Saturday, ONE Championship brought its most diverse hybrid card yet when it put on Kingdom of Heroes in Bangkok, Thailand. With a main event boxing match between WBC Superflyweight champ Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Iran Diaz topping the bill, it was anything but an MMA exclusive. Muay Thai and Kickboxing also peppered the card, with all bouts taking place in the ONE ring rather than the cage.

Yet there was still a half dozen or so MMA contests, with one in particular standing out: Japan’s Shinya Aoki faced Ev Ting in a lightweight title eliminator. Continuing his string of recent successes, Aoki won the bout via submission, earning himself a shot at the winner of Eduard Folayang vs. Amir Khan next month.

ONE Championship: Kingdom of Heroes also crowned the inaugural ONE women’s atomweight kickboxing champ, as Stamp Fairtex defeated Kai Ting Zhuang by unanimous decision in their co-main event fight.

Check out highlights from all the action at Kingdom of Heroes in the gallery below, courtesy of ONE Championship!

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Shinya Aoki continued his impressive finishing streak on Saturday at ONE Championship: Kingdom of Heroes. In doing so, he also earned a shot at ONE’s lightweight championship, just vacated by two-division champion Martin Nguyen. And while Aoki will have to wait until March for the opportunity, when ONE debuts in his native Japan, his crack at gold is secure.

Opposite the Philippines’ Ev Ting on at Kingdom of Heroes in Bangkok, Thailand, Aoki made it seem almost effortless. In under a minute, the Japanese veteran of Pride, Dream, Strikeforce and a host of other promotions had Ting on the ground. Soon enough, he had an arm-triangle choke in place, and out went Ting. It was the third straight first round finish for Aoki. With well over twenty submission wins, he’s a scary character on the ground. Improving to 42-8 (1NC), Aoki will now wait for the winner of Eduard Folayang vs. Amir Khan next month.

Folayang (20-6), himself a former lightweight champion in ONE, is one of the few men to hold a recent win over Aoki (the other, Ben Askren, is currently retired). That fight saw Folayang win the title from the Japanese fighter. And while the chance at revenge for Aoki would no doubt be sweet, Amir Khan (11-3) has long been one of ONE’s hottest prospects. Either opponent promises an exciting challenge.

ONE Championship heads to Tokyo, Japan on March 31 of next year. It may be a long wait, but it looks to be worth it.

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Bangkok, Thailand’s Impact Arena saw the return of ONE Championship with Kingdom of Heroes on Saturday. Perhaps doing a bit of counter-programming (though not exactly airing at the same time as the UFC), the card was topped not by a mixed martial arts contest, but a boxing match. That would see WBC Super Flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai defend his title against Iran Diaz. The co-main event of Kingdom of Heroes strayed outside the MMA realm as well, featuring a women’s atomweight kickboxing title fight.

In fact, the fourteen fight card had just six MMA contests, with the remainder consisting of kickboxing and Muay Thai bouts. Among the MMA action, Shinya Aoki was likely the highlight, facing ONE standout Ev Ting.

ONE Championship: Kingdom of Heroes Results:

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (c) def. Iran Diaz by unanimous decision (119-109, 120-108, 119-109) – For the WBC Super Flyweight Boxing Championship
Stamp Fairtex def. Kai Ting Zhuang by unanimous decision – For the ONE Kickboxing Women’s Atomweight Championship
Shinya Aoki def. Ev Ting by submission (arm triangle choke), Round 1, 0:57
Nong-O Gaiyanghadao def. Mehdi Zatout by unanimous decision – Muay Thai
Anthony Njokuani def. Andy Souwer by split decision – Kickboxing
Muin Gafurov def. Leandro Issa by knockout, Round 1, 2:24
Andre Meunier vs. Alain Ngalani ends in a No Contest (Groin Strike), Round 1 – Kickboxing
Alaverdi Ramazanov def. Phetmorakot Wor Sangprapai by unanimous decision – Muay Thai
Hayato Suzuki def. Robin Catalan by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 3:42
Singtongnoi Por Telakun def. Masahide Kudo by unanimous decision – Kickboxing
Rika Ishige def. Bozhena Antoniyar by TKO, Round 1, 2:48
Petchdam Gaiyanghadao def. Kenny Tse by knockout (head kick), Round 1, 1:26 – Muay Thai
Fu Chang Xin def. Rin Saroth by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 3:04
Ramon Gonzalez def. Dodi Mardian by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1

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On Tuesday, Asia’s ONE Championship released the finalized card for it’s Kingdom of Heroes event this October. Taking place at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, October 6, Kingdom of Heroes will see boxing top a ONE card for the first time. In the main event, reigning The Ring and WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai of Thailand will defend his title against Mexico’s Iran Diaz. The ONE ring (rather than their cage) will be in use for the event.

In the co-main event, another single-discipline bout will unfold. That will see “Killer Bee” Kai Ting Chuang of Chinese Taipei, the reigning ONE Super Series Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion, face Stamp Fairtex of Pattaya, Thailand. Fairtex owns a professional kickboxing record of 60-15-5, and will no doubt have the Thai fans in her corner.

In MMA action, meanwhile, Japanese standout Shinya Aoki faces Ev Ting in lightweight action.

The full ONE Championship: Kingdom of Heroes card includes:

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai vs Iran Diaz – WBC Super Flyweight World Championship
Kai Ting Chuang vs Stamp Fairtex – ONE Super Series Kickboxing Atomweight World Championship
Shinya Aoki vs Ev Ting – MMA
Nong-O Gaiyanghadao vs Mehdi Zatout – ONE Super Series Muay Thai
Alain Ngalani vs Andre Meunier – ONE Super Series Kickboxing
Leandro Issa vs Muin Gafurov – MMA
Andy Souwer vs Anthony Njokuani – ONE Super Series Kickboxing
Petchmorrakot Wor. Sangprapai vs Alaverdi Ramazanov – ONE Super Series Muay Thai
Hayato Suzuki vs Rene Catalan – MMA
Sagetdao Petpayathai vs Fabio Pinca – MMA
Rika Ishige vs Bozhena Antoniyar – MMA
Petchdam Gaiyanghadao vs Kenny Tse – ONE Super Series Muay Thai
Rin Saroth vs Fu Chang Xin – MMA
Riri Nasukawa vs Rudzma Abubakr – ONE Super Series Kickboxing
Dodi Mardian vs Ramon Gonzales – MMA

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