One FC: Battle of Lions to Feature Inaugural Middleweight World Championship Bout

One FC: Battle of Lions to Feature Inaugural Middleweight World Championship Bout

29 September 2014 – Singapore: Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization with a 90% market share, ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC), has added four bouts to the ONE FC: BATTLE OF LIONS card set to take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 7 November. The main event is set to feature the inaugural ONE FC Middleweight World Champion, as Leandro Ataides faces Igor Svirid for the title. Top welterweights will clash as Bakhtiyar Abbasov takes on Luis Santos. Another welterweight contest has also been added with the undefeated Dwayne Hinds taking on fellow undefeated Warren De Reuck in a clash of two top prospects. Fast-rising star Aung La N Sang will also take on Japanese veteran Tatsuya Mizuno in a middleweight contest.

One FC: Battle of Lions to Feature Inaugural Middleweight World Championship BoutSingaporean mixed martial artists Kirstie Gannaway and Amir Khan are also set to represent Singapore at the event.  Their respective opponents will be announced at a later date.

Tickets for ONE FC: BATTLE OF LIONS on 7 November in Singapore are on sale now at Sports Hub Tix (http://www.sportshubtix.com). Ticket categories begin with the full Red Carpet and cageside experience for VIPs at S$378 followed by Arena S$158, Terrace S$58 and Balcony S$38. Prices exclude ticketing fee.

CEO of ONE Fighting Championship™, Victor Cui, stated, “ONE Fighting Championship has acquired a roster of world-class talent from all over the world and fans in Singapore will get to see them in action on 7 November. We will crown a new world champion as two world-class middleweights face off for the honor of becoming the first man to don the ONE FC Middleweight World Championship. Fans watching all over the world are in store for a night of breathtaking mixed martial arts action!”

Leandro Ataides is a Brazilian JIu-jitsu black belt who has predominantly showcased himself as a knockout artist in the ONE FC cage. His first two bouts have both ended in devastating fashion, knocking out Brayan Rafiq and Tatsuya Mizuno in the first round. Ataides is still undefeated in seven professional bouts and have earned a reputation as one of the deadliest middleweights in the world.

Igor Svirid is a mixed martial artist from Kazakhstan who has competed predominantly in Russia. He has competed nine times in the past fifteen months, winning all of the bouts and racking up an impressive winning streak. The middleweight has both impressive striking and grappling, which he has promised to showcase when he makes his ONE FC debut.

Luis ‘Sapo’ Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial arts veteran. Santos is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with a penchant for knockout finishes. He has 70 mixed martial arts bouts to his name, and has ended 34 of them by either TKO or KO. Santos has been chomping at the bits to get back to facing off against elite competition and will get the opportunity when he takes on Abbasov.

Bakhtiyar Abbasov is a top contender from Azerbaijan. He has defeated the best in Europe and has decided to come to Asia in search of new challenges. In his ONE FC debut, he became the first person to perform a successful takedown on current ONE FC Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren in mixed martial arts competition. He now faces another tough test in his return to the ONE FC cage and will look to notch a victory against Luis Santos.

Warren de Reuck is a South African mixed martial artist who is now based in London, England. He has six victories and no losses, and has finished all of his bouts. He is trained in Shorin-Ryu Karate and boasts a series of unorthodox strikes in his mixed martial arts arsenal. He will kick off his ONE FC stint with a bout against fellow undefeated competitor Hinds.

Dwayne Hinds is an undefeated mixed martial artist hailing from Trinidad & Tobago. Hinds is widely considered as the best mixed martial artist to emerge from the Caribbean. He is a two-time national judo champion and has also competed in Sambo and boxing. Hinds will now face the toughest test in his fledgling career when he takes on striking specialist De Reuck.

Aung La N Sang became the first mixed martial artist of Myanmar descent to compete in ONE FC when he made his debut earlier in June. He left Myanmar to study in the United States, where he discovered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and subsequently, mixed martial arts. Aung is nicknamed “The Burmese Python” for his constricting ability which has led him to nine submission wins. He also demonstrated knockout power by punching his way to a victory over Egypt’s Mahmoud Salama in his ONE FC debut.

Tatsuya Mizuno is a Japanese veteran of more than 20 fights. He has a black belt in Judo and has faced some of the best light heavyweights in the world. He now competes as a middleweight and will look to make a run towards the ONE FC Middleweight World Championship with a victory over Aung.

Fans around Asia can catch all the action live on FOX Sports 3. Check your local listings. Also, fans from around the world can witness the action online via live streaming at http://www.onefc.com/livestream. The event will be available for purchase at just US$9.99.

For more updates on ONE Fighting Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow on Instagram and Twitter @ONEFCMMA, Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA and Weibo at http://www.weibo.com/onefc.

About One Fighting Championship

With a 90%+ market share in Asia, ONE Fighting Championship is Asia’s largest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Fighting Championship™ has partnered with FOX and STAR Sports for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a coverage that spans 70+ countries across the world.

Media Contact:

Loren Mack, ONE FC

(e): [email protected]

(m): +65 9771 5617

@LorenONEFC