Ben Askren will return to the cage after a year-long absence to face undefeated challenger Agilan Thani at ONE: Dynasty of Heroes. Their welterweight fight will be the co-main event of the show which is set for the Singapore Indoor Stadium on May 26.
Thani (7-0) has a perfect professional record which includes six straight wins for ONE Championship. He also went undefeated as an amateur, winning five fights out of five en route to being crowned the Season 2 MIMMA welterweight champion.
Since signing for ONE Championship in 2015, Thani has beaten five separate opponents with all those victories coming inside the first two rounds. However, he faces a massive step up against Askren, who was Bellator welterweight champion before making headlines with his decision to sign for Asia’s biggest MMA promotion.
Askren (15-0-0-1) is a multiple-time NCAA Division One wrestling champion and U.S. Olympian. The American was rated by many as being the best welterweight in the world, but has slipped down the rankings due to his recent inactivity.
ONE: Dynasty of Heroes will be headlined by an atomweight title fight which pits reigning champion Angela Lee against another undefeated challenger in the shape of Brazilian stand-up specialist Istela Nunes.
There will also be a grappling match between former ONE Championship lightweight king Shinya Aoki and multiple time BJJ champion Garry Tonon.
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