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Three reasons to watch ONE: Eternal Glory

ONE Championship will finally kick off its 2019 calendar of events at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia on Saturday (Jan 19).

The promotion’s forthcoming spectacle, ONE: Eternal Glory, will feature 12 exciting bouts spread across mixed martial arts and Muay Thai.

Also, it will be headlined by a World Title bout.

Here are 3 great reasons to catch ONE's 2019 premiere this weekend.

#1 Christian Lee v Edward Kelly II

Ever since their September 2018 bout ended in a disqualification, Singapore’s Christian “The Warrior” Lee has been eagerly anticipating his rematch with Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly.

Not only is this featherweight tilt the latest chapter of the Evolve-Team Lakay rivalry, but it will also elevate the winner into title contention.

Lee is on a mission to rewrite his previous loss with a definitive win and move a step closer towards a trilogy bout with ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen.

Meanwhile, Kelly will be looking to prove himself by winning this contest with a strong finish and continue working towards becoming the fifth Team Lakay member to capture some gold.

Fans cannot afford to miss this pivotal match-up between the two featherweight greats.

#2 Bruno Pucci Takes On A Former World Champion

Bruno Pucci is no stranger to Singaporean martial arts fans. 

Having moved from Curitiba, Brazil to teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Evolve, the man known as “Puccibull” has a strong following in “The Lion City.”

Singaporeans have even more reason to cheer for Pucci as he makes his return to Indonesia for his next battle on Saturday.

During his last match at ONE: Warrior’s Dream in Jakarta, he needed only 56 seconds to submit “White Dragon” Xie Chao via guillotine choke.

An elite grappler and two-time BJJ No-Gi World Champion, “Puccibull” gets his first test of the year in Japan’s Kotetsu “No Face” Boku.

Boku, a former ONE Lightweight World Champion, will be inspired by the late Japanese legend Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto to put on a good show.

#3 The ONE Strawweight World Title Main-Event Bout

Reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio is set to make his first title defense against Japanese challenger Yosuke “Tobizaru” Saruta in the main event of ONE: Eternal Glory. 

It will be a competitive back-and-forth affair, which pits the division king’s wushu and “Baguio Jiu-Jitsu” stylings against Saruta’s one-punch knockout power and judo expertise.

Many eyes will be locked on this match-up, including those of former titleholder and Evolve member Alex “Little Rock” Silva.

Silva’s crowning achievement came when he defeated then-titleholder Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito at ONE: Warriors Of The World in December 2017 to become the ONE Strawweight World Champion.

Unable to defend the title following his loss to Naito in their rematch five months later, the Singapore-based Brazilian will be watching eagerly to see who he may potentially face as he resumes his hunt for the gold.

MMA (MIXED MARTIAL ARTS)