ONE Fighting Championship’s first card of 2014 is shaping up rather nicely, now with the latest inclusion of a Flyweight tussle between top promotional contenders Andrew Leone (pictured) and Shinichi Kojima.
Officials confirmed the match-up on Facebook.
ONE FC 14: War of Nations takes place March 14 at the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Previously announced bouts for the event include Nobutatsu Suzuki (10-1-2) vs. Brock Larson (37-7), Kevin Belingon (12-3) vs. Dae Hwan Kim, Yasuhiro Urushitani (21-6-6) vs. Adriano Moraes (9-1) and Ann Osman (0-1) vs. Sherilyn Lim (1-0).
And as with previous ONE FC installments, the main card will be showcased LIVE on Star Sports Asia and online at www.onefc.livesport.tv for a price of USD $9.99.
Picture perfect: Shinichi Kojima locks in a Guillotine choke on Rey Docyogen.
Leone vs. Kojima has been long overdue, and was in fact a match-up that was scheduled to headline ONE FC’s Jakarta card in September last year. Leone jumped on the opportunity to face Kojima when the Japanese vet’s original opponent, Yasuhiro Urushitani, was scratched off the card due to undisclosed reasons. Circumstances soon took a turn for the worst soon after when Leone was forced out of the tilt citing a knee injury, which eventually culminated in the match-up being scrapped from the card altogether.
Shinichi Kojima (13-5-5) is a former Shooto champ, who made his first appearance on foreign soil last year in a successful submission triumph over Filipino prospect Rey Docyogen at ONE FC 7: Return of Warriors. The 34-year-old has been regarded as one of Asia’s finest 125-lbs combatants, with almost a decade of fight experience under his belt.
Andrew Leone (6-2), meanwhile, is a Phuket Top Team stand-out with an outstanding grappling pedigree and an ever improving all-round MMA game. A former ROAD FC vet, Leone made his promotional debut at ONE FC 9: Rise to Power, sweeping the judges’ scorecards with a lopsided Unanimous Decision victory over Geje Eustaquio. On a 5-1 run, the American has notched victories over the UFC’s Kyung Ho Kang, former ONE FC champ Soo Chul Kim and many others.
With ONE FC yet to crown its first Flyweight champ, both fighters will be looking to make a huge statement by adding their names into the contenders’ mix.
The updated ONE FC 14: War of Nations card now includes:
- - Nobutatsu Suzuki vs. Brock Larson (For inaugural ONE FC Welterweight Championship title)
- - Kevin Belingon vs. Dae Hwan Kim
- - Yasuhiro Urushitani vs. Adriano Moraes
- - Shinichi Kojima vs. Andrew Leone
- - Ann Osman vs. Sherilyn Lim II
Picture credit: ONE Fighting Championship
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