ONE Fight Night 22: Three storylines every Filipino fight fans must follow

It’s going to be another explosive Saturday morning for Filipino fight fans when ONE Championship returns to Lumpinee Boxing Stadium for ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova.

Everyone’s in for a treat when prodigious ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Smilla Sundell takes on Natalia Diachkova in the main event that airs live in US primetime on 4 May. 

But the two women in the main event won’t be the only fighters to electrify the Pinoy crowd. In fact, there are many fights and fighters that local fans will not want to miss.

Sean Climaco debuts on the global stage 

Filipino-American striker Sean Climaco will open the show and look to continue his winning ways after a victorious run in the Road To ONE: USA tournament when he battles Josue Cruz in a flyweight Muay Thai bout. 

Climaco follows the footsteps of fellow Californians Jackie Buntan and Eddie Abasolo, Americans who trace their roots to the Philippines and who have made quite the name for themselves in ONE’s world of striking. 

The 29-year-old has long waited for a shot on the big stage, and given the love that Buntan and Abasolo have received from fans, he surely wants to make an impression in his debut. 

Flyweight contenders throw down 

An interesting matchup for MMA fans is the flyweight clash between #4-ranked Reece McLaren and #5-ranked Hu Yong. 

Not only is this expected to be a high-octane, fast-paced fight between two established skilled martial artists, it also has serious implications for the flyweight division, where local fan-favorites Danny Kingad and former divisional king Geje Eustaquio compete. 

These guys are no strangers to one another, and given the division’s logjam in the middle of the pack, Filipino fans could see these names re-emerge in the near future. 

Unbeaten KO artists clash in co-main event

While fans can expect a lot from Sundell and Diachkova in the featured bout, the featherweight MMA clash in the co-main event between Halil Amir and Akbar Abduallaev could potentially steal the show. 

Coming in with respective 10-0 records and a combined 17 knockout between them, this featherweight clash is everything a Filipino fan is looking for – a fight between two heavy-handed monsters who refuse to back down. 

The winner here could get a shot at ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai in the future. 
/data/user/0/com.samsung.android.app.notes/files/clipdata/clipdata_bodytext_240503_230758_675.sdocx