Jacob Smith, Paul Elliott, And Charlie Guest Fly The Flag For Britain At ONE Fight Night 44 On June 27
Three British fighters. Three different disciplines. One night to make their mark on the world’s biggest martial arts stage.
Jacob Smith, Paul Elliott, and Charlie Guest are all in action at ONE Fight Night 44 on Friday, June 27, broadcasting live on Sky Sports from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Smith’s assignment is the hardest of the three. The Birkenhead Muay Thai veteran moves up to bantamweight to face Nakrob Fairtex, a seasoned ONE Championship operator who has shared the ring with the likes of former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane, Muangthai PK Saenchai, and Tagir Khalilov.
His credentials at the top of this sport are beyond question. He is one of the few fighters to have taken Rodtang Jitmuangnon the distance twice, most recently going three full rounds with the flyweight Muay Thai legend in a world title fight last November. He lost both decisions, but the durability and heart those performances required have defined his reputation in the sport. A winning return against Nakrob on June 27 begins the next chapter.
Elliott arrives in better form. The Middlesbrough heavyweight stopped Ryogo Takeuchi with thunderous punching in his last MMA outing and now faces American debutant Regan Upshaw, a former Clemson CFB National Championship winner, amateur kickboxing champion, and son of Regan Upshaw Sr., who played in Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002. The family athleticism is genuine, but professional MMA debuts against prepared, in-form opponents rarely go smoothly, and Elliott will be looking to impose that lesson early.
Guest is the newest name on the card and the one with the most to prove. The ISKA World Champion, WBC European and British Kickboxing Champion makes his ONE Championship debut in featherweight Muay Thai against Frenchman Bampara Kouyate, a long, powerful striker who has knocked out both Luke Lessei and Jo Nattawut and carries concussive finishing power that has already announced him as a serious threat at featherweight. Debut nights on this stage do not come harder than this.
Three fights, three Britons, one card. June 27 belongs to them.
READ MORE: Stamp Fairtex Returns To Muay Thai Against Cynthia Flores At The Inner Circle On June 26
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