Had Serbian-American kickboxer Ognjen Topic followed his parents’ wishes, it is more than likely that he would not be where he is today.

Regarded as one of the best Muay Thai competitors to come out of the United States, he began as an avid follower of combat sports early in life, but it came with much hesitation from his mother and father.

After coming up short in his two bids to become a three-division world champion in ONE Championship, two-division titleholder Martin ‘The Situ-Asian’ Nguyen has decided to bid goodbye to the bantamweight division.

The reigning ONE Featherweight and Lightweight World Champion first tried to wrestle the ONE Bantamweight World Championship from reigning champion Bibiano ‘The Flash’ Fernandes at ONE: IRON WILL in Bangkok back in March, only to lose via split decision.

Mexican contender Iran Diaz’s training camp for the first world title bout of his professional boxing career is already in high gear.

The 28-year-old native of Sonora, Mexico made no secret of needing all the help that he can get in order to be victorious and overthrow Srisaket Sor Rungvisai for the WBC Super Flyweight World Championship in the main event of ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES, which emanates from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand on 6 October.

14 August 2018 – Manila, Philippines: Team Lakay veteran and former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario is scheduled to see action in the co-main event of ONE: BEYOND THE HORIZON opposite Singapore’s Amir Khan. The two will lock horns in a three-round lightweight contest on 8 September, at the Baoshan Arena in Shanghai, China.

Before he steps into the ONE Championship ring, let’s check out what Banario has to say ahead of his next big match-up.

ONE Championship shifts focus immediately to its next blockbuster cards in Shanghai and Jakarta for September, ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES on 22 September features a highly-anticipated strawweight championship rematch between two-time division kingpin Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito and Joshua “The Passion” Pacio as its headliner.

Both men initially crossed paths in October 2016 when Pacio challenged Naito for the ONE Strawweight World Championship in the main event of ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS.

ONE Championship is set to rock China once again, as The Home of Martial Arts heads to Shanghai for ONE: BEYOND THE HORIZON on Saturday, 8 September, featuring a stacked card headlined by China’s own ‘The Panda’ Xiong Jing Nan defending her ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship against Brazilian newcomer Samara ‘Marituba’ Santos.

The fans at the Baoshan Arena will also get to witness a showdown of sorts between two of Asia’s top martial arts stables, as the Philippines’ Team Lakay and Singapore’s Evolve MMA go head to head.

They say success is forged in the fires of defeat. For former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario, his re-emergence as a top lightweight contender was sparked during the unlikeliest of times.

The Team Lakay veteran went on a five-bout skid between 2013 and 2015, and was on the verge of retirement when he decided to take a step away from competition to regain his bearings.

For the third time in 2018, ONE Championship™ (ONE), the largest global sports media property in Asian history, brought their exciting brand of martial arts action to Philippine soil and once again, it brought the house down.  

ONE: REIGN OF KINGS, which was held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena last Friday, 27 July, featured a stacked card from top to bottom, and was headlined by top Filipino bantamweight contender Kevin ‘The Silencer’ Belingon of Team Lakay who defeated reigning ONE Featherweight and Lightweight World Champion Martin ‘The Situ-Asian’ Nguyen to become the new ONE Interim Bantamweight World Champion.