweight: 65.9 KG – 70.3 KG

Mixed Martial Arts
Aung La N Sang vs. Vitaly Bigdash
Middleweight: 84.0 KG – 93.0 KG

Kickboxing
Enriko Kehl vs. (5) Tayfun Ozcan
Featherweight: 65.9 KG – 70.3 KG

Mixed Martial Arts
(4) Fabricio Andrade vs. Jeremy Pacatiw
Bantamweight: 61.3 KG – 65.8 KG

LEAD CARD

Mixed Martial Arts
Leandro Ataides vs. David Branch
Middleweight: 84.0 KG – 93.0 KG

Kickboxing
Guto Inocente vs. Bruno Susano
Heavyweight: 102.2 KG – 120.2 KG

Mixed Martial Arts
Zebaztian Kadestam vs. Valmir Da Silva
Welterweight: 77.2 KG – 83.9 KG

Muay Thai
Chris Shaw vs. Vladimir Kuzmin
Bantamweight: 61.3 KG – 65.8 KG

Muay Thai
Diandra Martin vs. Smilla Sundell
Catchweight: 58.0 KG

Mixed Martial Arts
Yuri Simoes vs. Daniyal Zainalov
Middleweight: 84.0 KG – 93.0 KG

Kickboxing
Jiduo Yibu vs. Daniel Puertas
Flyweight: 56.8 KG – 61.2 KG

Mixed Martial Arts
Rahul Raju vs. Drex Zamboanga
Lightweight: 70.4 KG – 77.1 KG

The post ONE Championship: Full Circle Includes Reinier de Ridder vs. Kiamrian Abbasov, Aung La N Sang vs. Vitaly Bigdash III appeared first on Cageside Press.

David Branch is the second UFC fighter this week to be hit with a two-year ban from mixed martial arts. Branch, a former World Series of Fighting middleweight and light heavyweight champion, tested positive for ipamorelin, a growth hormone, in an out-of-competition drug test administered by USADA on May 24, 2019.

The substance is banned at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, administered by USADA (the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency), which announced the news via press release.

Per USADA’s press release,

“Ipamorelin is a potent Growth Hormone Secretagogue that stimulates the brain to release human growth hormone and is used by athletes as a performance-enhancing drug. The use of prohibited peptides by athletes and consumers for performance or physique enhancement purposes (including recovery from injury) poses serious health risks, and these peptides are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for human use or consumption.”

It’s the latest in a number of lengthy bans for UFC athletes. Sarah Frota was hit with a two-year suspension earlier this week, while one week prior, Dmitrii Smoliakov was hit with the same fate. Last month, longtime UFC fighter C.B. Dollaway was also handed a two-year ban.

For Branch (22–6), who turns 38 later this month, the suspension is especially problematic. Branch’s ban is backdated to July 26, 2019, the date of his provisional suspension. He’ll be looking at 40 head-on when he returns, and may not have much time left in the sport.

Update: Branch has subsequently been released from his UFC contract. The development was first reported by Mike Russell of Real Fight Stories.

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The injury to David Branch was initially reported by MMA Junkie’s Nolan King, while the new Marvin Vettori vs. Andrew Sanchez bout at UFC Vancouver was reported by MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin.

The extent of David Branch’s injury is unknown at this time. He was looking to bounce back from a two-fight losing streak and improve his 2-3 record in the Octagon in his current stint.

Stepping in for Branch is Marvin Vettori, who is on the upswing after a brief USADA suspension. The Italian bounced back from spending over a year on the shelf by defeating Cezar Ferreira in an entertaining fight last month. Vettori is 3-2-1 in the Octagon including a razor-close fight with interim champion Israel Adesanya.

Andrew Sanchez is a wrestler through and through who earned a shot at The Ultimate Fighter after accumulating a 7-2 record and acquiring the RFA middleweight title. Sanchez ran through the show and defeated Khalil Rountree to win the show. Since then, he is 3-2, most recently defeating Canadian prospect Marc-Andre Barriault.

Vettori will quickly go from fighting a submission-first grappler in Ferreira, to a wrestling-based grappler in Sanchez. Both following a fight against one of the UFC’s finest strikers in Israel Adesanya. He’s certainly been getting a taste of the wide world of mixed martial arts lately.

UFC Vancouver takes place on September 14 from the Rogers Arena in British Colombia, Canada. Headlining the card is a highly-anticipated fight between fan-favorites Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Justin Gaethje. Also reported today was a bout between top Canadian prospect Brad Katona taking on Hunter Azure, and Michel Pereira vs. Sergey Khandozhko was officially announced.

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Middleweight contender David Branch returns to action at UFC Vancouver, when he faces Andrew Sanchez. MMA Junkie were the first to report the booking.

Branch, 37, is in desperate need of a victory having lost his last two bouts. The Renzo Gracie black-belt was finished with strikes against short-notice replacement Jared Cannoiner at UFC 230, and most recently was submitted in 49 seconds to top-ranked contender Jack Hermansson at UFC on ESPN 2. Branch is a former WSOF middleweight and light heavyweight champion. Since re-joining the UFC back in 2017, however, he has a losing record at 2-3, with losses to the aforementioned Cannoiner, Hermansson and former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. Branch does hold a knockout victory over upcoming title-challenger Thiago Santos.

Sanchez, 31, has the momentum in this bout, as he is coming off back-to-back unanimous decision wins. In his most recent appearance, Sanchez overcame adversity to defeat former TKO two-weight champion Marc-Andre Barriault last month. In his UFC career, Sanchez is 4-2. His biggest win so far was over surging light heavyweight Khalil Rountree, who he defeated by unanimous decision. The win over Rountree was the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 23 – which was contested at light heavyweight.

UFC Vancouver (UFC Fight Night 158) does not currently have a venue, but it does have a date which is September 14. The current bouts are as follows:

• Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Uriah Hall – middleweight.
• Augusto Sakai vs. Marcin Tybura – heavyweight. 
• David Branch vs. Andrew Sanchez – middleweight.

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UFC Philadelphia offered us one promise: violence. The card delivered just that. With a main event like Justin Gaethje and Edson Barboza, people thought the card would be top-heavy. Instead, we got a card filled with every thing we could ever want. Point deductions, submissions, and knockouts. Let’s look at the fighters and what’s next for them.

Sodiq Yusuff Prevails in his Second UFC Appearance

Coming off the Contender Series and a great promotional debut, Nigerian-born Sodiq Yusuff had plenty of eyes on him going into his second fight in the big show. Yusuff looked good, controlling the fight and getting a unanimous decision victory over a quality opponent in Sheymon Moraes. Yusuff did not come out and brawl like some people expected. Instead, the 25-year-old featherweight was patient and calculated. He showed he belongs in the UFC and has a bright future ahead of him.

Sheymon Moraes didn’t look bad against “Super” Sodiq. He managed to control some of the fight and even managed to win a round. But, Yusuff was just too much for the Brazilian. Moraes dropped to 11-3 with his other losses being to Marlon Moraes and Zabit Magomedsharipov. Not bad company to be in if you’re Sodiq Yusuff.

Next opponent for Sodiq Yusuff: Bryce Mitchell, Kevin Aguilar
Next Opponent for Sheymon Moraes: Rick Glenn, Chas Skelly

Paul Craig Submits Kennedy Nzechukwu with a Slick Triangle

Paul Craig came into UFC Philadelphia on a controversial loss to Jimmy Crute at UFC Adelaide last December. He took on a second Contender Series signee, Kennedy Nzechukwu. Craig was not intimidated by Nzechukwu’s size. Marching forward the whole fight, Craig shot takedown after takedown, exposing Nzechukwu’s weak spot. After nearly locking up a couple of armbars early on, Craig finally sunk in that submission and had everyone from Scotland yelling one thing:

https://giphy.com/gifs/freedom-braveheart-musical-theater-6901DbEbbm4o0

Kennedy Nzechukwu had a tougher time with Paul Craig. Getting caught in several submission attempts, which was ultimately his demise, Nzechukwu struggled with Craig’s relentless pressure. With multiple warnings about grabbing the fence and having a point deducted for eye pokes, Nzechukwu showed his green-ness in his UFC debut. While he has the skill and size to be something special in the cage, he just needs a little more time and experience to make his rise to the top of the light heavyweight division.

Next Opponent for Paul Craig: Smilin’ Sam Alvey, Gian Villante
Next Opponent for Kennedy Nzechukwu: Deron Winn, Adam Milstead

Michelle Waterson Making Her Statement at Strawweight

Fan-favorite Michelle Waterson came in and put on a clinic against Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Waterson won 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards. Waterson showed good patience and didn’t fret during Kowalkiewicz’s pressure. The Karate Hottie showed she’s ready for a title-eliminator fight and will likely get one in the near future.

Karolina suffered her second straight loss for the second time in her career. While she still shows promise at strawweight, Kowalkiewicz will have to take a longer road to a title shot than Waterson from this point on in their careers. It might be time for Karolina to add a few new tools to her toolbox, which she surely will.

Next Opponent for Michelle Waterson: Tatiana Suarez/Nina Ansaroff Loser, Rose Namajunas/Jessica Andrade Loser
Next Opponent for Karolina Kowalkiewicz: Weili Zhang, Cynthia Calvillo

Josh Emmett Rebounds in Dramatic Fashion

If it seems like it’s been a year since Josh Emmett was brutally knocked out and hospitalized with major facial injuries, it’s because it was a year. Emmett made his return to the cage against a tough opponent in Michael Johnson. Johnson presented problems to Emmett in size coming down from lightweight. Emmett struggled to find his range at first but pushed the pace all fight. Finally, that shot landed and he knocked out Michael Johnson in a highlight-reel worthy knockout.

After two wins over Andre Fili and Artem Lobov, Johnson was looking to get a win over a top ten opponent at 145 and make his statement in the featherweight division. While he looked good for most of the fight, one mistake is all it takes. Johnson got caught late in the third in a fight he would have likely won. While he didn’t get the win he wanted, he will likely get another shot at a ranked opponent at featherweight.

Next Opponent for Josh Emmett: Yair Rodriguez, Renato Moicano
Next Opponent for Michael Johnson: Ricardo Lamas, Mirsad Bektic

Jack Hermansson Makes Quick Work of David Branch. Under a Minute Quick

We didn’t get to see much of Jack Hermansson. He took a big step taking on #11 ranked middleweight, David Branch. While Branch is up there in age, he’s still a force to be reckoned with. Hermansson was not scared. He submitted Branch in 49 seconds and put himself in the conversation as a future contender in the middleweight division.

Branch lost his third out of four fights to Hermansson and, like Jack, we didn’t get to see much of him. At 37-years-old, fans have no choice but to question if Branch’s time is up in mixed martial arts. While we may need to see one last goodbye fight, Branch’s days are likely numbered. UFC Philadelphia won’t be his last.

Next Opponent for Jack Hermansson: Paulo Costa, Chris Weidman
Next Opponent for David Branch: Uriah Hall, Tom Breese

Violence

Justin Gaethje fought last weekend, if you guys didn’t know. The MMA gods promised us violence and we got it. Gaethje traded leg kicks with Edson Barboza, nothing a mere mortal could withstand. In typical Gaethje fashion, he put down Edson with a wild hook. It was all we wanted and more. Honestly, there was no point in scheduling that fight for more than one round everyone knew it wasn’t leaving the first. Gaethje looked fearless as usual. His pressure forced Edson to exit an exchange with his hands down on more than one occasion.

Edson Barboza got the raw end of the deal at UFC Philadelphia. No one wanted either of these fighters to lose, but one was destined to. Barboza did his usual, murderous leg kicks, spinning kicks, big power shots. It just wasn’t enough for the win. Barboza will live on to dazzle fans another day.

Next Opponent for Justin Gaethje: Cowboy Cerrone/Al Iaquinta winner, Tony Ferguson
Next Opponent for Edson Barboza: Alexander Hernandez, Paul Felder

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Jack Hermansson went on an eight-fight run in Europe to earn a spot in the UFC. “The Joker” defended the Cage Warriors middleweight belt twice on that run. The Swedish middleweight has been active since signing with the promotion in 2016, going 5-2 with stoppages in his last four victories (winning his last two fights). His losses have come to Brazilian standouts Thiago Santos and Cezar Ferreira.

David Branch was a member of the UFC roster way back in 2010 and 2011. After a 2-2 stint, Branch fought elsewhere and excelled. The New Yorker went 10-0 in WSOF, ending his run there as both their light heavyweight and middleweight champion. He defended both belts twice before re-joining the UFC in 2017. Branch is 2-2 in his current stint, with a knockout victory against current light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos.

Round one started fast, Jack Hermansson started out throwing quick hands. He then got a nice foot sweep and looked for the guillotine as Branch tried to get up, and he got the choke in deep. Branch tried to get out, but couldn’t. In under a minute, Jack Hermansson secured himself a top-15 ranking in the middleweight division. A three-fight win streak and a submission of this magnitude against a well-respected opponent like Branch all but guarantees that there will be a number next to Hermansson’s name next week.

Submission!@JackTheJokerMMA gets the first round arm-in guillotine finish! Wow! #UFCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/tXdd1L60kQ

— UFC (@ufc) March 31, 2019

Jack Hermansson def. David Branch by Submission (Guillotine) in Round 1 (0:49)

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Wilmington, DE — When David Branch returns to action at UFC Philadelphia, the second UFC on ESPN show in the promotion’s new U.S. broadcast deal, he’ll arguably have a bigger spotlight on him than in his last fight, at UFC 230 in Madison Square Garden. That’s due to the fact that Branch’s fight, airing on the flagship ESPN station, has been slotted in as the evening’s co-main event. A former two-division champ (middleweight and light heavyweight) in the WSOF, Branch in taking on the talented Jack Hermannson.

He’ll be doing it, hopefully, without the distractions that plagued him in his last fight. Those, Branch explained to media members including Cageside Press at the UFC Philadelphia media day on Wednesday.

The last fight, of course, was Jared Cannonier at UFC 230. “Not to take anything away from my opponent, he beat me, it was a beautiful right hand he landed on the inside, found the opening,” Branch said of the loss. But, he pointed out, “emotionally, I was just not there. I felt it during the walk. I was trying to get that fire. It’s not that I lost the fight, it was so much happening during the lead-up. There was a lot of things I was going through personally, a lot of things I was going through with family.” Plus an opponent change.

“It’s a learning process, you have to remain focused no matter what things are happening, because life can come at you at any time,” he added.

Referring to nights like that as an “emptiness,” he explained it as, “you’re just kind of in a limbo state. You’re not reacting, you’re not on the task.” At UFC 230, Branch said “I was thinking about the failures, what if I lose my ranking, this guy’s not ranked, I’ve got nothing to win. I thought about all of those things instead of just thinking about the task at hand, which is the most important thing.”

“I’ve been in a lot of fights, and I’ve been through things like that in sparring sessions,” he continued. “For me, I just went into automatic pilot, and I just was fighting. And that’s not the way I fight. I like to use my brain. I like to be exciting, go for devastating finishes, but also use intelligence first. That wasn’t the most intelligent approach [against Cannonier].”

The big question, then, is how he tunes it all out. Which seems to be recognizing that “I don’t have any control over those things. I only can focus on the things that I have control over.”

Which would include “my preparation, how I train, how I eat, how I sleep, the people that I surround myself [with], my coaches. These are the things that I have control over. These things ultimately manifest into greater things. I can’t, two months before the fight, start thinking about what ifs. Because you can’t control those things.”

Branch has tackled the issues with his coaches. “These people have experience. They’re men who’ve been in the game, they’ve received punches, they’ve been under the stress of combat. They understand. They’re able to relate and translate these things to me, and I’m receptive to them.”

Cannonier has moved on to a match-up with Anderson Silva in May. Branch, meanwhile, looks to right the ship against Hermannson at UFC Philadelphia this Saturday.

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Jared Cannonier continues to lose weight, going from heavyweight in his first two UFC fights in 2015/2016, then fighting at 205 pounds for five fights, and now will be making his middleweight debut. He comes in on a two-fight losing streak after falling to Jan Blachowicz and Dominick Reyes. Cannonier cut his camp off two weeks short to take this fight on short notice.

David Branch is 2-1 in his current UFC run after dominating in WSOF, serving as a two-division champion. A main event loss to Luke Rockhold prevented him from a top-five spot, but he was able to rebound with a knockout victory against Thiago Santos. He was originally set to fight Jacare Souza on this card, but Souza was bumped to the UFC 230 main event.

Cannonier landed a leg kick right away, then Branch landed a power double leg. Cannonier stood up, landed a few downward elbows, then was taken down again. Cannonier popped up again then landed a knee and threw a flurry at Branch, who defended well. Branch landed another takedown against the cage and began working to get the back of Cannonier. The former heavyweight worked his way up, then landed an elbow on the exit. Branch misfired on another takedown attempt then threw a leg kick. Branch focused on developing his jab, then landed another takedown after a brief hold-up against the cage. Cannonier stood up, broke free, then fired a combination that was capped off by a wheel kick. The round ended with Branch shooting for a takedown against the cage.

Cannonier landed a leg kick, then stuffed a takedown. Branch caught him with a right hand, but Cannonier ate it and knocked Branch down with a right hand of his own. Cannonier pounced on Branch and threw a barrage of punches to earn a stoppage.

Jared Cannonier def. David Branch by TKO (Punches) in Round 2 (0:29)

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The shuffling of the deck at UFC 230 means David Branch is getting a new opponent. Thanks to Luke Rockhold being forced off the card due to injury (several, actually), Jacare Souza was bumped up to the co-main event opposite Chris Weidman. That left fellow middleweight Branch without a dance partner, as he was originally set to meet Souza. Enter Jared Cannonier. He’ll take on Branch, as was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

Cannonier (10-4) will be making his debut in a third weight class in the UFC in the fight. Originally scheduled to face Alessio Di Chirico at 185lbs in November at UFC Fight Night 140, the timetable for his middleweight debut moves forward a couple weeks. Cannonier started out his UFC career at heavyweight, only to drop to light heavyweight after going 1-1 in the heaviest division. At 205lbs Cannonier went 2-3, but is coming off back-to-back losses against Jan Blachowicz and Dominick Reyes.

David Branch (22-4), meanwhile, is coming off a knockout win over Thiago Santos at UFC Atlantic City in April. The former two-division WSOF champion is currently on a 12-1 streak, with his only loss coming to former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.

UFC 230 takes place November 30 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

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A key middleweight bout appears set for Madison Square Garden in New York this Fall. As first reported by ESPN, David Branch will take on Jacare Souza at UFC 230. Branch has been campaigning for the fight for a while now, and it appears his efforts have paid off.

Yo @JacareMMA I have to order this imitation shit, let me eat some live alligator. Let’s get this done in São Paulo Brazil! @danawhite @Mickmaynard2 @arielhelwani @espn @MMAFighting @MMAjunkieJohn pic.twitter.com/NOihqjTePc

— David Branch (@DavidcBranchMMA) July 1, 2018

Branch (22–4), a dual-weight champion back in the WSOF, has gone 2-1 in his current UFC run. Branch, who also fought for the promotion in 2010-2011, has picked up wins over Krzysztof Jotko and most recently Thiago Santos, the latter a blistering KO. His only loss of late came against former middleweight champ Luke Rockhold.

Holding gold at middleweight and light heavyweight in the WSOF, Branch has been fighting exclusively at 185lbs since making his UFC return.

Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza (25–6 (1)), himself a former Strikeforce middleweight champion, has been trading wins and losses across his past four fights. Last time out, he dropped a close split decision to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 224.

UFC 230 takes place November 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. No main event has been announced for the card as of yet.

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