ONE Championship announces two title fights for ONE 173 in November

ONE Championship announced two massive bouts for its second monumental event in Japan this year. The promotion heads to Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on Sunday, November 16, for ONE 173.

The main event sees a World Title unification bout as reigning ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon faces interim titleholder Masaaki Noiri.

Superbon has dominated the featherweight kickboxing division for years. The Thai striker brings devastating head kicks and an ever-evolving boxing game. He claimed his current belt in April 2024 after outworking Marat Grigorian to a unanimous decision victory.

The 34-year-old then reignited his vision for two-sport superstardom – but he fell short in his quest for Muay Thai gold at ONE 170 this past January versus Tawanchai PK Saenchai. Now he returns to his bread and butter to defend his kickboxing crown on enemy soil against a formidable star.

After finding his feet in the promotion, Noiri showed his true form at ONE 170 as he brutalized Shakir Al-Tekreeti with leg kicks in the second round. That victory set up his interim title fight against featherweight Muay Thai king Tawanchai PK Saenchai at ONE 172, where he shocked the world.

Fighting before his home crowd at Saitama Super Arena, Noiri captured interim gold with a stunning third-round TKO. Out of nowhere, he clipped the chin of the Thai star with a whopping left hook to send him to the canvas and truly arrive in ONE, punching his ticket to a winner-takes-all clash at ONE 173.

Anatoly Malykhin seeks revenge against Reug Reug

The co-main event features another blockbuster matchup. Current two-weight ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin will get his rematch with reigning ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion Oumar Kane inside Ariake Arena.

“Reug Reug” shocked the MMA world last November at ONE 169. The Senegalese powerhouse defeated the previously unbeaten Russian via split decision. In doing so, he captured Malykhin’s heavyweight title to become the first African ONE World Champion.

Malykhin entered that bout as MMA’s first three-division World Champion while presenting an unblemished record and 100 percent finishing rate.

But Kane employed perfect takedown defense and dangerous striking to edge out the Russian superstar across five hard-fought rounds.

Since then, Malykhin has made his desire for redemption clear. He wants to reclaim his heavyweight gold.

Meanwhile, “Reug Reug” is out to prove his prominence is no fluke, and he seeks an emphatic finish in this highly anticipated rematch.