The blockbuster event goes down this Sunday, March 23, inside Saitama Super Arena, with five world title bouts and a highly anticipated kickboxing superfight topping the 14-fight card.
The headlining bouts are sure to get attention, but there are a host of unmissable ties featured in the lead-up, and we’ve broken down three below.
John Lineker vs. Hiroki Akimoto
Former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion John Lineker is set to make his kickboxing debut when he steps into bantamweight action against former divisional king Hiroki Akimoto.
Lineker took to ONE’s striking realm like a duck to water when he debuted in Muay Thai last September. The Brazilian amassed a 2-1 slate, with two highlight-reel knockouts, to show the world his “Hands of Stone” are good whatever the sport. He now aims to test his skills on the kickboxing stage, hoping to find the same success.
However, Akimoto will be out to ruin his debut. The Japanese star earned a shot at gold after going 5-1 in his first six appearances in ONE Championship, including a fiery four-fight winning streak, and he was crowned king with a decisive victory over Capitan Petchyindee in 2022.
Since then, he has failed to record a win, falling to Petchtanong Petchfergus, Wei Rui, and Ilias Ennahachi in his last three fights, so fans can expect him to go all out on home soil to remind the world he’s still one of the best strikers around.
Eduard Folayang vs. Shinya Aoki
Elsewhere, MMA legends Eduard Folayang and Shinya Aoki will continue their longstanding rivalry when they collide for the fourth time.
The former ONE world champions first met in November 2016, where Folayang drew first blood with a knockout victory over Aoki to reclaim the lightweight MMA gold.
“Tobikan Judan” then snatched the belt back via a first-round submission when they rematched three years later, leaving the world waiting for the trilogy meeting. That came at ONE on TNT IV in 2021. No crown was on the line this time, but Aoki scored the ultimate bragging rights with another submission win in the first frame.
The rivalry will be reignited when ONE Championship returns to Japan this weekend, and it may be the last time the crowd sees their hometown hero in MMA action. Aoki would greatly love to bow out with a third win, but Folayang will have his best weapons ready as he looks to secure the last laugh in the series.
Marat Grigorian vs. Kaito Ono
In the featherweight kickboxing division, divisional mainstay Marat Grigorian looks to stop the momentum of ONE Championship newcomer and Japanese standout Kaito Ono.
Grigorian is one of the greatest strikers in the sport, but he has failed to take the featherweight kickboxing throne on three occasions. Nonetheless, he hasn’t given up on his dream, which was evident when he dispatched Abdelali Zahidi last December.
Now, he returns to Japan, where he has never tasted defeat. His upcoming foe, Kaito, may be a fresh face in the world’s largest martial arts organization, but he is beloved in his home nation.
The 27-year-old is on a five-fight winning streak, and he’s previously registered wins over notable ONE stars in former featherweight Muay Thai king Petchmorakot Petchyindee and Georgian dynamo Davit Kiria.
With this new chapter of his career getting underway in his backyard, Kaito will be looking to add another formidable name to his list and kick off a quest for gold in the featherweight kickboxing bracket.
