ONE Championship: Three key takeaways from ONE 162: Zhang vs. Di Bella event

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Bengaluru, October 27: ONE 162: Zhang vs. Di Bella went down this past weekend at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and what a night it was as we saw a new champion crowned.

In the main event, Jonathan Di Bella claimed the vacant ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship in a thriller over China's Zhang Peimian.

Reece McLaren continued his charge up the ONE flyweight rankings with a TKO win over Brazil's Windson Ramos in the co-main event.

Here are three major talking points to arise from the night's action:

Eko Roni Saputra Is A Flyweight Threat

In the opening bout of the main card, Indonesia's Eko Roni Saputra dominated dangerous Thai Yodkaikaew Fairtex en route to a first-round submission win.

The multiple time Indonesian National Wrestling Champion has now won seven straight fights since dropping his promotional debut to Niko Soe in 2019.

But the statistic that will have the flyweight division on notice is that all of Saputra's wins have come inside the first round.

Although currently unranked, the 31-year-old's win over Yodkaikaew could put him within striking distance of the flyweight division's top five, which is banned by ONE Flyweight World Champion Demetrious Johnson.

Reece McLaren Is Rejuvenated Under John Wayne Parr

It's hard to believe that Reece McLaren has just turned 31 years old, considering that he challenged then-ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes for his title way back in 2016.

Now entrenched within the top five of the ONE flyweight division, McLaren made it two wins in a row at ONE 162 since losing to Japanese star Yuya Wakamatsu at "ONE on TNT 3" in April 2021.

Since that loss, "Lightning" has joined forces with Muay Thai legend John Wayne Parr and the results have been evident. Normally known for his grappling prowess, the Australian once again showed off his expanded striking arsenal by defeating dangerous Brazilian Windson Ramos by TKO.

A happy fighter is a dangerous fighter, and McLaren now appears poised for another attempt to push deeper into the ONE flyweight rankings.

Jonathan Di Bella Is The Real Deal

Making his ONE debut against Chinese rising star Zhang Peimian with the vacant ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title on the line, Jonathan Di Bella had every right to feel the pressure, but that wasn't the case for the 26-year-old.

Despite only having 10 professional kickboxing bouts to his name, Di Bella put on a show, going toe-to-toe with the dangerous Peimian and emerging with a unanimous decision win and the ONE World Title firmly in his grasp.

The son of multiple-time Kickboxing Champion Angelo Di Bella honored his father's legacy and silenced those who doubted him, exiting the Circle as the night's breakout star.

Source: Media Release