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ONE FC: "Total Domination" is set for the Singapore Indoor Stadium this Friday night (Oct. 18, 2013) and will be headlined by a bantamweight unification bout between reigning champion Soo Chul Kim and interim champion Bibiano Fernandes as well as featuring the Featherweight debut of Shinya Aoki.
As usual the card features a mixture of Asian mixed martial arts (MMA) veterans and some local newcomers with two female fighters facing off for only the second time in ONE FC history. In total, there will be 10 fights at the Singapore Indoor Stadium with the action set to get underway at 7 p.m. local time.
Here is part one of my ONE FC 11 preview:
Marc Marcellinus vs Stephen Langdown
Both fighters are making their debut and I don't know much about either. Marcellinus has a background in Muay Thai and Karate while Langdown's strength is reportedly his striking so the ingredients are probably in place for a first round finish.
Juan Wen Jie was supposed to make his ONE FC debut well over a year ago but suffered a serious neck injury which kept him out of action for a year. He's highly rated, has been training MMA for a long time, works hard on his Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) despite having a background in Muay Thai and Sanshou and is physically imposing with a perfect professional record of 2-0.
Alex Lim is a Malaysian Sanda champion who is 1-2 in his MMA career but his losses are both to experienced opponents. I don't think he is in the same league as Wen Jie but this will be an interesting gauge of just how good the Singaporean is, can he go on to become a title contender in the 155-pound division or will he fall by the wayside like so many of his compatriots have done fighting for ONE FC?
This is the fight which seems to have captured the imagination of the local media because it features two tough girls from opposite sides of the Strait both making their pro MMA debuts. Ann Osman and Sherilyn Lim both train at serious camps, Borneo Tribal Squad and Fight G respectively, and so will know exactly what is required of them to compete for ONE FC.
Lim, from Singapore, is an amateur MMA champion while Osman, from Malaysia, has competed in Muay Thai but the questions will be how they cope with the pressure of fighting in front of an audience of up to 12,000 people. It's a huge step up for both in terms of the scale of the event and it could come come down to which fighter is able to maintain their composure.
The first fight on the main card pretty much guarantees fireworks. Khun Dima is a Kun Khmer champion and a veteran of over 100 fights who won't shy away from a striking battle but Rene Catalan is a multiple time Wushu world champion.
The Filipino has an arsenal of side kicks and spinning strikes which he will look to unleash and in Dima he should find a willing adversary because I don't see the Cambodian shooting for a takedown. That should make for a a "fight of the night" contender but Catalan has more experience in MMA and might take a more tactical approach and look to go to the ground.
Students of the striking game should observe the differences in style and stance. Although both will have adapted their skillset for MMA, expect Catalan to stand sideways on with feet wide apart and look to spring in and out while Dima will probably be less light on his feet and want to stay in the pocket and exchange.
Shannon Wiratchai vs Mitch Chilson
The first time these two fought Mitch Chilson took Shannon Wiratchai down in the opening round and kept him down but wasn't able to pass his guard or score with too much offense. In the second round the Thai tagged him with a right hook and then hurt him with an illegal soccer kick which ultimately resulted in the fight being called a no contest.
The soccer kick rules were subsequently changed and both fighters have a point to prove in the rematch. Wiratchai feels he beat Chilson once and will do it again while the American wants redemption after a sub-par performance in the first fight.
Chilson is much more experienced in MMA terms and has divided his camp between AMC Pankration in his native Seattle and Evolve MMA in Singapore. The American is extremely well rounded but Wiratchai has youth on his side and despite being notoriously lazy in training has supposedly stepped up his work rate and taken this fight extremely seriously.
The undercard of ONE FC: "Total Domination" will be streamed free online while the entire show can be purchased for $9.99 and the main card will be screened live in Asia by Star Sports and elsewhere in the world by a variety of different local broadcasters.
Stay tuned tomorrow for part two of our "Total Domination" preview.
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