Fight fans of a certain age will remember the heroes who found fame during the golden years of PRIDE FC and K-1. Think Kazushi Sakuraba, Genki Sudo and Kaoklai Kaennorsing: all of whom were renowned for fighting much heavier opponents. They’ll also remember those who solidified their legacies as champions of the tournament format, such as Buakaw Banchamek, Semmy Schilt, and the legendary Ernesto Hoost. These competitors rose to fame from the midst of madness, and – taking nothing away from their abilities or performances – the rulesets they fought under are an integral part of that legacy.
The words ‘openweight tournament’ spark memories of this bygone era: a time when the combat world was lawless, unregulated and raw. Promotions were ran by gangsters, drug tests were nowhere to be seen, and nobody had a clue was CTE was. So, when ONE Championship CEO, Chatri Sityodtong, announced plans for a 16-man openweight Muay Thai tournament last month, it divided opinion among the martial arts community.
Will It Happen?
This is an interesting point of discussion. Chatri stated that the tournament will include “sixteen of the best fighters in the world,” which surely means that their current champions will be involved? ONE plans to hold the quarter finals in June, the semis in September, and the final in December, which could hold up multiple belts for six months. This is bad news for those on the cusp of a title challenge, as they may be forced to take other fights during this period. In order to keep fighters and viewers happy, I expect the likes of Nong-O and Tawanchai to continue defending their belts instead of entering the tournament.
Can It Be Done Safely?
In a word, yes. Muay Thai fighters aren’t new to fighting heavier opponents: Saenchai often weighs 20-30lbs less than his next victim. Nokweed Davy was a whole 35kg lighter than Jérôme Le Banner when they met in their memorable K-1 bout. There’s an argument that the heavier opponents of the 90s and 00s weren’t as skilled as the likes of Roman Kryklia, but I think Hoost and Aerts would have a thing or two to say about that.
Which leads me to my next point: I don’t believe we’ll be seeing any heavyweights. If you were hoping to see Kryklia vs Rodtang, I reckon you’re going to be disappointed. Chatri did say that “openweight is openweight,” but ONE don’t have any Muay Thai divisions higher than lightweight, and none of their LHW/HW kickboxers have fought Muay Thai in a while. I think the heaviest competitors will be lightweights, the likes of Sinsamut Klinmee and Regian Eersel. If I’m wrong, watch Roman Kryklia cause a lot of brain damage and collect an easy $1,000,000.
Having the tournament take place over a six month period helps to negate some of the issues commonly associated with the format, namely injuries and replacements. Two months between each round allows competitors enough time to recover and prepare correctly.
Who Won’t Be There?
Liam Harrison is still recovering from his knee injury, and has already warned fans not to expect his name on the list. Alistair Overeem, despite initially showing interest, has made it very clear he wants no part in the proceedings (he’s also currently under contract with Glory). Jacob Smith is another who took to Instagram to make it abundantly clear that he won’t be involved:
“Ok, so hearing this news from ONE I could react two ways. I could use it as a publicity stunt and tag them acting like billy big bollocks, or I could be realistic. Even if it’s not completely openweight, let’s say between 4 weight classes: 61kg, 66kg, 70kg, 77kg for example. You put Superbon In there with anyone who usually fights at 61 or even 66 and I can’t see it going past a round or two max.
There’s a point where you have to be realistic. Would I want to fight Superbon? Let’s be real here. NO THANK YOU.”
It’s for this reason that I don’t expect to see any strawweights (sorry, Lasiri!) and few flyweights in the mix. I predict all sixteen competitors to come from the lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight divisions, unless cash cow Rodtang decides he wants in. However, given his upcoming fight against Superlek for the flyweight kickboxing title, and his aim of breaking into MMA, I’m not sure we’ll see The Iron Man take part.
Who Will Be There?
Sinsamut Klinmee is the only confirmed name on the list thus far, having made his intentions clear on the day of the tournament announcement. Sinsamut is due to rematch Regian Eersel for the lightweight Muay Thai championship in March, following their thrilling back-and-forth battle in October of last year. Eersel is another possibility, and would stand a good chance of taking home the prize money if he were to enter. He’s the double champ at lightweight, he’s unbeaten in ONE, and I’d go as far as to say that Eersel would be the man to beat.
The tournament will be a great opportunity for those who have recently lost titles and/or title challenges convincingly, with no rematch on the cards. Alaverdi Ramazanov has already shown interest on social media, and given his recent loss to Nong-O, the tournament would be a great way of getting himself back on track. Superbon just lost the featherweight kickboxing belt to Chingiz Allazov, and would be a fantastic addition. Jamal Yusupov is about to face Tawanchai for the featherweight Muay Thai title, and Jonathan Haggerty is due to face Nong-O for the bantamweight title: I expect both challengers to lose and be included in the tournament.
I believe the ONE Friday Fights events at Lumpini Stadium will provide us with a few entrants. The likes of Ilyas Musaev, Kulabdam and the UK’s Josh Hill have all impressed so far, and this is sure to continue over the coming weeks. Ferrari Fairtex and Fabio Reis (winner of upset of the year at Rajadamnern World Series last year with his KO victory over Rittewada) are due to fight this Friday, and both stand a chance of being included in the tournament.
Finally, I’d like to include a couple of wildcard fighters who aren’t currently fighting under the ONE banner. Dani Rodriguez of Sinbi Muay Thai, current RWS champion at 154lbs, Rajadamnern and owner of a 38-0 record, would be an electrifying addition. On top of this, there’s every chance that the winner of Muay Thai Grand Prix’s Road To ONE final between Nathan Bendon and Craig Coakley could be included.
My Final 16:
Sinsamut Klinmee
Regian Eersel
Alaverdi Ramazanov
Superbon
Jonathan Haggerty
Liam Nolan
Saemapetch Fairtex
Jamal Yusupov
Fabio Reis
Ferrari Fairtex
Josh Hill
Ilyas Musaev
Kulabdam Sor. Jor. Piek Uthai
Dani Rodriguez
Winner of MTGP: Road To One (Craig Coakley or Nathan Bendon)
Someone else from ONE Friday Fights…
