Following the main event announcement for ONE Fight Night 45: Lessei vs. Rabah on Prime Video, the U.S. primetime spectacle has just received another heavy injection of MMA firepower.
ONE Championship has officially added two pivotal mixed martial arts clashes to the stacked card, which broadcasts live in U.S. primetime on Friday, July 17, from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.
In the flyweight MMA division, undefeated Uzbekistani phenom Sanzhar “Tornado” Zakirov will lock horns with fellow unbeaten standout Ruslan Satiev.
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Meanwhile, in a crucial strawweight MMA showdown, South African veteran Bokang “Little Giant” Masunyane will square off against South Korean finisher Lee “The Flash” Seung Cheol.
An Undefeated Flyweight Collision
The 23-year-old Zakirov enters this matchup riding a pristine 16-0 professional record, boasting seven impressive victories under the ONE Championship banner.
After stringing together three impressive wins at strawweight, the Khaturaev Team representative moved up to flyweight and didn’t miss a single beat. Armed with suffocating grappling and heavily developing knockout power, he tore through a gauntlet of established contenders, including Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada, Eko Roni Saputra, and the aforementioned Masunyane.
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Most recently, Zakirov completely neutralized the dangerous striking of Chinese sensation “Wolf Warrior” Hu Yong to secure a unanimous decision win at ONE Fight Night 36 last December. Now, he faces another flawless record in Satiev.
Satiev arrives with a perfect 6-0 professional slate and five highlight-reel finishes, possessing serious danger both on the feet and on the canvas.
Representing KHK Dagestan and Dobrynya, the 27-year-old Russian made his promotional debut at ONE Friday Fights 41 in 2023. Since then, he has stayed extremely busy, racking up two more stoppage victories outside the promotion to earn this main-roster opportunity.
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A definitive win over Zakirov could instantly catapult Satiev into the World Title conversation, potentially putting him on a collision course with Zakirov’s countryman, reigning ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Avazbek “Ninzya” Kholmirzaev.
A High-Stakes Strawweight Clash
Moving to the lighter weight class, Masunyane is on a mission to cement his status among the strawweight MMA elite when he meets the incredibly well-rounded Lee.
Both athletes enter this contest riding immense momentum.
The “Little Giant” emphatically snapped a tough skid earlier this year, earning a commanding unanimous decision victory over Japanese star Ryohei Kurosawa at ONE Fight Night 39 in January. The South African utilized his trademark wrestling prowess across three grueling rounds, reminding the entire division exactly why he is such a respected contender.
This time, however, Masunyane’s elite grappling will be pushed to the absolute limit by one of the strawweight division’s most dangerous finishers.
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Lee brings a spectacular 12-1 professional record to the ring, with 10 of those victories coming by way of finish. The South Korean has been completely unstoppable since his promotional debut at ONE Friday Fights 74 in August 2024.
He has rattled off four straight wins, including a breathtaking first-round submission over Cueng Naibaho that earned him a US$100,000 contract and a permanent spot on the main roster.
Most recently, Lee extended his hot streak with a dominant performance against Fabio “The Giant” Henrique at ONE Fight Night 41 this past March.
With both men aggressively chasing a spot at the top of the mountain, the winner of this clash will take a massive step toward future World Title contention in the fiercely competitive strawweight MMA ranks.
Stay tuned to onefc.com for more news and announcements surrounding ONE Fight Night 45 on Prime Video.
