Shinya Aoki Faces Marat Gafurov In ‘Super-Match’ At ONE: Kings Of Courage
Shinya Aoki will return to the ONE Championship cage just two months after his last outing when he takes on the former ONE Championship featherweight champion Marat Gafurov in a grappling ‘super-match’ at ONE: Kings Of Courage on Jan. 20.
The bout was announced this morning via press release. The bout will feature on the undercard of ONE’s inaugural flyweight title fight where Singapore’s Tiffany Teo will take on China’s Xiong Jing Nan.
“I am super excited to announce Tiffany Teo versus Xiong Jing Nan at ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE in Jakarta,” Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship said via press release today. “It is our first global broadcast of 2018 and we are going big. The two women are exemplary martial artists who compete at the highest level of skill.
“It should be an exciting bout for all the fans watching, and at the end of the night, we will be crowning our first ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion. In addition, our co-main event contest between local hero Stefer Rahardian and Muhammad Imran will see the winner go on to challenge for the ONE Flyweight World Championship.”
Tiffany Teo stated: “First of all, I would like to thank ONE Championship for believing in me. I’ve always kept my head down and let the hard work and my achievements speak for itself. I got the win in my last bout, but I still feel like I could have done better. As a martial artist, I am constantly seeking to improve. This title shot means a lot to me and I am excited to get right back in the cage. I would like to thank Xiong Jing Nan for the opportunity to showcase my skills again. This one is for my fans in Singapore. I will bring the belt home for you guys.”
Xiong Jing Nan stated: “I would like to thank ONE Championship for the opportunity. I am so glad to have a title shot against Tiffany [Teo]. This is a great honor for me, and for China. I have been training and dreaming of becoming a world champion for a long time and I am ready to defeat whoever is standing in front of me. My entire career has been about making this dream come true, and now it’s time for me to make that dream a reality.”
ONE: Kings of Courage Fight Card
Tiffany Teo vs. Jingnan Xiong
Stefer Rahardian vs. Muhammad Imran
Vitaly Bigdash vs. Leandro Ataides
Marat Gafurov vs. Shinya Aoki – Grappling ‘Super-Match’
Sunoto Peringkat vs. Thai Rithy
Yusup Saadulaev vs. Masakazu Imanari
Iryna Shaparenko vs. Jie Miao
Victorio Senduk vs. Y. Legowo
Riski Umar vs. Arnol Batubara
Rene Catalan vs. Xuewen Peng
H. Gaol vs. A. Boniface
