The Most Exciting ONE championship Fighters
ONE championship is one of the fastest rising MMA promotions and home of talented fighters, and very exciting fights. Whether we are talking about their MMA, Kickboxing, or Muay Thai matches inside the cage, ONE championship events leave no one indifferent.
In this article, we are going to take a close look at the most exciting ONE championship fighters. There is a big hype whenever each of the fighters listed below is on the card, and for the right reason.
Christian Lee
Lee is, perhaps, the best example of the up and coming new generation of fighters that is about to take over the world. The ONE championship champ is young, good looking, already successful, and very, very exciting to watch.
Lee came into MMA from “Pankration”, and instead of working his way up on the regional scene, he throw himself right into the fire. In 2015, he signed to make his MMA debut for ONE championship and has been with the promotion ever since. He was able to rise quickly and become a big star, not just in the eastern world, but on the global level.
This unique mix of youth, experience, and talent is why Lee is so special and exciting to watch. He excels in every aspect of the game, with Muay Thai being his main weapon which he used to finish over 95% of his fights. The biggest moment in his career came when he beat Shinya Aoki in 2019 to win the lightweight crown. Speaking of the devil…
Shinya Aoki
There is not a man out there who knows a thing or two about MMA that is not familiar with Shinya Aoki. He is a veteran of the game and one of the best grapplers in the history of the sport, up there with the greatest. Still, he differs a lot from other grapplers due to his aggressive style and prominent instinct for a finish.
Inside the cage, Aoki prefers to always move forward, put his opponents under pressure before diving for a takedown. His chain wrestling skills are superb, and he would keep mixing it up until he takes you down, and once he does that, it’s game over in most cases. On the ground, he feels like a fish in the water and shines with fast transitions, and can place a choke or joint lock from just about every position.
If you are a fan of grappling and ground fighting, Shinya Aoki is the man you are looking for. He is one of those fighters who need to grab just a single part of your body to get you in serious trouble.
In his career, he has won titles in ONE championship, DEEP, and Shooto promotions.
Aung La Nsang
La Nsang is a ONE championship superstar and the former champ in two separate weight classes. The only thing you need to know about him is his incredible finishing rate. As of 2021, La Nsang has 27 wins on his record, out of which 25 were submission or knockout finishes. Do you need to hear more about why he is on this list?
Born and raised in Burma, it’s not a huge surprise that La Nsang is a vicious striker. Like just about every fighter from that region, he is trained in Lethwei and Muay Thai, which is the main aspect of his game. If you combine his finishing rate with elite striking and even BJJ skills, you get a fighter who is a scary matchup for anyone. This all-around set of skills is the reason why he is so dominant inside the cage and so exciting to watch.
Eddie Alvarez
Alright, it’s really hard to put together any type of ONE championship list without talking about Eddie Alvarez. Most MMA fans know him as the former UFC 155 lbs champ who had gone through some brutal wars in his career. When he joined the ONE championship roster in 2019, people were more than excited to see such a high-level athlete stepping into the ONE cage. And bear in mind that he did it while he was in his prime.
As far as the entertainment is concerned, that never has been an issue with “The Underground King”. Apart from his explosive wrestling and strong top control, the most exciting part of his game is his boxing. Once he backs the opponent against the cage, he would start unloading with the barrage of fast and precise punches, as he did against Rafael Dos Anjos.
Xiong Jing Nan
People from the ONE championship’s marketing department were right when they called Jing Nan a “National Treasure”. Let’s be honest, she is a total promotional package who lives and breathes violence inside the cage or a ring. On top of that, she is very skilled, strong, and hits like a truck. Without a doubt, she is among the hardest hitters regardless of the promotion or weight class.
The biggest moment of her career came in 2018 when she became the first-ever female fighter from China to win the world title in ONE championship. Although having a champ status is a big thing, it’s not the reason why Nan is so popular.
Lee is always ready to put on a show for the fans, and she never was in a boring fight. Whenever you see her name on the card, you know that something violent is about to happen, and it happens every time.
John Lineker
Lineker is a well-known name in the MMA world. Most fans know him as a former UFC fighter who switched over to ONE championship at the peak of his prime, while others know him as a vicious knockout artist. Despite having a small body frame, he has an amazing ability to create huge force behind every strike and shut your lights out in a split of a second.
Lineker had a long stint with the UFC where he was able to put together a record of 12 wins and 4 losses. At one point, he was on a six-fight winning streak, and very close to fighting for the title. In 2019, he decided to leave the promotion and join the ONE championship roster at the age of 28, and at the peak of his prime.
Inside the cage, he is a pure sprawl and brawl fighter. Although some of his fights may look chaotic, do not make mistakes about him. Lineker is among the most technical strikers who has fast hands, hard kicks, and a really good clinch game. His body head combos are beautiful to watch.
Joshua Pacio
Many ONE championship fans see Pacio as the most violent man on the roster who is also the most technical fighter. Whether that’s a part of his game plan, or he is just an adrenalin junkie, Pacio somehow always ends up in crazy brawls. He is a tough matchup for anyone because he excels in every aspect of the game, is unpredictable, has cardio for days, and has a chin made out of iron. It’s almost impossible to put him out on the feet.
No matter if the fight is in the standup or on the ground, Pacio doesn’t care at all. He feels confident fighting in all elements and is always able to bring a fight to his opponents. It really doesn’t matter if the opponent is a skilled wrestler, BJJ fighter, or striker. Pacio would put their skills to the ultimate test, and that’s why he is so exciting to watch.
Adriano Moraes
Back in March 2021, Moraes was able to pull one of the biggest upsets in MMA history, if not the biggest. He knocked out the great Might Mouse and it was shocking. At the time, Moraes was a ONE championship but no one could have predicted that he would stop the flyweight GOAT in such a way. The moment was so gigantic that Moraes instantly became a global superstar.
As a decorated black belt in BJJ, Moraes prefers to advance to the ground as fast as possible. He has very good top control, and once he secures a position, it’s really hard to shake him off. But above all, he is intelligent, patient, and very methodical inside the cage.
