Three matches that make Agilan Thani excited for ONE: A New Era

BESIDES tirelessly sharpening his skills at Monarchy MMA, former ONE World Title challenger Agilan Thani loves eating and spends most of his free time watching the best martial arts on display.

One event that “The Alligator” has been looking forward to is ONE Championship’s inaugural showcase in Tokyo, Japan on 31 March.

“This is a chance for someone to fall in love with the sport, and for martial arts fans, they know this is the show,” he said.

ONE: A NEW ERA will feature a stacked 16-bout card including four World Title bouts, one Lightweight World Grand Prix bout, and all the quarter-final matches from the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix.

The event will also mark the debut of two of ONE’s latest signings Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez and Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.

Ahead of this mega card, Agilan breaks down three of the 16 world-class battles set for “The Land of the Rising Sun.”

Yuya Wakamatsu vs Demetrious Johnson

According to Agilan, every Demetrious Johnson match is brilliant to watch.

The Monarchy MMA athlete confessed that he’s been waiting for Johnson’s debut for a long time.

“He’s one of the best, what makes him outstanding is the way he mixes various martial arts techniques together,” he shared.

“He doesn’t only try one thing, he tries everything, whether its submission, striking, or grappling. He’s the perfect example of a martial artist.”

The 32-year-old AMC Pankration athlete will be up against Japan’s Yuya Wakamatsu, and although it may seem like a pretty one-sided affair, Agilan feels his Japanese counterpart can cause some trouble.

“He’s well-rounded too and possesses great knockout power. But I believe DJ has what it takes against the hometown hero.”

Aung La N Sang vs Ken Hasegawa

The Bout of the Year for 2018 should be another tasty affair for the ONE Middleweight World Title.

The Monarchy MMA athlete confessed that he’s never seen a greater match-up and hopes that the two can replicate another memorable bout in Japan.

“I want to see Aung La N Sang throw a big kick and get a win by knockout. He’s so nice to watch because he has great knockout power.”

“But Hasegawa is a tough athlete and just as well-rounded as the champion. The challenger throws a lot of high volumes, and it could change the whole game in an instance.”

When asked to pick a winner, Thani replied: “The Burmese Python”.

“I have Aung La N Sang winning this because he’s such a humble champion with great skills.”

Panicos Yusuf vs Mohammed Mahmoud

In one of the four ONE Super Series contests on 31 March, two-time Muay Thai World Champion Panicos Yusuf of Cyprus is booked to lock horns with Mohammed “Jordan Boy” Mahmoud of Malaysia.

Both strikers started their respective ONE Super Series careers in emphatic fashion, but they suffered defeats in their second outing.

“Both athletes are coming off defeats, and the one who attacks as soon as the bell rings would win,” Agilan stated.

Mohammed hopes to seal his 32nd victory. while Yusuf aims to claim his 38th career win as a kickboxer.

Both athletes possess fine knowledge of “The Art of Eight Limbs,” but Agilan believes that “Jordan Boy” will emerge triumphant.

“I hope he takes the win back home to Malaysia. All he needs is to have the right mindset.” he explained. “He has great ability, and I hope to see him win.”

“I fought on the same card with him in December, and the way he recorded a victory was insane. It’ll be either by TKO in round one or will go to the judges’ scorecard.”