ONE Championship’s monumental Century event in Tokyo, Japan over the weekend was a huge success any way you look at it. The promotion’s biggest stars put on some memorable performances. Atomweight queen Angela Lee defended her title against Xiong Jing Nan, the promotion’s strawweight champ, with Lee pulling off a late submission.

Demetrious Johnson was his usual dominant self to win the flyweight grand prix. Lightweight champ Christian Lee stepped up on short notice and won that division’s grand prix, adding the tournament belt to his divisional strap. And former UFC title challenger Yushin Okami got back in the win column, with a decision win over Agilan Thani.

All that action came on the Century: Part I card alone. The second part of the double-bill saw Aung La N Sang successfully defend his light heavyweight title against heavyweight champion Brandon Vera. ‘The Burmese Python’ has now won seven straight fights, and holds gold at both light heavyweight and middleweight. Having got the better of Vera, it feels like a challenge for heavyweight gold could come next. A feat that would quite frankly cement Aung La’s status as ONE Championship’s biggest star.

Also on the Century Part II card, Bibiano Fernandes successfully defended his bantamweight title, meeting Kevin Belingon for the fourth time. And Arjan Bhullar made his debut, besting former heavyweight title challenger Mauro Cerilli.

Check out video highlights from both shows above!

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ONE Championship: Century Part II went down in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday. The second half of ONE’s 100th major show, the event was topped by two-division champion Aung La N Sang defending his light heavyweight title against Brandon Vera, ONE’s heavyweight king.

If the bout was an audition for a heavyweight run by Aung La, he passed it with flying colors, finishing Vera within two rounds. Holding a win over ONE heavyweight Alain Ngalani from earlier in his career, there’s a good chance ‘The Burmese Python’ could be fighting for a third title in 2020.

However, Arjan Bhullar, who finally debuted for ONE at Century Part II, may have something to say about that. Bhullar defeated former title challenger Mauro Cerilli, and could be next for Vera.

Results from ONE: Century Part II and photo highlights can be found below!

ONE: Century Part II Results:

Main Card

Aung La N Sang def. Brandon Vera by KO, Round 2, 3:23 – for the ONE light heavyweight world championship
Shinya Aoki def. Honorio Banario by Submission (D’Arce Choke), Round 1, 0:54
Bibiano Fernandes def. Kevin Belingon by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), Round 2, 2:16 – for the ONE bantamweight world championship
Rodtang Jitmuangnon def. Walter Goncalves by Split Decision – for the ONE Super Series flyweight Muay Thai championship
Giorgio Petrosyan def. Samy Sana by Unanimous Decision – ONE featherweight kickboxing grand prix final
Arjan Bhullar def. Mauro Cerilli by Unanimous Decision

Preliminary Card

Mei Yamaguchi def. Jenny Huang by Unanimous Decision
Yosuke Saruta def. Daichi Kitakata by KO, Round 2, 0:59
Shoko Sato def. Rafael Silva by TKO, Round 2, 4:30
Hiroyuki Tetsuka def. Hernani Perpetuo by Unanimous Decision
Takasuke Kume def. Koshi Matsumoto by Unanimous Decision

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For MMA fans in the Great White North, the next two days are about one thing: Turkey. It’s Thanksgiving in Canada, but the real bounty for MMA fanatics came over the past two days. Five major events, starting with the PFL kicking off their playoff season on Friday. It’s a rare occurrence when every major MMA outfit on the planet is in action. The only organization missing from the party was Invicta FC, whose next event is a few weeks away.

Still, there was lots to give thanks for with the five shows that did go down. Tons of finishes. Upsets. Star turns. Some events, however, delivered more than others. Let’s take a look at the winners and losers between the five major promotions in action this weekend.

Winner: Ultimate Fighting Championship

Starring: Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Michelle Waterson, Cub Swanson, Kron Gracie

The UFC remains the crown jewel of mixed martial arts, although there’s a real feeling that ONE Championship is nipping at their heels. Already surpassing them in Asia. Still, the UFC’s North American dominance cannot be overlooked, and on Saturday, they put on the sort of show only the UFC can with UFC Tampa. Fantastic action top-to-bottom, with finishes from Marlon Vera, Deiveson Figueiredo, Mike Davis, and Ryan Spann on the prelims. Exciting scraps between Max Griffin and Alex Morono, Eryk Anders and Gerald Meerschaert, peppered throughout the card. An upkick KO of James Vick by Niko Price. Then a couple of wars to top the card, as Cub Swanson vs. Kron Gracie and Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Michelle Waterson were both brilliant, if one-sided.

It’s hard to argue against that kind of showing. The successful strawweight return of Jedrzejczyk, weight struggles not withstanding, also made the card relevant. She could be looking at a title fight in the near future.

Winner: Professional Fighters League

Starring: Kayla Harrison, Sarah Kaufman, Ray Cooper III, David Michaud

The PFL kicked off their playoff season Friday, hosting a show from fight capital Las Vegas for the very first time. A smart move, getting ahead of the pack, with most MMA action going down Saturday. And it paid off in spades. Interest in the event was up, there was plenty of in-cage action, and even a little drama. Kayla Harrison got a new opponent on 24 hours notice, but did what she always does, submitting Bobbi Jo Dalziel. Sarah Kaufman fell to Larissa Pacheco in a surprise twist. David Michaud may have been the real breakout performer, battling through two tough fights to make it to the finale. And Ray Cooper III earned a spot in the finals for the second year straight, with a finish of Chris Curtis, who was defeated twice on Friday, having been brought back as a lucky loser almost immediately after announcing his retirement following his first loss.

The PFL’s tournament-based, merit-driven format and million dollar purse has struck a chord with fans, and other promotions have started upping their prize money. Hopefully, strong performances like this continue throughout the post-season.

The post Winners and Losers From An Action-Packed Weekend of MMA appeared first on Cageside Press.

Once a top prospect in the UFC, Brandon Vera revitalized his career in ONE Championship. He’s 4-0 with four knockouts and has defended the heavyweight belt (which only he has held) twice. Aung La N Sang comes into ONE Championship: Century with two belts to his name, the middleweight and light heavyweight titles. He has defended the middleweight belt three times, but this will be his first defense of the light heavyweight title. And it comes against the heavyweight champion.

Both fighters came out aggressive in the first round. Bad intentions were behind every strike. Aung La N Sang favored combination striking, as he had a speed advantage over Brandon Vera, while Vera was doing good work in the clinch and with his kicks. In the first round, Aung La was the dictator of the pace, consistently walking Vera down and coming forward with hard shots. Both men took a few good blows on the chin, but stayed strong.

Aung La got the better of Vera in the first round, and continued that trend in the second. He mixed up his shots well, going to the body at times, and even firing off a head kick. Vera found success in the clinch with some knees, but a combination from Aung La had him wobbled. Aung La pressed forward and nailed him with a spinning back elbow. Vera tried to do the same but whiffed. A right hand sent Vera down on all fours and Aung La jumped on and delivered the final blows to defend his title successfully.

Aung La N Sang def. Brandon Vera by TKO (Punches) in Round 2

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Brandon Vera, ONE Championship’s heavyweight champion, was set to move down to light heavyweight and challenge Aung La N Sang for the promotion’s light heavyweight title at ONE: Century Part II on Sunday. Going down in Tokyo, Japan, the event was a huge milestone for Asia’s top MMA promotion.

In the co-main event, a pair of former championships would face off, as Shinya Aoki took on Honorio Banario. Bibiano Fenandes, who long ago flirted with a UFC run, was also in action, defending his bantamweight title against Kevin Belingon. It was the fourth meeting between the pair, and third straight, after Belingon was disqualified for illegal elbows at their last meeting in March.

Check below for full results from the event, which kicks off at 4AM ET. Both ONE: Century Part I and Part II are available to stream via Fite.tv

ONE: Century Part II Results:

Main Card

Aung La N Sang def. Brandon Vera by KO in Round 2 – for the ONE light heavyweight world championship
Shinya Aoki def. Honorio Banario by Submission (D’Arce Choke) in Round 1 (0:54)
Bibiano Fernandes def. Kevin Belingon by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in Round 2 (2:16) – for the ONE bantamweight world championship
Rodtang Jitmuangnon def. Walter Goncalves by Split Decision – for the ONE Super Series flyweight Muay Thai championship
Giorgio Petrosyan def. Samy Sana by Unanimous Decision – ONE featherweight kickboxing grand prix final
Arjan Bhullar def. Mauro Cerilli by Unanimous Decision

Preliminary Card

Mei Yamaguchi def. Jenny Huang by Unanimous Decision
Yosuke Saruta def. Daichi Kitakata by KO in Round 2 (0:59)
Shoko Sato def. Rafael Silva by TKO in Round 2 (4:30)
Hiroyuki Tetsuka def. Hernani Perpetuo by Unanimous Decision
Takasuke Kume def. Koshi Matsumoto by Unanimous Decision

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ONE Championship’s second card in Japan this weekend, Century Part II, featured three more title fights, plus a kickboxing grand prix finale. Not a bad tally, added to the Century Part I show hosted immediately before it.

Going down Sunday, October 13, the card had Aung La N Sang, the pride of Myanmar, returning to action, to defend his light heavyweight title against heavyweight champ Brandon Vera. Like Aung La, who also holds the ONE middleweight championship, Vera was looking to become a two-division champion.

Weigh-ins and hydration tests for the event went down at midnight ET, with a live stream available above!

ONE: Century Part 2 Weigh-In Results:

Aung La N Sang (99.45kg) vs. Brandon Vera (101.8kg) – for the ONE light heavyweight world championship
Shinya Aoki (76.3kg) vs. Honorio Banario (76.9kg)
Bibiano Fernandes (65.75kg) vs. Kevin Belingon (65.4kg) – for the ONE bantamweight world championship
Rodtang Jitmuangnon (60.95kg) vs. Walter Goncalves (59.8kg) – for the ONE Super Series flyweight Muay Thai championship
Giorgio Petrosyan (69.85kg) vs. Samy Sana (69.7kg) – ONE featherweight kickboxing grand prix final
Mauro Cerilli (115.1kg) vs. Arjan Bhullar (111.7kg)

Preliminary Card

Mei Yamaguchi (52.1kg) vs. Jenny Huang (51.45kg)
Yosuke Saruta (56.55kg) vs. Daichi Kitakata (56.65kg)
Shoko Sato (65.3kg) vs. Rafael Silva (65.3kg)
Hernani Perpetuo (83.4kg) vs. Hiroyuki Tetsuka (83.05kg)
Koshi Matsumoto (76.65kg) vs. Takasuke Kume (77.05kg)

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