Any discussion of the world’s absolute best pound-for-pound grapplers is simply incomplete without one specific name.

At just 24 years old, reigning ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Diogo “Baby Shark” Reis has already assembled a body of work that demands ultimate respect across the highest levels of the sport.

Reis returns to the global stage at ONE Fight Night 43: Tang vs. Gasanov on Prime Video. The blockbuster spectacle broadcasts live in U.S. primetime on Friday, May 15, from Bangkok’s legendary Lumpinee Stadium, as the Brazilian sensation moves up to bantamweight to face Japanese rising star Yuki Takahashi.

Hailing from Manaus, Brazil — one of the most storied Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu hotbeds on the planet — Reis has built a resume that rivals athletes who have spent decades on the mats. Competing globally since his juvenile years, he has amassed multiple IBJJF World Titles and two ADCC World Championship crowns across a staggering 94-9 career record in both gi and no-gi competition.

That elite pedigree followed him directly to the world’s largest martial arts organization, where Reis made an immediate, undeniable impact. Just two victories into his ONE Championship run, the Brazilian already owns 26 pounds of undisputed gold.

Before he begins his pursuit of a second World Title at bantamweight, here is a look back at every performance that built the legend of “Baby Shark.”

Drawing First Blood

All eyes were fixed on Reis from the very moment he signed with ONE. As one of the most highly coveted additions to the promotion’s talent-stacked grappling ranks, the Brazilian arrived carrying the weight of enormous expectations.

His first major test came at ONE Fight Night 29 in March 2025, where Shoya Ishiguro proved to be no easy introduction. The Tokyo-born Carpe Diem black belt had gone unbeaten in three ONE outings and entered with genuine belief he could topple one of the sport’s most high-profile young stars.

However, for a two-time ADCC World Champion, the blinding spotlight was nothing new. Reis thrived under the immense pressure, attacking from the opening moments with explosive, side-to-side guard passing that kept Ishiguro perpetually off-balance and offered him absolutely no room to settle.

After effortlessly breaking through the guard, “Baby Shark” unleashed his full creative arsenal, jumping into a picture-perfect kimura lock while simultaneously trapping Ishiguro in a devastating head scissor choke.

He torqued the arm to a gruesome angle and forced the tap, delivering a promotional debut that was as technically flawless as it was emphatic.

A New King Is Crowned

That statement-making debut immediately positioned Reis as the undeniable frontrunner for the vacant ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title.

The golden opportunity materialized at ONE Fight Night 38 last December, where the Brazilian faced Daiki Yonekura. The 29-year-old from Tokushima, Japan, brought polished positional grappling, sharp defensive instincts, and lightning-quick recoveries to a matchup that pitted his precision directly against Reis’ relentless aggression.

Reis came out with zero intention of letting the match breathe. Chasing the guard pass from the very first exchange, he broke through with a clean knee slice and locked in a deep arm-triangle choke from side control. Yonekura miraculously survived, but the relentless attacks never stopped coming.

In the final two minutes, Reis latched onto a tight guillotine before both men tumbled into chaotic leg entanglements, scrambling furiously for the finish. After ten minutes of suffocating, high-paced pressure, the judges awarded the unanimous decision to “Baby Shark.”

The most coveted hardware in submission grappling was finally his. Reis was crowned the new ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion and was later named ONE’s 2025 Submission Grappler of the Year — a highly fitting close to a simply stunning campaign.

On Friday, May 15, Reis tests the bantamweight waters against Yuki Takahashi, incredibly hungry to conquer new territory and add yet another thrilling chapter to a legacy that is still very much being written.

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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.

The co-main event will feature a thrilling all-striking affair, as former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Petchtanong Petchfergus will throw down with Ben “The Problem” Woolliss.

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.

Full Card For ONE Fight Night 43: Tang vs. Gasanov

• Tang Kai vs. Shamil Gasanov (ONE Featherweight MMA World Championship)
• Petchtanong Petchfergus vs. Ben Woolliss (Kickboxing – Bantamweight)
• Diogo Reis vs. Yuki Takahashi (Submission Grappling – Bantamweight)
• Aslamjon Ortikov vs. Jordan Estupinan (Muay Thai – Flyweight)
• Yosuke Saruta vs. Fabio Henrique (MMA – Strawweight)
• Felipe Lobo vs. Nontachai Jitmuangnon (Muay Thai – Bantamweight)
• Eko Roni Saputra vs. Lito Adiwang (MMA – Bantamweight)
• Luo Chao vs. Denis Souza Jr. (Kickboxing – Featherweight)
• Johanna Persson vs. Martyna Dominczak (Muay Thai – Women’s Atomweight)

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Former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Petchtanong Petchfergus and Ben “The Problem” Woolliss are both on the hunt for a defining victory when they collide at ONE Fight Night 43: Tang vs. Gasanov on Prime Video. 

The duo meet in a bantamweight kickboxing battle, which airs live in U.S. primetime on Friday, May 15, from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.

A win rebuilds Petchtanong’s path back to the sport’s most coveted gold. For the Englishman, getting his hand raised against the Thai veteran will prove his promotional debut was no fluke.

They are ready to trade leather inside the mecca of Muay Thai, and the message from each side has been loud and clear.

The Thai Legend Who Refuses To Slow Down

Petchtanong Petchfergus is not underestimating a single thing his opponent brings to the ring on fight night.

The multi-time World Champion is coming off a defeat to Yuki Yoza that snapped his three-fight winning streak in ONE. The setback sent him straight back to the drawing board, where he has left nothing to chance heading into this assignment.

He said:

“From what I’ve seen, he’s very smooth, strong, and has great explosive power. In his last fight, his timing was sharp, and his calf kicks were heavy.

“For this fight, I’m checking my ego at the door. I’m not going to just stand there and take leg kicks as I did against Yuki. I’ll be using more movement, teeps, and active defense. His most dangerous weapons are definitely those leg kicks and his hooks.”

The depth of that preparation has been the trademark of his entire fight career. 

Petchtanong holds a bachelor’s degree in Sports Science. He has spent years putting that academic knowledge to use in daily practice. The result is a 40-year-old who continues to move, recover, and compete with the explosiveness of his prime years.

Every ounce of confidence the Superbon Training Camp representative carries into fight week is rooted in that same foundation. It is also what has him believing the 360th win of his career will arrive in highlight-reel fashion:

“My mentality is just grittier. I’ve been in this game so long that my endurance and mental toughness are on another level. I’m confident that my fight IQ and timing are a step ahead of his.

“It might be over a lot faster than you think. I’m confident in my timing. If he slips up even once, I’m going for the knockout. Get ready for some beautiful striking.”

There is a much bigger prize sitting just beyond ONE Fight Night 43 for the former divisional king. A decisive win would put him back in the conversation for a shot at ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Haggerty.

Petchtanong, however, refuses to let that goal distract him from the present. He is keeping the bigger picture on the back burner until the work in front of him is done.

The Thai shared:

“If I win this next one decisively and my body still feels good, then a title shot is definitely on the cards. I’m taking it one fight at a time and listening to my body.”

The Surging Brit With Bigger Names In His Sights

Ben “The Problem” Woolliss is buzzing with the kind of energy that only a fighter who has waited his entire career for these moments can carry.

The 32-year-old announced his arrival on the global stage in a little under two minutes with a sequence of calf kicks that dropped former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion John “Hands of Stone” Lineker.

He returns this time with a full training camp behind him against another former divisional king. None of it shakes him, though:

“I feel like as these moments get bigger, I only rise to the occasion more and more. I’m even more excited for that – to fight on the big stage against another big name who’s a former champion. 

“I’m excited to get in there and compete with someone of his caliber and show the world my abilities.”

Excitement alone does not win fights. The Englishman knows this better than most, and he has poured every ounce of himself throughout his preparation at SOMA Fight Club.

A man who has spent more than a decade battling Crohn’s Disease – an incurable autoimmune condition that almost ended his career – does not arrive on a card like this one without first leaving every last piece of himself on the gym mats.

Woolliss has brought that same discipline into this fight, fully assessing where he’ll have the edge over the former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion:

“He’s had over 400 fights. So the composure and the time in the ring are probably one of his biggest strengths. But I also feel, if you have that many fights, it’s going to be very difficult to unwire your usual patterns, and I’m looking to exploit those patterns.

“His strengths are obviously his left kick, his left knee, his ability to be evasive, and his ability to be tricky. He also has a good fight IQ. That said, I feel like I’m very educationally aware of everything, and I see some great opportunities that I can exploit there.”

As such, Woolliss intends to drag the Thai veteran into dark waters in this bantamweight kickboxing matchup.

The Grimsby native predicts he’ll leave Lumpinee Stadium with his hand raised one way or another to continue his rise in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

“The Problem” concluded:

“I can see this fight ending in a few different ways. I’m prepared for every avenue. I’m explosive enough to put pressure out there, and I’m also in amazing condition to be able to put a pace on for three rounds.

“Of course, he’s an incredible athlete with a resume to back that up. But he’s never been to the depth of darkness that I’ve been to. It doesn’t faze me. I just feel like this is my time.”

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