But it was longtime Japanese standout Shinya Aoki who stole the show in the end. The lightweight previously competed for the likes of DEEP, PRIDE, and DREAM, and holds wins over George Sotiropoulos, Caol Uno, Eddie Alvarez, Mizuto Hirota, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and Antonio McKee, among others. A former ONE lightweight champ, Aoki returned Saturday to earn a first-round submission against James Nakashima, who had challenged for welterweight gold one fight prior. The standing rear-naked choke was the third straight victory for the 37-year old, who shows no signs of slowing down.

Check below for full results from the event, as well as a gallery of highlights.

ONE Championship: Unbreakable Results:

Capitan Petchyindee Academy def. Alaverdi Ramazanov (c) by knockout, Round 2, 1:56 – for the ONE bantamweight kickboxing championship
Shinya Aoki def. James Nakashima by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:42
Rade Opacic def. Bruno Susano by TKO, Round 2, 1:11
Gadzhimurad Abdulaev def. Zebaztian Kadestam by submission (face crank), Round 1, 2:08
Meng Bo def. Samara Santos by unanimous decision
Lito Adiwang def. Namiki Kawahara by knockout, Round 2, 2:02

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ONE Championship’s first event of 2021 went down live on Friday in Kallang, Singapore, and one of the standouts on the six-fight card was Japanese veteran Shinya Aoki. Aoki, a PRIDE and Dream veteran, has long been one of the best lightweights out of Japan. Not to mention one of the best lightweights outside the major promotions.

He reminded MMA fans why, picking up his third straight victory, this time against James Nakashima in the co-main event of ONE: Unbreakable. Nakashima, a former welterweight title challenger in the organization, was moving down a weight class for the fight.

Aoki opened the affair with a number of high kicks, connecting to the body several times. That led to a clinch along the cage, with Nakashima in control initially. But it was Aoki breaking free, and later landing a sharp right hand. It wasn’t too long after that that Aoki mounted the back of his opponent, while still standing. Soon enough, he had a body triangle locked in. The rear-naked choke, at a nasty-looking angle, locked in seconds later, and Nakashima quickly tapped!

Shinya Aoki 🇯🇵 becomes the all-time submission leader in ONE with a SLICK rear-naked choke against James Nakashima! @a_ok_i #ONEUnbreakable #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship

How to watch ONE: UNBREAKABLE 👉 https://t.co/d5xA7Pby8N pic.twitter.com/lwqBrAF5BY

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) January 22, 2021

The win, Aoki’s 46th, put him in the lead for most submissions in ONE Championship history, with eight. The 37-year old veteran looked sharp throughout the fight, and appears to have no plan to slow down just yet. The Japanese star was seen wearing a shirt following the bout proclaiming “age is just a number.”

Official Result: Shinya Aoki def. James Nakashima by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:42

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Alaverdi Ramazanov was squared up against Capitan Petchyindee Academy in the main event of ONE: Unbreakable in Kallang, Singapore. Ramazanov’s ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title was on the line, against a dangerous foe in the Thai native, who held the record for fastest knockout in ONE Championship history.

For those seeking their mixed martial arts fix, the Unbreakable card also had a handful of familiar names. Two former champions were in action on Friday: Shina Aoki faced off with former title challenger James Nakashima in the co-main event, for starters. The 37-year old from Japan had put together two wins (one outside the promotion) since losing his lightweight title to Christian Lee in 2019. Nakashima, meanwhile, looked bounce back from a loss to Kiamrian Abbasov for ONE’s welterweight title — and was dropping to lightweight to meet Aoki in the process.

The other ex-champ on the card, Zebaztian Kadestam, had a tough test as well in the form of Russia’s Gadzhimurad Abdulaev.

Results from Friday’s card, which gets underway at 7:30AM ET, can be found below. Where available, the live stream is above.

ONE Championship: Unbreakable Results:

Capitan Petchyindee Academy def. Alaverdi Ramazanov (c) by knockout, Round 2, 1:56 – for the ONE bantamweight kickboxing championship
Shinya Aoki def. James Nakashima by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:42
Rade Opacic def. Bruno Susano by TKO, Round 2, 1:11
Gadzhimurad Abdulaev def. Zebaztian Kadestam by submission (face crank), Round 1, 2:08
Meng Bo def. Samara Santos by unanimous decision
Lito Adiwang def. Namiki Kawahara by knockout, Round 2, 2:02

The post ONE Championship: Unbreakable Live Stream and Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

ONE: Unbreakable will be headlined by ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing action, as ONE World Champion Alaverdi “Babyface Killer” Ramazanov puts his belt on the line against Thailand’s Capitan Petchyindee Academy.

On the MMA side of things, meanwhile, Shinya Aoki (45-9, 1NC), the former ONE lightweight champion, will go up against America’s James Nakashima (12-1). After coming up short in a bid for the promotion’s welterweight title, Nakashima will be making the move to lightweight here.

Aoki vs. Nakashima will serve as the card’s co-main event. ONE Championship officials announced the news in a press release Tuesday.

Also set for ONE Championship’s Unbreakable event, former welterweight champ Zebaztian Kadestam (12-5) will face undefeated Russian standout Gadzhimurad Abdulaev (5-0).

The full bout list for ONE Championship: Unbreakable, which will take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore can be found below.

ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship
(C) Alaverdi Ramazanov vs. (2) Capitan Petchyindee Academy
Bantamweight: 61.3 KG – 65.8 KG

Mixed Martial Arts
(4) Shinya Aoki vs. James Nakashima
Lightweight: 70.4 KG – 77.1 KG

Kickboxing
Rade Opacic vs. Patrick Schmid
Heavyweight: 102.2 KG – 120.2 KG

Mixed Martial Arts
Zebaztian Kadestam vs. Gadzhimurad Abdulaev
Welterweight: 77.2 KG – 83.9 KG

Mixed Martial Arts
(2) Meng Bo vs. Samara Santos
Atomweight: 47.7 KG – 52.2 KG

Mixed Martial Arts
Hexigetu vs. Lito Adiwang
Strawweight: 52.3 KG – 56.7 KG

ONE: Unbreakable II and ONE: Unbreakable III will be filmed the same night, and air on January 29 and February 5. Heavyweight action will headline Unbreakable II, in the form of Mauro Cerilli vs. Abdulbasir Vagabov. Unbreakable III will be topped by Stamp Fairtex vs. Alyona Rassohyna, also under the MMA rule set.

The post Former Champs Aoki, Kadestam Return at ONE Championship: Unbreakable appeared first on Cageside Press.

Abbasov (23-4) was making the first defense of the title he won from Zebaztian Kadestam at Inside the Matrix II. He did so in style, knocking the American fighter out in the fourth round. That improved Abbasov’s current win streak to five, which includes victories of UFC veteran Yushin Okami, and ONE regular Agilan Thani.

Full results from the event, which aired via tape delay on Friday, and a gallery of highlights from all five fights can be found below. ONE Championship’s next event, Inside the Matrix III, airs this Friday, November 13.

ONE Championship: Inside the Matrix II Results

Kiamrian Abbasov (c) def. James Nakashima by TKO (Strikes), Round 4, 3:27 – for the ONE welterweight world championship
Timofey Nastyukhin def. Pieter Buist by Unanimous Decision
Yuya Wakamatsu def. Kim Kyu Sung by KO (Punch), Round 1, 1:46
Eko Roni Saputra def. Ramon Gonzales by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), Round 1, 4:07
Meng Bo def. Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol by KO (Punch), Round 1, 1:26

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The crown jewel of the event was a welterweight title fight, featuring current champion Kiamrian Abbasov making his first title defense against the up-and-coming James Nakashima. A prospect to watch for some time now, the undefeated Nakashima was looking to break into the big time with the first major title of his career.

Also on the card, the potential of a title shot awaited the winner of the lightweight showdown between Pieter Buist and Timofey Nastyukhin. Buist, a standout Dutch fighter, was labeled one to watch by none other than his countryman and striking legend Melvin Manhoef. Nastyukhin meanwhile might be best remembered for crushing former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez when “The Underground King” made his ONE Championship debut last year.

The Inside the Matrix II broadcast kicks off at 7:30 AM ET. Full results can be found below. A live stream of all the action can be found above, where available.

ONE Championship: Inside the Matrix II Results

Kiamrian Abbasov (c) def. James Nakashima by TKO, Round 4, 3:27 – for the ONE welterweight world championship
Timofey Nastyukhin def. Pieter Buist by unanimous decision
Yuya Wakamatsu def. Kim Kyu Sung by knockout, Round 1, 1:46
Eko Roni Saputra def. Ramon Gonzales by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:07
Meng Bo def. Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol by knockout, Round 1, 1:26

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This Thursday, Bellator is back with a number of big prospects. Two — Sumiko Inaba and Jaylon Bates — will be making their pro debut. Others, including Austin Vanderford and Alex Polizzi, remain undefeated standouts looking to break into the top half of the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, respectively.

With Brave CF and ONE Championship in action as well, there’s plenty of up-and-comers to keep an eye on this week. Here’s a look!

Brave CF 44 | Thursday | Bahrain

Lightweight, Amin Ayoub (14-4)

24-year-old French fighter Amin Ayoub already has a good amount of fights under his belt. He hasn’t lost a fight in over two years as he’s currently on a six-fight win streak. Ayoub is a European kickboxing champion but eight of his MMA wins come by submission. His takedown defense needs a lot of work but at least he does have a dangerous guard. Ayoub on the feet throws good output and mixes his kicks and punches together well. Not sold on him but he has a lot of talent. He fights the champ Cleiton Silva (15-2).

Welterweight, Louis Glismann (7-1)

Glismann is a top-notch grappler out of Denmark. From the start of the fight, Glismann is very aggressive getting the fight to the mat right away. With a high work ethic in the jiu-jitsu department, Glismann is constantly working to improve position. He’s a high-level grappler easily passing guard and flowing on top. He has good ground and pound and is a really dangerous submission threat. He fights Abdoul Abdouraguimov (11-1) who is a good test.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQJ90CTmyto&t=2s&ab_channel=62Mongoose

Lightweight, John Brewin (6-1)

After suffering his first loss nearly two years ago, Brewin has won his last two fights. On the feet, he’s a really accurate striker who has shown power but more so his counter striking is solid. He’s technical with his leg kicks and his stand up altogether. He’s shown more of a ground game with decent wrestling but it’s his top position with ground and pound that is most solid. He fights former UFC fighter Rolando Dy (13-9).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWEBv3Nx1Dg&ab_channel=PtvSportsOfficial

Bellator 251 | Thursday | US

Light heavyweight, Julius Anglickas (8-1)

Anglickas has a strong wrestling base, that being his best weapon for sure. He can wrestle all fight as his cardio has proved to be very good. He also has a dangerous submission attack, holding four submission wins in his career. On the feet, Anglickas bull rushes opponents and beats them up in the clinch. He also throws good leg kicks and a good jab.  He’s got a solid work ethic and eventually breaks your will. He fights Alex Polizzi (7-0).

Light heavyweight, Alex Polizzi (7-0)

Polizzi has the recipe to be a big prospect in the 205lb weight class. Polizzi was a D1 wrestler at Northwestern University from 2010-2015 and was a state champion. Polizzi needs work on his stand-up but his wrestling and athleticism will take him far. His ground and pound have been his best weapon to date. He fights Julius Anglickas (8-1).

Middleweight, Austin Vanderford (9-0)

Vanderford is a really strong wrestler as he was a national amateur wrestling champion. He has excellent chain wrestling and once on top, he is very dominant. He doesn’t have much on the feet but he is growing and he does hold a lot of power in his hands. Vanderford is solid once he gets on top with heavy top control and heavy ground and pound. He fights Vinicius de Jesus (9-3) which is a stiff test.

ONE Championship | Friday | Singapore

Middleweight, James Nakashima (12-0)

James Nakashima doesn’t have the most exciting style nor is he dominant in any one position, but he is very skilled everywhere. James is starting to become more of an aggressive fighter coming forward and creating more action, although he is still more of a counter striker for the most part. Wrestling-wise, James is good but his positional grappling is where I think he is best. He does get better as the fight progresses. Nakashima trains with The MMA Lab, which has really developed into an excellent camp, and almost every fighter coming out of that camp is a well-conditioned athlete. He fights welterweight champ (keep in mind ONE’s modified weight rules) Kiamrian Abbasov (22-4).

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: Bellator Brings Out the Big Guns appeared first on Cageside Press.

One Championship | Friday | Philippines

Welterweight: James Nakashima (11-0)

James doesn’t have the most exciting style nor is he dominant in any position, he is very well skilled everywhere though. James is starting to become more of an aggressive fighter coming forward and creating more action, as he is still more of a counter striker for the most part. Wrestling-wise, James is good but his position grappling is where I think he is best. He does get better as the fight progresses. Nakashima trains with The MMA Lab, which has really developed into an excellent camp and almost every fighter coming out of that camp is a well-conditioned athlete. He fights the well-known Yushin Okami (35-13).

Featherweight: Xie Bin (7-1)

Bin’s only loss came in his first fight, and he has rebounded, winning his last seven fights becoming a solid prospect out of China. He doesn’t have much on the feet but has had glimpses of his nice clinch work and has really good footwork. Bin has solid wrestling and once on the mat, he’s where he is so good at. Bin has exceptional positional grappling and is a good submission threat especially with the D’Arce choke. He fights Edward Kelly (12-6), who is a good test.

Strike FC 3 | Friday | Turkey

Lightweight: Marif Piraev (28-2)

First of all, his record won’t go unnoticed with 28 wins and only two losses – and at only 26-years old. Those losses were to the undefeated KSW lightweight champ Mateusz Gamrot and top prospect Tofik Musaev. Piraev spends a lot of his fight time on the feet, where you can see him looking for a big shot while throwing many step-in knees, flying knees, and head kicks — which he disguises well with his movement. He moves in and out deftly, exploding with punches and then back out quickly. His record boasts 10 submissions, and all that is set up by his well-executed wrestling. Piraev could tighten up his takedown defense which would be his one flaw. He fights Nursultan Ruziboev (21-7), who is on a two-fight skid.

LFA 73 | Friday | Texas

Featherweight: Austin Lingo (6-0)

Lingo is an exciting fighter who has four of his six wins coming by a finish. Lingo has big power in both his hands and has had a knack for putting the lights out early with three finishes under a minute. Lingo does need to improve his takedown defense but has a good guillotine and is decent off his back. I’m not fully sold on him but he’s only 25-years-old. He fights Solo Hately (6-1) who is heavy-handed as well so this should be a scrap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBkXFW-aTLE

Flyweight: Hailey Cowan (3-1)

Cowan had an extensive background in gymnastics, being very accomplished at Baylor University. She won a few tumbling national titles and is a two-time All-American. After coming up short in her pro MMA debut, she then went on to win her next three fights, finishing all three and looking impressive. She’s a big and strong 125er who is well-rounded, holding a rear-naked choke and a highlight-reel head kick knockout. She’s still young in her career and I like her future. She fights Jessica Middleton (5-5), who has more experience so it’s a good test for Cowan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0Qiikr-0nw

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ONE Championship’s upcoming Dawn of Heroes card now features a trio of ex-UFC stars. On Thursday, the promotion announced via press release that Yushin Okami would appear at the event, which takes place August 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. Okami (35–13) will be taking on James Nakashima (11-0) at welterweight, and will join fellow UFC alums Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez.

Okami lost his ONE Championship debut against Kiamrian Abbasov in May, succumbing to punches in the second round. The TKO loss at ONE Championship: For Honor was Okami’s second straight, as he lost his last UFC appearance as well, opposite Alexey Kunchenko.

The road to success isn’t about to get any easier. The 37-year old Okami, a former UFC middleweight title challenger, will look to become the first man to defeat Nakashima, seven years his junior. Nakashima was a standout in RFA and later LFA before joining ONE last year, where he has won both of his fights to date. He holds notable wins over Luis Santos, and current UFC fighter Derrick Krantz.

Also announced for Dawn of Heroes, Edward Kelly will face Xie Bin at featherweight, while Pongsiri Mitsatit faces Miao Li Tao at strawweight. Finally, Sunoto will face Muhammad Aiman in a bantamweight scrap.

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TKO, ONE Championship, and EFC are among the promotions in action this week globally. So while the UFC touches down in Atlanta, GA with UFC 236 on PPV, plenty more prospects had a chance to showcase their skills. Here’s who to watch out for in our latest Weekly MMA Prospect Report.

TKO 47 | Thursday | Canada

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