Much like the trio who visited the infant Christ in Israel, there will be three kings in Singapore on October 6th as One Fighting Championships are set to crown a trifecta of inaugural champions at the Rise of Kings event.
Unlike two of those royal men of ancient times, the three combatants will not come bearing frankincense or myrrh, yet all three will sport the commodity that the richest of those kings brought the baby Jesus – namely gold – which they will wear around their waists to signify dominance in the wider Asian market, as the first champions of One FC.
Author’s note: For the record, it is not actually known if I was born in Nazareth or Bethlehem – historical records from that time are somewhat sketchy at best.
The title fights are as follows:
- Zorobabel Moreira vs. Kotetsu Boku
The Evolve star who is now infamous for kicking Roger Huerta’s prone head like a football, versus the former Shooto champion making his One FC debut. Boku is a good addition to the roster – there are others I’d have preferred to see face Zoro for the belt, be it Ole Laursen, Roger in a rematch or even Arnaud – but Boku will make for some solid matchups in One FC’s lightweight division.
I would think Zorobabel is a favourite in this one. Zoro/Arnaud or Zoro/Ole after this one for the title, my money is on, and I wouldn’t mind either way.
- Soo Chul Kim vs. Leandro Issa
Soo Chul Kim was a teenage star in Korea, winning three straight matches and being touted as a prodigious talent, before Andrew Leone choked him out in thirty seconds at bantamweight. Still, the Korean has bounced back and has won his last two fights, and he’ll make a fine opponent for Leandro “Brodinho” Issa, the gifted grappler from Brazil.
We can expect some brilliant grappling from this one; though Kim, as is customary for the vast majority of Korean fighters, is one bad mamma jamma and may wish to administer that traditional Land of the Morning Wind/Rising Sun charge forward and brawl style. Not that he doesn’t have more in his arsenal; of course he does. But he’s a Korean, and a professional fighter. Combine those two attributes, and you generally have someone who loves a good brawl.
- Bae Young Kwon vs. Honorio Banario
Kwon was scheduled to take on Filipino star Eric Kelly in a rematch, but unfortunately URCC want him to complete his contract there first, and he will take on Brad Terrey, the Australian from Phuket Top Team. So with that particular rematch on hold, Kelly was replaced by Honorio Banario, the URCC champion whom Kwon defeated before losing to Kelly; the implication being that Kelly will face the winner of this rematch, be it Banario or in the form of his own rematch with Kwon.
Also on the Rise of Kings card are three fights from the opening round of the Bantamweight Grand Prix, and the marquee super-fight between Frenchie Arnaud Lepont (9-1) and the man with more top 10 victories in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts than any other lightweight (9) in “The Master of Flying Submissions”, Shinya Aoki.
There is never a time when it is inappropriate to post Shinya Aoki highlight videos. Please enjoy:
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Magical. Such a rare talent; he’s solely a grappler in the sport of MIXED martial arts, yet has still enjoyed enormous success with a one-dimensional skillset. Tremendous stuff, watching him toy with talented grapplers like a man playing with children.
Stay tuned for more, as I will be covering the Rise of Kings card in more depth as we draw closer and closer to event time – three kings, a bantamweight Grand Prix, a lightweight super-fight and a partridge in a pear tree.
As Liam Gallagher would say, “Singapore are ya mad fer ittttttt“…
