“ONE Championship: Shanghai” will be held at Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China on September 2, 2017. It is the first ever ONE Championship event to be held in the city.
“There is always a tremendous atmosphere and excitement when ONE Championship visits China, and it is a delight to finally announce our maiden event in the beautiful city of Shanghai,” ONE Championship chairman and chief executive officer Chatri Sityodtong stated. “We are coming at you live and ready to showcase the world’s most authentic display of martial arts.”
There are nine mixed martial arts matches on the “ONE Championship: Shanghai” card. In the main event, Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam, 26, of Stockhom, Sweden will challenge ONE Championship’s reigning welterweight champion Ben “Funky” Askren, 33, of Hartland, Wisconsin, United States.
Currently, Askren holds a professional MMA record of 16 wins, 0 loss and 1 No Contest. Out of his 16 wins, 5 were via submission and 4 were via knockout.
Aside from being an undefeated MMA fighter, Askren is also known as an accomplished grappler. He is highly regarded for his outstanding wrestling background that earned him two National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I national championship trophies and the privilege to represent the U.S. at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
While Askren was born in Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa, USA, he grew up in Hartland, Waukesha County, Wisconsin. He made his ONE Championship debut on May 30, 2014.
On May 26, 2017, Kadestam made his ONE Championship debut. He knocked out Luis “Sapo” Santos, 37, of Belem, Para, Brazil.
Knocking out Santos improved Kadestam’s professional MMA record to has 9 wins and 3 losses. For the Swedish MMA fighter to become the new ONE Welterweight World Champion, he will have to break Askren’s undefeated record, a very difficult but not impossible task.
Kadestam is a tremendous competitor with a wide array of striking and grappling technique. Moreover, 7 of his 9 career victories have come by way of knockout.
“We have an exhilarating main event prepared for our fans in Shanghai as Ben Askren makes another defense of his ONE Welterweight World Championship against Swedish standout Zebaztian Kadestam,” Sityodtong said. “The interesting clash of styles should provide fans a solid matchup.”
CONAN Daily 