Three ONE Championship MMA stars with World Champion potential in 2022

Arjan Bhullar became the first fighter of Indian decent to win a title in 2021

Bengaluru, December 23: It's every mixed martial artist's dream of capturing the world title. However, with several other competitors vying for the same prize, capturing the championship belt is indeed a difficult task.

In ONE Championship this year, fans witnessed the crowning of three new MMA World Champions, namely Reinier "The Dutch Knight" De Ridder, Arjan "Singh" Bhullar, and Ok Rae Yoon.

While they achieved glory on the global stage for the very first time, other world champions within the promotion retained their gold.

These moments inspire other competitors to fulfill their championship moments next year. We take a look at three fighters who could have a golden strap on their shoulder in 2022.

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#3 Denice Zamboanga

With Stamp Fairtex set to face Angela "Unstoppable" Lee for the ONE Women's Atomweight World Title next year, Denice "Lycan Queen" Zamboanga has plenty of time to improve her arsenal before she challenges either one of them.

Several stars within the division would be great litmus tests for the young Filipina star. One way to solidify a title shot is to even the score against "Arale Chan" Ham Seo Hee, who handed Zamboanga the only loss in her nine-fight resume at ONE: EMPOWER in September.

If this fight won't happen, a date against Julie Mezabarba or Ritu "The Indian Tigress" Phogat could place her as the top contender for the world title in 2022.

Zamboanga is comfortable with both her striking and grappling. Pulling off a victory against these stars can fulfill her title aspirations.

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#2 Jarred Brooks

Jarred "The Monkey God" Brooks wants nothing but the ONE Strawweight World Title.

He called out almost all top-ranked fighters in the division. Eventually, he fought against then #5-ranked Lito "Thunder Kid" Adiwang at ONE: NEXT GEN III, which aired last 26 November.

"The Monkey God" completely dominated his Filipino opponent before sealing an enjoyable debut victory with an arm-triangle choke at 3:07 of the second round.

Brooks' victory elevated him to #3 in the rankings, behind Bokang "Little Giant" Masunyane and Yosuke "The Ninja" Saruta, respectively.

If he could go on to earn a win against either of those two names, there's reason to believe that the American star can snatch the world title from Joshua "The Passion" Pacio sometime next year.

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#1 Marcus Almeida

Although he refused to associate his name with the heavyweight title before his sophomore outing in ONE, it's undeniable that Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida has world championship potential.

In his MMA debut, "Buchecha" finished the fight from the only takedown he landed. The 31-year-old Brazilian forced Anderson "Braddock" Silva to surrender via a north-south choke at 2:55 of the first round.

At ONE: WINTER WARRIORS, the 17-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion eased his way to another victory, submitting Kang Ji Won after just 147 seconds. His punishing ground game could be his ticket towards the golden strap in 2022.

Brandon "The Truth Vera" Vera or Anatoly "Sladkiy" Malykhin could be next in line to taste Almeida's world-class grappling skills. From guard to top mount, there's no stopping him once he brings the fight on the canvas.

Source: Media Release