ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC), Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization, has announced it is visiting Taipei for the first time.
The event, titled “ONE FC: War of Dragons,” is scheduled to take place at National Taiwan University Sports Center on July 11.
The first four bouts on the card have already been announced, with Taiwanese-Canadian heavyweight Paul Cheng competing in Taiwan for the first time when he takes on Egypt’s Mahmoud Hassan.
The other bouts currently on the card are top lightweight contenders Koji Ando and Rafael Nunes, light heavyweights Jake Butler and Mohamed Ali, and bantamweights Koetsu Okazaki and Yusup Saadulaev.
Cheng is a former Canadian Football League player who already has four wins in his professional mixed martial arts career.
He was impressive in his ONE FC debut in December last year, forcing his opponent to tap out in the first round with a barrage of punches.
Based in Canada, but of Taiwanese heritage, Cheng said he cannot wait to showcase his skills for the first time in front of his home crowd in Taipei.
His opponent, Hassan, is a heavyweight boxer training out of Naser City, Egypt.
Weighing in at 105kg, Hassan possesses deadly power in both hands and he made history as the first Egyptian to compete for ONE FC when he made his debut in September last year and will be looking to do his country proud in Taipei.
Ando is a Japanese fighter who has competed for some of the top regional promotions in Asia.
The 29-year-old lightweight has won his last three outings. As a judoka, Ando finished in the top eight of the All-Japan Judo Tournament when he was still at high school. His love of judo led him to Brazilian jiujitsu and he later transitioned to mixed martial arts. He has tasted defeat just once since 2010.
Nunes is one of the top lightweights to emerge from Brazil. He steamrollered the competition back home, with three of his four wins by submission and one by knockout. Nunes is a Brazilian jiujitsu brown belt and is equally adept at striking and grappling.
Butler has firmly established himself as one of the top light heavyweights in the division. He has earned all of his victories by submission or knockout and possesses some of the best wrestling acumen in the sport, having honed his skills as the captain of the Princeton wrestling team.
Butler has been unstoppable when he utilizes his signature wrestling techniques, but he has also improved his striking skills.
Ali is a mixed martial arts veteran who hails from Egypt. The well-traveled striker has competed in six different countries in his career.
Initially a Muay Thai practitioner, he has finished most of his opponents by knockout or technical knockout, a clear indication of his striking capabilities.
Russian wrestler Saadulaev is a combat sambo champion who has won numerous grappling competitions. He is known for his submission skills and he has a record of eight submission victories.
He was given the main bout at his last meeting and emerged victorious over Adriano Moraes in one of the most entertaining bouts of last year.
Okazaki has worked his way up the ranks of shooto by dominating the opposition.
He has never been knocked out or stopped with strikes, has an excellent chin and the ability to take and give a punch. He defeated Guam’s Josh Alvarez in his last bout.
Tickets are on sale at www.ibon.com.tw priced from NT$1,200 to NT$7,200.
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