ONE Championship is kicking off its star-studded monthly tripleheader with a pair of massive fight cards.
The world’s largest martial arts organization will broadcast The Inner Circle and ONE Friday Fights 154 live in Asia primetime from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, May 15.
In the main event of The Inner Circle, the global fan base will finally see the long-awaited ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title rematch between defending king “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane and two-division ONE World Champion Anatoly Malykhin.
The show will also feature the returns of ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo and ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek.
In the headline attraction of ONE Friday Fights 154, Samingdam NF Looksuan is on the hunt for his sixth consecutive victory on the global stage. Yodphupa Petkiatpet, however, looks to stop his compatriot in his tracks and lock up the 72nd win of his career.
Plus, over a dozen more rising stars will compete for a chance to earn a life-changing six-figure contract and spot on ONE Championship’s global roster.
For up-to-the-minute results and video highlights from every match at The Inner Circle and ONE Friday Fights 154, check below.
The road to ONE Fight Night 43: Tang vs. Gasanov on Prime Video runs through the scale. Before the world’s greatest martial artists can throw down at Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium this Friday, May 15, they must clear one final hurdle.
Every athlete who is scheduled for action must successfully weigh in and pass their hydration tests to ensure they’re healthy and ready to compete at their absolute best.
Fans can watch the official ONE Fight Night 43 Weigh-Ins & Hydration Tests by clicking the video below beginning at 6 a.m. ET / 5 p.m. ICT on Thursday, May 14.
In the main event, reigning ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai will put his 26 pounds of gold on the line against Dagestani contender Shamil “The Cobra” Gasanov.
Tang, who is China’s first male MMA World Champion, carries a 19-3 record into the contest and has demolished every featherweight competitor who has stood across from him in the squared circle.
But when he steps into the ring in U.S. primetime this Friday, he will meet Gasanov. The Dagestani sensation has been near-flawless in his career. He owns an 18-1 slate and rides a five-bout winning streak, capped by a unanimous decision victory over Garry Tonon – the very man who handed him his only career defeat. One more triumph will give “The Cobra” his sweetest win to date.
In addition, ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Diogo “Baby Shark” Reis will make his bantamweight debut and Muay Thai contender Aslamjon Ortikov will look to keep his perfect record intact.
Check out the complete lineup for ONE Fight Night 43: Tang vs. Gasanov below.
Reigning ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion “The Kicking Machine” Superlek has rediscovered his fire, and the bantamweight Muay Thai division is about to feel the heat.
The 30-year-old Thai legend takes on Dagestan-born knockout artist Abdulla “Smash Boy” Dayakaev at The Inner Circle on Friday, May 15. The blockbuster event broadcasts live in Asia primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, exclusively on live.onefc.com.
However, 2025 tested the Thai in ways he had never experienced before. Superlek was stripped of his bantamweight gold after missing weight for his rematch with Anane, and subsequently dropped a decision to him.
Last November, he fell to Yuki Yoza via decision as well. Two consecutive losses, a stripped title, and a grueling year both inside and outside the ring left Superlek searching for answers about his own identity as a martial artist.
When the call came to face Dayakaev, Superlek did not need time to think.
Superlek said:
“When they offered me Abdulla Dayakaev, I said yes immediately. I’d seen him fight Rambolek [Chor Ajalaboon], and before that, he fought Nontachai [Jitmuangnon] at 155 pounds and also took on Yod-IQ [Or Pimolsri]. After watching his style, I felt like I could handle him, so I took the fight.”
Dayakaev, however, is no easy assignment. The 24-year-old, who trains out of Team Mehdi Zatout, carries an 8-2 ONE record, with six of those victories coming inside the distance. His fast hands and raw power have made him one of the division’s most feared competitors.
He is coming off a heartbreaking knockout loss to Rambolek in January. But that result has only sharpened Dayakaev’s hunger, and a statement victory over a legend like Superlek would launch him straight back into World Title contention.
Superlek has watched plenty of footage on his opponent and knows exactly where the danger lies.
“The Kicking Machine” said:
“Abdulla’s strengths are his punches and his size. I’ve watched many of his fights, and he mostly uses his power to overwhelm people. That’s his specialty. But he has weaknesses, too. I’m going to exploit the gaps I see and make sure I don’t just walk into his punches.
“He definitely hits hard. If you get caught, you’re going down. But it all depends on the technique I use on the day. I believe I can handle him.”
The Buriram native is not simply preparing to survive “Smash Boy’s” power. He is actively planning to go after him, and he has been incredibly methodical in identifying the openings that will allow him to secure a finish on fight night.
Superlek said:
“I want to show him that getting what he asked for isn’t going to be as easy as he thinks. It’s been years since I fought in Thailand. This time, I’m hungry. I want the knockout, and I believe I can do it. My training hasn’t been random; I’ve been finding his blind spots to use them to my advantage.”
Beyond the immediate challenge of Dayakaev, Superlek has a crystal-clear picture of where he wants to go next.
The ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion made it known that the bantamweight division is not his permanent home. His throne at flyweight remains his ultimate priority, and a return to defend it is firmly on the horizon once he gets his momentum moving in the right direction again.
Superlek said:
“I actually really want to get back to the flyweight division. Yeah, after this, I’m definitely heading back to flyweight. I was the World Champion there for a long time, so I want to go back and defend my title.
“I haven’t abandoned it. The plan has always been to return to flyweight, but if an opportunity comes up at bantamweight, I’m still down to fight there too.”
There is also unfinished business at bantamweight. The loss to Yuki Yoza still sits heavily with Superlek, and he has already made his intentions known to ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong in no uncertain terms.
Looking back at that defeat, Superlek pinpointed exactly where things went wrong.
He concluded:
“My strength and my output — that day, I made the wrong call by waiting too much for the perfect opening. I overthought it, and I didn’t fight my own style. That created pressure. I didn’t expect him to counter every single move, while I just sat there waiting for a gap.
“Right after I lost to Yuki, I walked off the stage and told Chatri immediately that I wanted a rematch. If I could choose, I’d want to settle the score with Yuki.”
The Inner Circle returns to Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, May 15, and it brings one of the most stacked lineups in the series’ history. This is one night martial arts fans cannot afford to miss, airing live in Asia primetime at live.onefc.com.
The most highly anticipated rematch in recent memory headlines the night, as ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane defends his belt for the first time against the man he dethroned, two-division ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin.
When “Reug Reug” and Malykhin met at ONE 169 in November 2024, they produced one of the greatest heavyweight battles in recent memory. The two pushed each other to the limit across five grueling rounds. When the dust settled, it was Kane who walked away with the split decision and 26 pounds of gold.
What made it remarkable was who he beat. Malykhin entered with a perfect 14-0 slate and a 100 percent finishing rate. Yet Kane silenced every doubter, put Senegal on the global combat sports map, and proved the nation’s traditional wrestling belonged at the highest level. Upon his return home, over 20,000 fans greeted him as a hero in Dakar.
Now, he arrives at the rematch carrying a different burden. No longer the underdog, Kane sets his sights on a finish that leaves no room for debate and cements him as the world’s premier heavyweight.
#2 Can Malykhin Reclaim His Three-Division World Champion Status?
Malykhin had achieved what no fighter in MMA history had. The Russian juggernaut conquered the middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight divisions to stand as the sport’s first and only three-division MMA World Champion.
Then came the split-decision loss, the first and only blemish on an otherwise perfect record. He recovered from injury in the months that followed, only for Kane’s car accident to postpone the highly anticipated rematch at ONE 173 last November.
That defeat lingered for over a year, but Malykhin never stopped working. He channeled the frustration, sharpened his weapons, and is headed to Bangkok with purpose — to finish Kane, reclaim the belt, and prove one loss does not define what he built across three divisions.
#3 Can Ruotolo Pick Up Where He Left Off After A Year On The Sidelines?
Ruotolo has achieved everything the grappling world has to offer. He defended his ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title three times and established himself as one of the finest grapplers of his generation. When he made the leap to MMA, three first-round stoppages proved his skills translated seamlessly to the all-encompassing sport.
Then the injury bug intervened. Ruotolo suffered a complete ACL tear just one week after submitting Nicolas “El Paisa” Vigna at ONE 171. During his recovery, he watched his twin brother and fellow ONE World Champion Tye Ruotolo flourish on his own MMA journey, every triumph only fueling his desire to return.
Now healthy, he faces a legitimate test in hard-hitting Hiroyuki “Japanese Beast” Tetsuka. Another statement win would keep his undefeated record across both MMA and grappling intact and put him firmly on a collision course with two-division MMA World Champion Christian “The Warrior” Lee.
#4 Can Superlek Silence His Critics With A Statement Win?
Not long ago, Superlek stood among the finest pound-for-pound strikers on the planet. Having defeated some of the biggest names in the promotion, he had cemented his status as a modern great and looked settled at the top of the striking world.
Then 2025 arrived and tested everything. He lost his ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title on the scales, then suffered back-to-back losses to Nabil Anane and Yuki Yoza in performances that had critics questioning whether his best days were behind him.
Instead of listening to the noise, he went back to work. He returned to YOKKAO Training Center in Bangkok to reconnect with his roots and rebuild not just his skills but his mindset. Now the familiar canvas of Lumpinee Stadium serves as his stage, and a win over the dangerous Dayakaev would be the loudest possible answer to anyone who wrote him off.
#5 Will Dayakaev Seize His Biggest Opportunity Yet?
Dayakaev built his reputation on destruction, with multiple sub-minute knockouts establishing the Russian as one of the most feared finishers in the bantamweight Muay Thai division.
That trajectory was derailed at ONE Fight Night 39 when Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon stopped him cold. What followed only deepened the pain. The Thai star walked straight into a ONE World Title shot and claimed the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship in his very next fight, a moment that could have been Dayakaev’s.
Now, “Smash Boy” arrives with a point to prove, and Superlek presents the perfect opportunity. A victory over the pound-for-pound icon would be the defining win of his career and perhaps the clearest path back to a rematch with Rambolek.
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