It may have been a tremendous 2022 for ONE Championship, but it has also been a fruitful year for the organization’s Filipino fighters.
Throughout the last 12 months, fans in the Philippines saw new stars emerge, stars that they’ll be cheering for the upcoming year.
With that said, we look at the three of the biggest fights Filipino’s could take part in during 2023.
Stephen Loman Vs. John Lineker/Fabricio Andrade II Winner
Perhaps the biggest star to emerge from the Philippines in 2022 is Team Lakay’s Stephen “The Sniper” Loman, who entered The Home of Martial Arts in 2021 with a knockout win over Yusup Saadulaev before annihilating everyone in his path this year.
Loman opened the year against tough Shoko Sato, who he beat via decision. That win earned him a huge step-up in competition in the way of former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes.
In that fight, “The Sniper” proved that he was ready for the big leagues, dominating the Brazilian from start to finish. He outstruck him on the feet, defended every takedown that Fernandes threw, landed every takedown he attempted, and controlled him on the ground en route to a convincing decision win.
With the victory, he might get the next shot at the winner of the ONE Bantamweight World Championship match between former king John Lineker and top-ranked Fabricio Andrade.
Jeremy Miado Vs. Gustavo Balart
Another Filipino who had a splendid year is Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado, who defeated Lito Adiwang this past March before stopping Danial Williams at the end of 2022.
Facing a guy with professional Muay Thai experience, Miado looked every bit the striker as he repeatedly blasted the Australian with punches for the first two rounds and ultimately finishing the match in the third round.
After the victory, a lot of people started looking at Miado as the next challenger to new ONE Strawweight World Champion Jarred Brooks. However, a clash with the Cuban wrestling machine in Gustavo Balart would be a good way to size his skills up before the big match against Brooks.
Danny Kingad Vs. Reece McLaren II
Danny “The King” Kingad was scheduled to fight in ONE’s return to the Philippines earlier this month, but unfortunately the fight had to be cancelled.
This only opens the door for a massive flyweight rematch between him and Aussie Reece McLaren, a fight that could shake-up the list of contenders.
It’s a matchup that McLaren has long called for, especially since he feels that he beat Kingad when they last fought in 2019.
Download the ONE Super App to catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 6: Superbon vs. Allazov on Saturday, 14 January, at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
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