ONE on Prime Video 5 | 5 fights to watch

Just in time for Christmas, ONE continue to bang out these stellar looking two card weekends to feed our lust for combat. On Saturday, the Asian giants return to the Philippines with ONE on Prime Video 5, with undefeated double champ Reinier De Ridder topping the bill against the also undefeated interim heavyweight champ, Anatoly Malykhin.

Among the stacked card are some real gems and with that being said, here are 5 fights to look forward to.

Tye Ruotolo vs Marat Gafurov

2022 has seemingly been the year of the Ruotolo brothers, with the young grappling phenoms taking the combat sports world by storm. Tye may not have found the same degree of success as his brother, but needless to say the man is still ridiculously talented, with an all action dynamic BJJ style brimming with flair and a refreshing urgency to hunt the finish. Butting heads with the grappling ace and trying his hand in ONE’s submission grappling format for the first time is Marat Gafurov. The former ONE featherweight champ may be double the age of his American counterpart, but this man has seen it all throughout his MMA career. Lauded for his submission ability, Gafurov has finished 11 of his 19 wins via submission and has a knack for securing the good old rear naked choke. After an up and down run within MMA as of late, a change of pace may be just what he needs, even should he lose its a lesson learnt even with all that experience. For a short notice contest this one is very intriguing, a clash of ages and ONE I’m fairly confident won’t go the distance.

Jackie Buntan vs Amber Kitchen

Now, if BJJ isn’t necessarily for you then there’s some Muay Thai action just around the corner in the next contest to cleanse your palette. Strawweight strikers Jackie Buntan and Amber Kitchen both look to rebound from losses in a bid to close the gap on a fight for the belt. Buntan had a great start to her ONE campaign, amassing a 3 fight win streak which primed her for a crack at gold. The American fell short to the now champ, 18 year old Smilla Sundell. Training at team Boxing Works with striking sensation Janet Todd, Buntan sports a game built around her heavy handed boxing which we’ve seen on full display in her recent contests, especially effective on the counter, stringing together a flurry of heavy shots at impressive speed. Buntan has all the ability to secure that belt and this contest will push her one step closer back toward that goal.

Her opponent, Amber Kitchen, is yet to pick up her first win under ONE, dropping her first two contests to Viktoria Lipianska and Diandra Martin. It’s a huge contest for the brit and ONE that must be won in order to get her ONE campaign on track. Coming from a Muay Thai family, Kitchen has a solid fundamental game with a touch of explosiveness that has served her well throughout her career, an asset that Buntan highlighted when reflecting on their first encounter 5 years ago in which Kitchen took the win. The result back then doesn’t seem to be indicative of their current success but with one win, everything can change. Both of these ladies love a tear up and I can almost guarantee this one is going to be non stop leather trading exchange.

Roberto Soldic vs Murad Ramazanov

It’s finally arrived, the ONE debut of European mega prospect Roberto Soldic. “Robocop” had a number of the major MMA organisations vying for his signature during the summer, but the heavy handed Croation settled with ONE with an urge to try his hand in different styles. Riding a 7 fight win streak, securing double champ status in KSW and at just 27 years old, this man is as exciting as it gets. Soldic is know for his venomous striking game, volleying heads and clattering skulls with those heavy hands, it doesn’t get more exciting than a Roberto Soldic striking exchange, he’s a knockout machine. However, it may be his highly anticipated debut, but ONE certainly haven’t done him any favours when it comes to the matchup. Soldic draws Russian unit, Murad Ramazanov.

Ramazanov is undefeated at 11-0 and 3-0 in ONE, with a style that is the complete antithesis to that of his Croatian counterpart. The Russian utilises his size and strong grappling base to take opponents to the mat, secure a dominant position and pound away until he’s taken off them, a style that much like a lot of the top Russians within MMA, everyone knows is coming just very few if anyone are able to stop it. This is a fight that answers just as many questions about Murad than it does Roberto, a clash of styles and one that is ridiculously intriguing. Will it be the striking of the Croatian or the suffocating grappling of the Russian. Who doesn’t love a prospect battle.

Kade Ruotolo vs Matheus Gabriel

Now for Tye’s brother Kade, what a year this man has had. Already in the conversation for combat sports athlete of the year, Kade has been absolutely sensational. Despite only being a black belt for less than a year, Kade has already become the youngest champion in ADCC history as well as claiming ONE submission grappling gold. He’s crafty, he’s quick and he’s extremely creative, all this paired with his size makes for one deadly man. Only winning the belt back in October, Kade isn’t waiting around and has already proven a ridiculous level of activity. He’s shown he can defend excellently against Aoki and that he can get the job done quick against Kurzhev, he’s as versatile as they come and I’m sure he’s hungry as ever to keep this run going.

Kades opponent is Matheus Gabriel, a black belt for 5 years and with a BJJ record of 48-10, Matheus has a wealth of experience in BJJ competition at just 25 years old. Historically Matheus has had a tendancy to go to points quite regularly, but his last 4 have all been finished via submission, one over Kade would sure get the combat sports world talking. Both guys are young, they’re hungry and coming off some nice win streaks, does Kade continue to make his year even better or will Matheus play party crasher?

Reinier De Ridder vs Anatoly Malykhin

The main event, the contest everyone is so intrigued by, middleweight and light heavyweight king, Reinier De Ridder looks to defend his light heavyweight title against interim heavyweight champ Anatoly Malykhin. De Ridder is a force to be reckoned with in the MMA world right now, not only does he have two belts, but he’s still undefeated at 16-0-0 and just seems to make every contest look so easy. It’s not very often you a guy who’s 6’4 wanting to close the distance, but once he gets you in the clinch it’s the beginning of the end. Before you know it, said 6’4 man is on top of you and trying to manipulate your limbs or crush your airways in every which way, and there’s not been much anyone can do to stop him. I have no doubt this man is more than capable of being a triple weight world champion and who knows, if he gets past Malykhin he may try his hand at heavyweight. Having said all that about De Ridder, Malykhin is also still undefeated at 11-0-0. He can hold his own on the ground but he’s most noted, as most heavyweights are, for his ability to put guys down on the feet.

We’ve seen him finish all 3 of his opponents in ONE, lining himself up for a heavyweight title shot in the process. As he waits for the champ to return however he’s challenging himself, a mentality that’s few and far between in modern day MMA. Of course he hits hard, but whether he’ll be able to make the most of the little time he will have to use that power on De Ridder is a different issue. Will Malykhin and his heavyweight power be able to find a way through, or does De Ridder continue to dominate all comers en route to another victory?

All primed for an insane event, which fight are you most looking forward to, be sure to let us know!