[RANK5=John Hyon Ko] ONE Championship: Visions of Victory in Kuala Lumpur was a showcase for many of the contenders on the roster like Reece McLaren, Christian Lee, and Michelle Nicolini. They all produced superb performances and therefore fans can expect to see many of the victors fighting for a title before the end of the year.
RELATED INTERVIEW: REECE MCLAREN TALKS BEING A FLYWEIGHT
Going into tonight's main event, Reece McLaren had everything to lose against the hometown boy Gianni Subba in Malaysia. But that did not deter him from mixing it up on the feet before taking his opponent to the mat and choking him out at the end of the second round with technical precision and awareness.
Although he was supposed to be fighting for the flyweight title against Adriano Moraes on this night, having another test before colliding with the champ can only bolster his confidence and lengthen his experience. Whenever they eventually clash, it will be a battle of wits that many will tune in to watch.
In the co-main event, Agilan Thani thoroughly dismantled Amitesh Chaubey and then submitted him in the second round via keylock. It seemed like the Indian prospect protested the stoppage, however, it was clearly shown in the replay that he tapped Thani on the leg in the midst of agony.
With two dominant wins at middleweight, it only makes sense to give him a shot at the divisional king Aung La N Sang. If that is not a possibility, he could move back down to welterweight and fight Luis "Sapo" Santos for the vacant title.
All eyes were on the 19-year-old Christian Lee when he tapped Japanese veteran Kazunori Yokota with a modified guillotine in the third round during a chaotic scramble. The Evolve MMA rising star has now finished four straight opponents since losing to current ONE Lightweight and Featherweight Champion Martin Nguyen in the summer of 2016.
The future is bright for this teenage savage but a title shot is not likely since the king of the division is tied up chasing a third title at bantamweight. He does have a strong argument with wins over Kotetsu Boku, Keanu Subba, and Yokota so time will only tell what direction the promotion takes him.
Earlier in the night, BJJ master Michelle Nicolini choked Iryna Kyselova unconscious in the first round with the skill of a surgeon. This extends her streak to three submission victories under the ONE Championship banner since being signed in late 2016. Even though she has only competed once a year in recent memory, her dominance is very apparent on the ground.
The organization just added the strawweight division to the women's ranks so having Nicolini face off against another strong flyweight could mean inaugural title at one of the future events.
고현 jhkmma@gmail.com
