Going into One X, I knew the card was ridiculously stacked. The fact that part 1 and 2 had the likes of De Ridder, Allazov, Akimoto and Nong-O, just to name a few, performing for free was incredible. Let alone the PPV part, which featured some combat sport greats and greats to come.
The whole event was around 10 hours along. With most MMA events, as much as I love the sport, I get burnt out after three or so hours. Yet, I was captivated throughout all ten hours and I still want more now.
What has always made ONE stand out to me is the variety of Martial Arts they put on a each event. It’s always refreshing to go from kickboxing, to Muay Thai to MMA, to grappling. Also, the card ruling for engagement has always been a bonus, forcing the fighters to engage so the crowd are always treated to a action. I think it was perfectly used in the Moraes, Wakamatsu fight, where both men clearly feared each other’s specialities, so they simply circled each other for two minutes.
I’d like to breakdown each fight, because each fight deserves the time but, I’d be here for hours so I’m just going to roughly go over Demetrious Johnson vs Rodtang since it was a new special rules fight.
I didn’t expect DJ to go toe-to-toe with Rodtang in Muay Thai. Rodtang won the round in my books, but DJ’s striking was brilliant and he caught the Thai multiple times in the pocket. The second round was MMA, allowing for DJ to flex his muscles, ultimately leading to him gaining Rodtang’s back and putting him to sleep with a rear naked choke. I’d love to see a format like this again. THIS IS THE WAY YOU BRING DIFFERENT COMBAT SPORTS TOGETHER @UFC!
Also the main event was incredible, Angela Lee coming back from pregnancy to retain her title was a joy to watch, especially after being seriously hurt in round one after a shot to the liver.
As I said previously I could talk about the whole card being absolutely enthralling from start to finish. I don’t think another card will come close to this in the near future. 10/10.
I hope today’s action makes more people watch ONE because they have the best events in Martial Arts in my opinion. Quality fighters who don’t get the respect they deserve. I hope the world is watching now.
TheWrestlingFallacy 