Kong Sambo And Khon Sichan Set For ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS In Singapore

Cambodia will be represented twice as ONE Championship announced new bouts ahead of ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS on Friday, 22 February in Singapore.

Kong Sambo from Kingdom Fight Gym (KFG) in Siem Reap will make his highly anticipated ONE Super Series debut as he takes on Chinese striker Zhang Chenglong in a thrilling kickboxing bantamweight clash.

The talented 24-year-old Kun Khmer competitor is the latest Cambodian addition to the world’s largest martial arts organization. Sambo looks to keep building on the momentum that “The Kingdom Of Wonder” saw in Kuala Lumpur as both Chan Rothana and Sovannahry Em were triumphant in their respective mixed martial arts bouts in early December.

Sambo is the second Cambodian to compete in ONE Championship’s all-striking league. He joins Cambodian Top Team representative Sok Thy, who debuted last year.

“It’s surreal. I’ve been calling and messaging all the guys, ‘Hey, it’s gonna happen,’” KFG co-founder Kwok Leung Tsang explains.

“There’s a lot of excitement and healthy nervousness. Everyone is just pumped to get ready for this!”

Among the announced match-ups is also PROKOUT Top Team and Team Phnom Penh MMA representative Khon Sichan.

The sturdy 21-year-old from Oddar Meanchey Province is a lifelong martial artist. He became the Khmer Warrior Challenge Champion before joining ONE Championship in 2015.

After a nearly two-year-long layoff, Sichan made a booming return to competition at ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY in March. He put on a robust performance against Indonesian talent Risky “King Kong” Umar to earn a split decision victory.

Khon Sichan clashes with Rudy “The Golden Boy” Agustian

Sichan will kick off 2019 with a thrilling mixed martial arts flyweight bout against 33-year-old Rudy “The Golden Boy” Agustian.

“I am happy that ONE Championship has called me to compete again. I hope it’s because of my last fight — it was very exciting,” says Sichan.

“My advantage is experience and my Khmer heart to win. My opponent has a strong top game, and ground and pound, so working with [head trainer] Alan Mccune, we will have a strategy to try and avoid this.”

Both Sambo and Sichan will look to get a running start on the new year, and they will be in good company as the action-packed ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS in Singapore will feature a plethora of the world’s best martial artists.

In the main event, ONE Super Series Kickboxing Atomweight World Champion Stamp Fairtex will aim to become the promotion’s first two-sport World Champion. 

The ever-exciting Thai superstar will take on American Muay Thai talent Janet Todd for the inaugural ONE Super Series Muay Thai Atomweight World Title and the chance to write martial arts history.

Also, the talent-stacked main card will feature a pair of ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix quarter-final bouts.

Local hero Amir Khan will take on Costa Rica’s Ariel “Tarzan” Sexton in a thrilling clash between two powerful finishers.    

Before they do battle, Malaysian star and former ONE Lightweight World Title challenger Ev Ting will lock horns with Turkey’s Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev.

Here is the official bout card for ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS so far:

• Stamp Fairtex VS Janet Todd – ONE Super Series Muay Thai Atomweight World Championship
• Amir Khan VS Ariel Sexton – Lightweight World Grand Prix quarter-final
• Ev Ting VS Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev – Lightweight World Grand Prix quarter-final
• Nieky Holzken VS Mustapha Haida – kickboxing lightweight bout
• Rahul Raju VS Ahmed Mujtaba – mixed martial arts lightweight bout
• Kong Sambo VS Zhang Chenglong – kickboxing bantamweight bout
• Rudy Agustian VS Khon Sichan – mixed martial arts flyweight bout