Two MMA Additions Highlight New ONE Fight Night 48 Storylines
Antonio Cesar’s rise inside ONE Championship has followed one man’s shadow since the moment he first stepped into the promotion, and on Friday, October 2, that shadow finally becomes his direct opponent when he meets Joshua “Flyin Hawaiian” Perreira in a flyweight MMA matchup broadcasting live in U.S. primetime from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium.
Cesar originally arrived on short notice as a replacement for an injured Perreira, stepping in against ONE veteran Lito Adiwang and walking away with a statement unanimous decision that put the flyweight division on notice. Now the two finally collide directly, extending a connection that began before they ever shared the same cage.
Perreira’s own path has been anything but conventional. The Hawaii-born, Ohio-based finisher saw his promotional debut end in a TKO loss that was later overturned to a no contest after he suffered a knee injury requiring ACL surgery.
He has since returned to form in dramatic fashion, most recently producing a 38-second spinning backfist knockout of fellow American Gilbert Nakatani that instantly became one of the year’s highlight reels.
Cesar, for his part, has quietly built a nine-fight winning streak that now puts his undefeated momentum directly opposite Perreira’s perfect 6-0 record.
The card’s second addition carries its own compelling redemption arc. Karen Ghazaryan, the Armenian finisher who suffered the only loss of his career in his promotional debut against Hiroba Minowa, gets a fresh opportunity against South Korea’s Lee Seung Cheol.
Ghazaryan answered that setback in emphatic fashion, stopping Hisashi Ezaki via TKO in his very next appearance, and every one of his five career wins has come by finish.
Standing across from him, Lee has quietly built one of the more understated success stories in the strawweight division. Four straight wins on ONE Friday Fights earned him a six-figure contract, and he has continued that run with victories over Fabio Henrique and Bokang Masunyane since arriving on the bigger stage.
Both matchups headline October 2 with something to prove, and neither man shows any interest in a cautious approach given what each stands to gain from a statement performance.
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