ONE Championship held a ONE on Prime Video 3: Lineker vs. Andrade Media Day in Kuala Lumpur on October 18, for athletes prior to the competition at Axiata Arena indoor stadium on October 22.
The press conference was attended by some of the biggest and most exciting martial arts superstars in the world.
Second-ranked bantamweight contender Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade from Brazil, ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Champion Regian “The Immortal” Eersel from Holland, Multi-time BJJ World Champion Kade Ruotolo from the United States, Muay Thai phenom Sinsamut Klinmee from Thailand, as well as Malaysian MMA stars Keanu Subba and Agilan “Alligator” Thani answered questions from the media.
Fabricio Andrade, who will be competing against reigning ONE Bantamweight World Champion John “Hands of Stone” Lineker in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 3 said, “I’ve been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time. To get here, it is like a special moment. I’m looking forward to finishing this upcoming fight in the first round.”
Regian Eersel, the reigning ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Champion, began his martial arts journey by training in taekwondo at the age of eight, having taken up the art for self-defense. After experiencing success in taekwondo competitions as well as amateur kickboxing, Eersel decided to become a professional fighter and has since put together an incredible record. Renowned for making full use of his long limbs to land a variety of explosive strikes, “The Immortal” has built a reputation as an incredibly exciting talent to watch. Now, he takes on Sinsamut to potentially add the ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Title to his collection.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenomenon, Kade Ruotolo, will be up against promotional newcomer, multi-time Sambo World Champion and decorated judo black belt Uali Kurzhev from Russia.
Shortly after Ruotolo signed with ONE Championship this year, he dominated former ONE Lightweight World Champion and Japanese legend Shinya Aoki in a submission grappling contest, securing a win in his promotional debut.
Ruotolo also recently made history with gold at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) World Championships, becoming the youngest to ever do it and winning all his bouts by submission.
Ruotolo said, “I took a week to rest after the recent competition at ADCC, and took a hard two-week training camp for this upcoming bout. I don’t know a lot about Uali, but I know that he comes from a strong judo and wrestling background, with great takedown skills and good leg attacks. There will be a clash of styles which will be exciting to see this Saturday.”
ONE featherweight champion Keanu Subba, who will be facing Yoon Chang Min from Korea, said, “I am excited for the upcoming match up and I’m looking forward to putting on a show. When I go out there and perform, I go all out. My goal is to fight for the World Title within the next two years. My time on the ONE Championship stage has been incredible for my career and I’m getting better every day.”
Former ONE Welterweight World Title challenger Agilan Thani, who will be competing against Ilja Stojanov from Germany, said, “I really enjoyed MMA since I first experienced it, but this is a tough career. When we go on stage, we are putting ourselves on the line. We have to always be prepared. For this particular bout, my training is very focused and not time was spent working on unnecessary routines and that is the discipline I need to live with. When I go on stage, performance is always the key, and I will deliver this Saturday.”
A Muay Thai and kickboxing veteran with over 80 career victories under his belt, Sinsamut Klinmee will be facing Regian Eersel in the co-main event for the inaugural ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE on Prime Video 3.
Born in Pattaya, Thailand, Sinsamut’s family ran a gym, and is a major force on the Thailand circuit, producing champions in revered stadiums such as Lumpinee and Rajadamnern.
Sinsamut said, “In this upcoming bout, I need to be better than Regian and I am ready for the fight this Saturday. Every fight is important to me. Whenever I fight, I fight to be the winner. This upcoming fight is important to me as we are fighting for the ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Title belt, and I wish to knock him out in the second round.”
More information on ONE on Prime Video 3: Lineker vs. Andrade is available here: https://www.onefc.com/events/oneonprimevideo3/.
