10 Fighters We Want To See In ONE’s Openweight Muay Thai GP

Asian combat sports giants, ONE Championship, are going back to the roots of combat competition with their latest Muay Thai grand prix, with 16 of the best strikers on the planet battling it out in an openweight tournament, with a grand prize of $1 million dollars.

Who doesn’t love a good old tournament in combat sports? Think the early UFC days, the K-1 grand Prix’, even what Bellator have done in recent years. Regardless of the weight class, regardless of the discipline, watching the brackets unfold and seeing a conclusion gradually reveal Itself over the course of a few months can be a welcome change from the regular rankings structure.

With argueably the most talented roster of strikers in combat sports history, the possibilities are exciting should ONE pull it off in a realistic manner. After a great year of super series action, I’m sure you’re already piecing together some pretty unique brackets in your minds, but here’s 10 fighters we would like to see compete in ONE’s openweight grand prix.

Rodtang Jitmuangnon

One of the biggest names in Muay Thai right now and the ONE flyweight Muay Thai champ, Rodtang is currently 11-0 in Muay Thai competition under the ONE banner, ever since debuting in 2019.

“Iron Man” has long been a fan favourite among striking fans, not necessarily measured by his success but more so his captivating fighting style. Revered for his granite chin, incredible work rate and addiction to slugging it out with each and every opponent from the opening bell to the last, this is a man I’m certain won’t back down no matter how big or small an opponent.

Rodtang is yet to meet his match in a striking rules matchup in ONE, maybe this is the next step for him after already expressing interest. Being the mad man that Rodtang is, the prospect of a fight against a bigger guy probably doesn’t phase him as much as we’d like to think it would.

Superbon Singha Mawynn

Superbon, another journied Thai fighter and one of the best strikers on the planet right now. We all know how dangerous this man is, and despite currently fighting under kickboxing rules in ONE, he’s certainly no stranger to a Muay Thai rules contest.

A KOTY contender against kickboxing great Giorgio Petrosyan, and decision wins over striking aces Sitthichai and Marat Grigorian saw Superbon have a stellar 2022, claiming the ONE featherweight kickboxing belt in the process. Despite losing it to Chingiz Allazov in devastating fashion earlier this month, Superbon will be hungry to get back on track and what an opportunity this is to do so.

His incredibly dangerous kicking game will cause problems for anyone who stands across from him and I think with no weight restrictions and more freedom, after looking undersized in his last fight this may just be what he needs.

Superlek Kiatmoo9

The newly minted ONE flyweight kickboxing champ Superlek has to be in the running for a spot in the GP.

What a past 2 years this man has had, bouncing back from a controversial loss to then champ Ilias Ennahachi in 2021, picking up wins over the likes of Panpayak and Taiki Naito, as well as a sensational finish over former title challenger Walter Gonclaves.

Superlek is another guy that is just superb at Muay Thai, his kicking game exudes danger and he supplements it so well with those sneaky elbows and underrated hands. Under the ONE banner, he is also undefeated in Muay Thai, with many wanting a champ vs champ showdown with Rodtang in a battle of the Flyweight phenoms.

Who knows, this tournament may be the vehicle for just that. The possibilities are truly endless.

Tawanchai PK.Saenchai

At just 23 years of age, what an incredible talent Tawanchai is. Already the ONE Muay Thai featherweight champion with 3 of his 4 wins in the organisation coming via vicious KO.

With wins over the likes of Saemapetch and Petchmorakot en-route to gold, Tawanchai has displayed fight IQ beyond his years, with an electrifying skillset to match. Everything this man throws is with bad intentions, an incredibly deceiving amount of power reinforcing every combination and speed like the crack of a whip.

Of course, Tawanchai does have a title defence coming up against Jamal Yusupov on February 25th which he’s not guaranteed to get through unscathed, but depending on the timing of the openweight matchups, win or lose, I still believe he would be a wonderful addition to the tournament.

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao

Yes I know, another Thai, well what can I say, they’re incredibly good and incredibly exciting when it comes to their national sport as expected and that’s exactly what we want this GP to be, full of talent and exciting to watch.

Now when it comes to Muay Thai fighters, there aren’t many, if any better than Nong-O right now. The ONE Muay Thai Bantamweight king hasn’t lost a fight in 8 years and is 10-0 under the ONE banner. He’s a virtuoso, this mans mastery of the game paired with the devastating power he piles behind his shots is a thing of beauty, not many have even come close to beating him in recent years, so why not jump into the GP and have the best guys from all divisions have a pop at him to see how far he can really go.

Don’t get me wrong, I have full faith that Nong-O beats alot of bigger guys, just how big is the question. It remains to be seen how crazy ONE are really prepared to go with these weight descrepancies.

OK, so that’s 5 smaller guys in the grand scheme of the weight divisions, 5 guys who in any combination of matchups against each other, create guaranteed bangers. Now let’s switch it up with some bigger guys I’d like to see compete in the tournament in some capacity.

Regian Eersel

Eersel has been the ONE lightweight kickboxing champion since defeated Nieky Holzken in 2019, defending his title 4 times before going on to defeat Sinsamut Klinmee for the inaugural ONE lightweight Muay Thai belt in October of last year.

Now a two division champ and unbeaten 7 years, Regian has proven himself to be one of the best strikers on the planet. He may only be competing under lightweight, but Eersel is a big guy, standing at 6’2 with a very rangy build, he could certainly compete with some of the bigger guys should ONE take that approach.

Eersel’s crafty knees and kicks tend to be the most effective tools in his arsenal, whether it be picking guys apart from range or driving up the middle, he’s a pretty versatile striker. Now a Muay Thai champion as well as kickboxing, it would only make sense to have him go for another accolade.

Roman Kryklia

Roman Kryklia, where do I start with this man, he’s been as clinical as it gets under the ONE banner, going 5 for 5, with 4 of them ending via finish en route to claiming the ONE kickboxing heavyweight and light heavyweight world titles.

With a huge 6’7 frame comes a huge amount of power, but this is a guy who doesn’t toss it out there likes he’s pitching a baseball, he’s calm composed, picks his shots beautifully and uses it in measure to break guys apart.

As fluid a big guy as you’ll see kickboxing and a guy I think would transition nicely over to Muay Thai. If Kryklia was added into the GP, although not a Muay Thai practitioner, I think it’s fairly obvious that he would emerge the favourite.

Of course, putting him against the likes of Rodtang and Superlek would be completely absurd and thus I think a selection of weight classes should be administered into the tournament that would be fairly realistic to compete against, otherwise there’s potential for serious damage.

Guto Inocente

Guto is among the most exciting when it comes to heavyweight kickboxers. Although not being able to claim gold since his arrival in ONE, he’s certainly put on some incredible showings to remind us what he’s all about.

With experience in MMA and kickboxing, Guto is most known for his time in Glory, scoring one of the best finishes in kickboxing history against Demoreo Dennis with a vicious spinning hook kick. Another guy who’s very unique for a heavyweight, in tune with his acrobatic side with a tendancy to mix in some ambitious strikes, all while maintaining active forward pressure, with those powerful kicks and bruising boxing combinations.

I’d certainly like to see his style mix in with some of the other bigger guys we may see in the GP, win or lose he’s always all action and an incredibly entertaining watch.

Sinsamut Klinmee

Chatri has already confirmed lightweight kickboxing and Muay Thai contender Sinsamut as the first entry into the openweight grand prix, and honestly I’m not mad at that at all.

Sinsamut surged into a ONE title shot after just two fights with the organisation, blitzing both Liam Nolan and Nieky Holzken with two vicious finishes. The heavy handed Thai then challenged Regain Eersel for the vacant lightweight Muay Thai belt which he lost via unanimous decision. Although he didn’t get the win and it wasn’t the most exciting of battles, Sinsamut has already proven his finishing ability and toughness.

Who knows he may fight at a heavier weight than usual and thus that finishing threat will be amplified. A seasoned Muay Thai competitor at the heavier weight classes is pretty rare in ONE and so it’ll be interesting to see how Sinsamut will fare against an abundance of different styles.

Francis Ngannou?

I know, a pick completely out of line with the other ‘sensible ones’ but who knows. Francis has left the UFC, he doesn’t have a promotional home at the moment, has discussed boxing but no route has actually been confirmed yet.

This is an openweight tournament, with $1 million dollars on the line in a setting where clinching is the only form of grappling. Of course he may not be a seasoned striker or a Muay Thai specialist, but he’s a wrecking ball with unfathomable power and the ability to finish anyone on the feet should he find that one shot. A dangerous challenge for anyone, not necessarily to outstrike him, more so to avoid those hands until the bout concludes.

One things for sure, you throw Ngannou in there and it brings a whole new wave of viewers to the tournament and generates much more interest. If anything, he may not win it, ONE may not even consider it, but he would certainly entertain against the heavier strikers in ONE.

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Of course there are so many competitors we would love to see in the grand prix but the main question is whether the openweight label will be at a circus level or not. Of course, as I mentioned earlier I believe the grand prix should be within a realistic range of size as opposed to all comers.

Matching flyweights with heavyweights has potential to cause ridiculous fighter safety issues and of course fighter safety should be paramount. Either way, I’m sure the competitors will be announced fairly soon and we can make our own judgements on potential matchups.

Be sure to let us know who you would like to see in the grand prix!