South Korea's Ok Rae-yoon and Kang Ji-won join the ONE Fight Night 23 card

Ok Leyun (left) participating in a ONE match. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

With three more fights confirmed for Prime Video's ONE Fight Night 23: Buntan vs. Meksen, the July 5 U.S. primetime card is already shaping up to be a can't-miss event.

First, former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Ok Leyun wants to earn another shot at gold, but he must defeat undefeated promotion newcomer Alibeg Rasulov at the Lumphini Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Must be.

Oku used his refined boxing technique, massive power, and elite fighting IQ to capture the lightweight MMA title from Christian Lee in September 2021, but he lost by knockout in their world title rematch.

Since then, the Korean has scored a dominant decision victory over American standout Rowen Tynans and is now hungry to be called ONE World Champion again.

But Rasulov will pose a serious challenge.

Boasting a perfect professional record of 14-0, the 31-year-old Turkish sensation has top-notch skills in every field and has earned his place on the world stage with many accomplishments on the extremely demanding European circuit.

Before that, Nico “King of the North” Carrillo, ranked No. 1 in the Bantamweight Muay Thai rankings, and Semapach Fairtex, ranked No. 4, will face off in a match that will captivate striking fans around the world.

Carrillo, a 25-year-old Scottish native, has been dominant through his three matches in ONE, with his past two defeating Thai icon PK Saenchai of Muang Thai and long-time divisional titleholder. Defeating Non-O Hama.

On July 5th, he hopes to earn another knockout victory over the Thai fan favorite for a chance at the divisional belt.

Meanwhile, 29-year-old Semapech has long been considered one of the country's top talents and comes into the bout coming off a brutal vengeance knockout win over Mohamed Younes Lover at ONE Fight Night 19. Become.

Finally, in heavyweight MMA action, hard-hitting “Mighty Warrior” Kang Ji-won clashes with former ONE World Title challenger Kirill Grishenko.

Simply put, fans can expect fireworks as long as the clash between these giants continues.

A formidable puncher with a penchant for trading leather, Kang has earned all four of his ONE wins by highlight-reel knockouts, including a knockout victory over Mikhail Jamal Abdul-Latif at ONE Fight Night 18. He just scored a devastating finish.

Standing in his way is 32-year-old Grishenko. After picking up two impressive wins to start his tenure in ONE, the Belarusian has defeated current three-division MMA kingpin Anatoly “Sladky” Malihin and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Marcus “Buchecha”. ” – He gave in to Almeida.

However, with his strong performance against the Mighty Warrior, Grishenko could be in contention for gold again.

Written by Ben Court [kjdsports@joongang.co.kr]