FIVE BOUTS ADDED TO ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST

10 April 2015 – Singapore: Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization with a 90% market share, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has added five additional bouts to ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST, the blockbuster event set to take place on 22 May at the state-of-the-art Singapore Indoor Stadium. After notching one of the best knockouts of 2014 in his ONE Championship debut, Timofey Nastyukhin will now drop down to featherweight to take on top contender Rob Lisita. Streaking featherweights Ev Ting and Marat Gafurov are also set to clash in a showdown of featherweight contenders. Lightweight Eddie Ng will return to action to take on Brazil’s Rafael Nunes. Singapore’s Benedict Ang will make his debut against Pakistan’s Waqar Umar while Angela Lee faces Aya Saber in a women’s strawweight bout.

Tickets for ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST are on sale now at http://www.sportshub.com.sg/. Ticket categories begin with the full VIP experience at S$1,488. Tickets priced at $158, $58 and $38 are also available. Early bird promotions are available until 17 April. Prices exclude ticketing fee.

CEO of ONE Championship™, Victor Cui, stated, “ONE Championship returns to Singapore on 22 May with a blockbuster main event. In the main event, the two best lightweights in the world will clash when ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya Aoki put his title on the line against the number one contender, Koji Ando. Four of the best featherweights are in action as Ev Ting meets Marat Gafurov and Rob Lisita and Timofey Nastyukhin go head-to-head. The featherweight division is stacked with world-class athletes and these contenders have an opportunity to make their case for a ONE Featherweight World Championship title shot! Get ready for a night of jaw-dropping, world-class mixed martial arts action as ONE Championship goes live around the world.”

Ev Ting is a featherweight of Malaysian descent currently based in New Zealand. Ting has won all three of his bouts since making his ONE Championship debut. He has demonstrated his striking and grappling prowess, finishing Yohan Mulia Legowo, Edward Kelly and Cary Bullos all in impressive fashion. Ting is set to make his case for the ONE Featherweight World Championship belt currently held by Jadambaa Narantungalag, but he would first need to overcome Marat Gafurov.

Marat Gafurov hails from Novokuznetsk in Russia. He is currently undefeated in ten professional mixed martial arts bouts. He made a statement in his ONE Championship debut, convincingly defeating perennial contender Rob Lisita with a kick and rear-naked choke sequence. The victory propelled Gafurov to the top of the list of contenders, and he now has an opportunity to solidify his status by adding another victory to his win column.

Rob Lisita is an Australian mixed martial artist and one of the top strikers in the ONE Championship featherweight division. Lisita has built up a solid fan following thanks to the impressive striking displays throughout his career, including knockout wins over Yusuke Kawanago and Rodolfo Marques. Lisita has faced the best of the best in his class, and will now welcome Nastyukhin into the ultra-talented featherweight division.

Timofey Nastyukhin announced his arrival on the global stage with a devastating knockout of Eduard Folayang at ONE: WARRIOR’S WAY last December. After a series of ferocious striking exchanges, Nastyukhin landed a perfectly timed flying knee on Folayang, effectively ending the bout in just one round. The knockout is considered by most as one of the best knockouts of 2014. He now returns to action against a fellow striker. Nastyukhin will move down to his preferred featherweight division to take on Australian knockout artist Rob Lisita.

Eddie Ng is a Hong Kong lightweight who has dazzled in his multiple appearances in the ONE Championship cage. Ng has won four of his five bouts in ONE and returns to action after a one-year layoff determined to continue his ascent. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, Ng has never gone to a decision in his professional mixed martial arts career thanks to his exciting style.

Rafael Nunes is one of the top lightweights to emerge from Brazil in recent history. He has steamrolled through the competition in Brazil, with all but one of his 10 wins coming by stoppage. Nunes is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt and is equally adept in finishing his opponents by strikes or by submission.

Benedict Ang is one of the top prospects to emerge from Singapore. Ang is undefeated in amateur mixed martial arts competition. At just 19 years old, Ang will become one of the youngest mixed martial artists to step into the ONE Championship cage. Ang trains at Evolve MMA alongside top stars such as ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren and ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya Aoki. Possessing dynamic striking skills and solid grappling, he will get the opportunity to test himself against the best in the world as he makes his promotional debut.

Waqar Umar is a Pakistani mixed martial arts standout. Umar impressed in local competition and has received the opportunity to compete at Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization. A student of Pakistani MMA pioneer Bashir Ahmad, Umar is an aggressive brawler and also combines his striking skills with diverse submission skills. He will be looking to notch his first win inside the ONE cage when he locks horns with Singapore’s Benedict Ang.

Angela Lee is currently living in Hawaii and is of Singapore and Korean descent. The eldest child of two Taekwondo instructor parents, Angela grew up practicing various forms of martial arts, and quickly built an impressive resume. Her list of accolades includes being state wrestling champion and World Athlima Pangration Federation champion. She is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, and an amateur strawweight champion in mixed martial arts. Lee now makes her much-awaited professional debut as she takes Aya Saber.

Aya Saber is an Egyptian kickboxing champion who has transitioned into mixed martial arts. After falling short in her last first two ONE Championship bouts, Saber will look for a victory against one of the most promising young prospects in Angela Lee. A distinguished striker, Saber now gets a shot at redemption as she makes her return to the ONE cage.