FOUR TITLE BOUTS SLATED FOR CARD, INCLUDING ONE FC WELTERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT BETWEEN NOBUTATSU SUZUKI AND BEN ASKREN DUBAI EVENT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH REDFILO EVENTS LLC
03 July 2014 – SINGAPORE: ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC), Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization with a 90% market share, will visit the Middle East for the first time on 29 August with a blockbuster event. Dubai World Trade Centre in the United Arab Emirates will play host to this monumental occasion. The event will be in partnership with renowned event management company, RedFilo Events LLC and supported by Dubai Tourism.
This event is set to be the biggest combat sports event to ever be held in the Middle East. An unprecedented four ONE FC World Championship bouts will be on the card. ONE FC Welterweight World Champion Nobutatsu Suzuki will meet undefeated wrestling superstar Ben Askren and ONE FC Lightweight World Champion Shinya Aoki and ONE FC Featherweight World Champion Koji Oishi will also defend their titles against top contenders to be announced at a later date. A fourth title will be contested for the currently vacant Middleweight World Championship.
CEO of ONE Fighting Championship™ Victor Cui stated, “After wowing sold out audiences across Asia, Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization will enter the Middle East for the first time on 29 August. Dubai will be treated to a night of adrenaline-pumping mixed martial arts action from world-class mixed martial artists. Nobutatsu Suzuki, Koji Oishi and Shinya Aoki are three of the greatest mixed martial artists in the world today and they will put their ONE FC World Championship titles on the line! Ben Askren is the greatest wrestler to compete in mixed martial arts and his clash with Suzuki is one of the most anticipated bouts in the history of the welterweight division. This is going to be the biggest night in the history of combat sports and you do not want to miss it!”
Nobutatsu Suzuki is a striker who has demonstrated the effectiveness of karate in mixed martial arts. He became the first ONE FC Welterweight World Champion by defeating Brock Larson at ONE FC: WAR OF NATIONS earlier this year. Ten of his 11 wins have been knockouts and he will look to add Ben Askren to the list of opponents he has finished when they clash on 29 August.
Ben Askren is a legend in collegiate wrestling with four All-American awards. He finished his wrestling career at the University of Missouri with a record of 153-8. He has won 91 of those bouts with pins, one of the most in NCAA Division I history. He also wrestled on the US Olympics team in 2008 before transitioning to mixed martial arts. Since his mixed martial arts debut in 2009, he has won 13 bouts consecutively in dominating fashion, winning multiple championships and earning recognition as one of the best welterweights in the world.
Shinya Aoki is known as one of the most dangerous submission artists in mixed martial arts today. A former DREAM Lightweight Champion, he earned his most prestigious title with a quick submission victory over then ONE FC Lightweight World Champion, Kotetsu Boku, at ONE FC: KINGS & CHAMPIONS last year. He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under the legendary Yuki Nakai, and boasts 23 wins via submission.
ONE FC Featherweight World Champion Koji Oishi is a veteran of over 40 fights and a former Lightweight King of Pancrase. He is a seasoned veteran who has been consistently facing the best opposition in the world. At ONE FC: RISE TO POWER, his lifelong dream of becoming a world champion came true when he captured the ONE FC Featherweight World Championship title by knocking out Honorio Banario. Oishi has fought almost 100 rounds in his career and faced over 36 opponents, making him one of the most experienced featherweights in the world.
Fans in Asia can catch all the action live on STAR Sports. Check your local listings. Also, fans from around the world can witness the action online via live streaming at www.onefc.livesport.tv. The event will be available for purchase at just US$9.99.
