How does Ev Ting stack up against Shinya Aoki?

IN ONE Championship’s stacked lightweight class, Malaysian-Kiwi Ev Ting has emerged as one of the division’s most exciting prospects over the past five years.

The 29-year-old nicknamed “E.T” (16-4) stunned an experienced Yohan Mulia Legowo in June 2014 via TKO inside round one during his debut and followed up that victory with huge wins over Philippines’ duo Edward Kelly and Cary Bullos.

Since then the Malaysian-born martial artist went on to rake a 7-2 record, dispatching the likes of Nobutatsu Suzuki, Ariel Sexton, Koji Ando and veteran Kamal Shalorus. His two defeats came against Marat Gafurov and Eduard Folayang, losing the latter via Unanimous Decision, his only shot at the ONE Lightweight World Championship so far.

In Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki (41-8), Ev faces what could be his toughest test in his eight-year mixed martial arts career.

Ting will go toe-to-toe with Aoki at ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES in Bangkok’s Impact Arena on Saturday against a legend whose submission skills make up a large part of ONE Championship’s highlight reels.

We take a closer look at how Ting will pair-up in terms of striking, defense, style and who will have the edge over their opposition to record a victory which should put them in title contention after Martin Nguyen vacated the lightweight title last Friday.

Ev’s striking prowess

E.T is known for his thunderous head kicks along with his fluid form which switches from time to time as seen in his last battle against Koji Ando, proving he is no greenhorn in the art of stand-up battle.

One of the 29-year-old’s most dangerous weapon. - ONE Championship

The 29-year-old’s punch combos do not fall short either, pummeling his previous opponent, Nobutatsu Suzuki with powerful right crosses en route to a ground-and-pound win.

Will Aoki be at a disadvantage?

At surface level it seems like the Evolve MMA martial artist is at a disadvantage, but with 48 wins under his belt, he does not shy away from strikers.

This Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt has outstanding reflexes and has put world class stand-up strikers like Shannon Wiratchai and Eddie Alvarez to shame on the ground.

When it comes to defense, Aoki levels the playing field with his swift takedowns.

The Japanese warrior displays traditional one-two’s before textbook-like takedowns in a large chunk of his victories.

His Judo background gives him a fast and relentless style of taking his opponents down.

Can Ev avoid those huge takedowns?

Ev’s quick slips and versatile footwork does the job when it comes to stand up. He possesses quick “sprawls” against takedowns from his opponents, making them pay with punch combos almost immediately after.

What if it ends on the canvas?

Grappling may be where the scales tip in favor of Aoki. The martial artist dubbed the “Tobikan Judan” (The Grand Master of Flying Submissions) does an amazing job with his submissions. His fast thinking coupled with sneaky techniques does pose a huge threat to Ting if the action were to go to the ground.

Another day in the office for the Malaysian-Kiwi. - ONE Championship

The 35-year-old has been known to pull off advanced level techniques in the cage such as the Twister and the Flying Triangle choke.

Ting does stand a better chance at stand up but has left positive impressions on the ground too with his deep guillotine chokes on Bullos and Eric Kelly.

Overall, this matchup seems set to bring down the house at ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES in Bangkok as both martial artists orchestrate contrasting styles.