Bokang Masunyane returns against surging strawweight contender in a top 5 clash at ONE Fight Night 30
03/18/2025 09:10 AM
ONE Championship is gearing up for another big night in Bangkok following the huge ONE 172 in Japan.
ONE has received praise from the likes of Joe Rogan and Israel Adesanya in the past for their Muay Thai and kickboxing divisions.
Whilst some big names like Reinier de Ridder have departed ONE's MMA roster in recent times, the promotion still aims to be the home of martial arts.
MMA, striking and submission grappling all regularly feature on the same card and that is set to be the case once again on April 4.
Shortly after ONE's announcement of Liam Harrison's upcoming return, Bloody Elbow confirmed the booking of a big strawweight matchup for ONE Fight Night 30.
Bokang Masunyane faces Sanzhar Zakirov in a top 5 strawweight matchup
ONE Championship is set to return to Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok on April 4 for ONE Fight Night 30 on Prime Video.
Alongside some huge striking matchups including two title fights in the heavyweight Muay Thai and lightweight kickboxing division, a pivotal clash will take place in the strawweight MMA division.
Uzbekistan's Sanzhar Zakirov is one of the most exciting contenders to have arrived in the division in recent times with his undefeated winning streak recently earning him the #5-ranking.
After winning three fights on ONE's Friday Fights series, the 21-year-old secured his spot on the main roster with 'Tornado' beating Tatsumitsu Wada and Eko Roni Saputra to extend his winning streak in the promotion to five.
On April 4, he will face his toughest test to date when he takes on strawweight staple, Bokang Masunyane.
The 30-year-old wrestling specialist has fought six times under the ONE banner, having faced top contenders like Mansur Malachiev, Keito Yamakita and former champion Jarred Brooks.
With Joshua Pacio recently unifying the strawweight titles in his trilogy fight with Brooks, both Zakirov and Masunyane now have the opportunity to put themselves in the title picture alongside the likes of Yamakita and Malachiev.
ONE Fight Night 30 will air live from Bangkok, Thailand on April 4 at US primetime.
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Sanzhar Zakirov could force a changing of the guard
Whilst both men have a similar amount of experience, Bokang Masunyane has been fighting top opposition at strawweight since arriving in ONE Championship back in 2019.
Momentum is huge in combat sports but whilst this is firmly on the side of Sanzhar Zakirov who could elevate himself with a win on April 4, this is also a big opportunity for 'Little Giant' to bounce back by halting his opponent's winning streak.
Whilst more fights are yet to be announced for the card, there are currently no other MMA bouts at ONE Fight Night 30 though it does feature a lot of bouts for striking fans to get excited about.
Alongside Roman Kryklia's heavyweight title defense and the conclusion of Regian Eersel's trilogy with Alexis Nicolas, the featherweight Muay Thai debut of Scotland's Nico Carrillo, who takes on Thai legend Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong, is sure to produce fireworks.
