Oh Ho-taek to headline ONE Fight Night, Kwon Won-il to meet Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg in fierce battle

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Published: 11 Jan. 2024, 16:02

Oh Ho-taek to headline ONE Fight Night, Kwon Won-il to meet Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg in fierce battle

Korea's Kwon Won-il, left, is set to fight Mongolia's Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg at ONE Fight Night 18 in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday. [ONE]

Fresh off a monumental 2023, ONE Championship is back in your life with ONE Fight Night 18: Gasanov vs. Oh.

The action goes down on Friday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and features nine competitive bouts across Muay Thai, kickboxing and MMA.

Aside from the scintillating main event featherweight MMA battle between No. 4-ranked Shamil Gasanov and dangerous finisher Oh Ho-taek, here are three fights that could steal the show when the action kicks off live in U.S. primetime.

Kwon Won-il vs. Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg

If fireworks are promised, then Kwon Won-il and Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg will certainly be the ones to provide them in this bantamweight MMA banger.

Since losing to now-ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Fabricio Andrade, Kwon has gotten back on the horse in strong fashion.

The Korean slugger strung together back-to-back stoppages over promotional stalwarts Mark Abelardo and Artem Belakh — both of whom are also fighting at ONE Fight Night 18.

The stoppages have provided “Pretty Boy” with a boat load of confidence heading into 2024, but that will surely be tested by the powder keg that is Zoltsetseg.

The Mongolian machine takes no prisoners when the bell rings. Zoltsetseg scored two knockouts in ONE and dragged Ilya Freymanov through the mud, dropping the No. 2-ranked contender in the first round before ultimately losing by submission.

With both Zoltsetseg and Kwon firmly on track after recent wins, expect a collision between these two inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Artem Belakh vs. Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu

Fourth-ranked bantamweight MMA contender Belakh arrived in ONE with plenty of steam under him.

However, following a successful debut at ONE 162, Belakh’s momentum hit a bump in the road. Now he plans to readjust his trajectory against the formidable Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu.

Belakh’s sharp striking and powerful grappling abilities make him an immediate threat, whereas Baatarkhuu has remained the dark horse of the division.

At 35-years-old, the Road To ONE: Mongolia winner continues to put on one stunning display after another. Baatarkhuu has remained unblemished in ONE so far, going 3-0 with two successive stoppage wins to boot – with his latest win coming against Jhanlo Mark Sangiao at ONE Fight Night 13 last August.

The Mongolian continues to defy the division with his wild striking and relentless pressure. So, when these two talented bantamweights meet, it will come down to a battle of who wants it more.

Mark Abelardo vs. Ibragim Duaev

After mixed results in 2022, Abelardo cemented his position in the bantamweight MMA division in 2023.

The promotional mainstay took his talents to the weekly ONE Friday Fights series, earning consecutive second-round finishes over Taron Grigorian and Georgy Shahruramazanov to set up a pivotal 2024 for the Filipino born in New Zealand.

But Ibragim Dauev has come to test the veteran. The Russian boasts a perfect 8-0 MMA record with six stoppages. He also has unforgiving striking prowess that no doubt earned the 22-year-old his spot in ONE.

Abelardo will provide the promotional debutant with a stern test, and with the power that both bantamweights posses, there’s no doubt that this will make for an explosive concoction at ONE Fight Night 18.