ONE Championship chairman Chatri Sityodtong has appeared to confirm that ONE 173 is officially in the works – sparking fan excitement after a months-long gap in the numbered event series.
“ONE 173, let’s go!” Chatri wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday, without offering any further details.
There has been no official announcement from the martial arts promotion regarding the card’s date or location, though speculation is mounting ONE could return to Japan – where ONE 172 was held in March – or stage another event at Bangkok’s Impact Arena, which last hosted ONE 170 in January.
Among the first fighters to respond to Chatri’s post was Jonathan Haggerty, who shared the image on his Instagram story.
The 28-year-old Briton – the reigning ONE bantamweight kickboxing champ – also recently wrote that he “will be entering fight camp soon,” suggesting his return could be imminent.
Haggerty could be in line for a number of potential matchups, including a title defence against Japanese striker Yuki Yoza – the highly-touted former K1 champion who claimed recently he is already booked to fight again after a debut win last month that
Another possibility is a showdown for the vacant ONE bantamweight Muay Thai title against 21-year-old prodigy Nabil Anane – who defeated Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 172 by decision, after the Thai lost his belt on the scales due to a failed hydration test.
Superlek, who negotiated to compete at a catchweight but without the belt on the line for Nabil, has since said he needs time to recover and gave his blessing for Haggerty vs Anane to go ahead.
ONE has yet to confirm any official matchups or broadcast details for ONE 173, but the promotion could release further information in the coming weeks.
“ONE 173, let’s go!” Chatri wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday, without offering any further details.
There has been no official announcement from the martial arts promotion regarding the card’s date or location, though speculation is mounting ONE could return to Japan – where ONE 172 was held in March – or stage another event at Bangkok’s Impact Arena, which last hosted ONE 170 in January.
Among the first fighters to respond to Chatri’s post was Jonathan Haggerty, who shared the image on his Instagram story.
The 28-year-old Briton – the reigning ONE bantamweight kickboxing champ – also recently wrote that he “will be entering fight camp soon,” suggesting his return could be imminent.
Haggerty could be in line for a number of potential matchups, including a title defence against Japanese striker Yuki Yoza – the highly-touted former K1 champion who claimed recently he is already booked to fight again after a debut win last month that
Another possibility is a showdown for the vacant ONE bantamweight Muay Thai title against 21-year-old prodigy Nabil Anane – who defeated Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 172 by decision, after the Thai lost his belt on the scales due to a failed hydration test.
Superlek, who negotiated to compete at a catchweight but without the belt on the line for Nabil, has since said he needs time to recover and gave his blessing for Haggerty vs Anane to go ahead.
ONE has yet to confirm any official matchups or broadcast details for ONE 173, but the promotion could release further information in the coming weeks.
