ONE: ‘Edge of Greatness’ Preview (Pt. 2)

ONE: “Edge of Greatness” is set for the Singapore Indoor Stadium this Friday and the 10-fight card is headlined by a bantamweight Muay Thai title bout between Nong-O Gaiyanghadao and Saemapetch Fairtex.

This will be the fourth event the promotion has put on this month, including the ONE Hero Series show. It will also be the first time that an event in Singapore has not been headlined by an MMA fight.

Here’s my preview of the last five fights (for part one of our preview click here):

Colbey Northcutt vs. Putri Padmi (Flyweight)

Colbey Northcutt (0-1) comes from a karate background but with husband Raymond Daniels and brother Sage Northcutt in her corner she is unlikely to have left anything to chance in preparation for her ONE Championship debut.

In fact Northcutt says she has been working hard on her wrestling. Padmi (0-1) dropped a decision to an Indonesian on her ONE Championship debut and it would be a major upset if she defeated the American here.

Troy Worthen vs. Chen Lei (Featherweight)

Troy Worthen (5-0) has a background in wrestling and looked very impressive in his ONE Championship debut. The Evolve MMA fighter has been matched with a Chinese opponent for the second time in a row.

Chen Lei (6-1) has not been in with the division’s elite but did score an impressive win over Anthony Engelen last time out. The Chinese fighter is also a wrestler and is known for his relentless work rate.

Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke vs. Muhammad Imran (Strawweight)

These are the type of fights Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke (10-5) tends to win comfortably, although the former Lumpinee champion has suffered a couple of devastating KO losses in recent years.

Muhammad Imran (5-3) will surely be looking to test the Thai’s chin, although Dejdamrong is not exactly unaccustomed to being in a striking contest. His five wins have all come in his native Pakistan and the former champion will be confident of handing him a fourth straight ONE Championship loss here.

Amir Khan vs. Ev Ting (Lightweight)

Amir Khan (11-6) likes to keep his range and use his footwork to get in and out quickly without taking any damage. He’s also confident on the ground and will shoot for takedowns, depending on the strategy.

Ev Ting (17-6) is well rounded too. He’s dangerous with head kicks but a lot of his wins come courtesy of chokes and this could turn into a bit of a chess match, a fast finish probably isn’t on the cards.

Muay Thai: Nong-O Gaiyanghadao (c) vs. Saemapetch Fairtex (For Bantamweight Title)

In Muay Thai terms Nong-O Gaiyanghadao outranks Saemapetch Fairtex. The champion’s collection of titles and list of previous opponents is far more impressive than the challengers.

But there is an eight year age difference. Nong-O is approaching the end of his competitive career while Saemapetch is still in his prime and the 33 year old has to combine his fighting career with coaching commitments at Evolve MMA.

But Nong-O is one of the best technicians in the business. He will work opponents out, find their weaknesses and exploit them with counter striking making him a strong favourite here.

The entire ONE: “Edge of Greatness” fight card will be available to view live and free in some territories using the newly launched app which you can download here.

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