Xiong Jing Nan to defend Strawweight gold versus Ayaka Miura at ONE Championship 2022 opener

Bengaluru, December 21: ONE Championship is set to open 2022 with twelve blockbuster fights in ONE: HEAVY HITTERS, which broadcasts live on Friday, January 14.

The main event will see ONE Women's Strawweight World Champion "The Panda" Xiong Jing Nan defend her crown for the sixth time against Ayaka "Zombie" Miura. The Evolve MMA representative has been one of the most dominant champions in ONE.

Her victory against Michelle Nicolini at ONE: EMPOWER last September gave her the most title defenses on the global stage by a female fighter, surpassing ONE Women's Atomweight World Champion "Unstoppable" Angela Lee.

China's first-ever MMA world champion will be eager to seal a win when she meets Miura, the #4-ranked athlete in the division. The Tribe Tokyo MMA star is coming off a sensational submission win over Rayane Bastos.

Another world title will be contested at the Singapore Indoor Stadium when Roman Kryklia defends his ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Title against Murat "The Butcher" Aygun.

The pair were scheduled to meet at ONE: BIG BANG in December last year. However, Kryklia was forced to withdraw due to COVID-19 protocols. A couple of weeks later, the 28-year-old Ukrainian defended his title versus Romania's Andrei Stoica.

Kryklia became the inaugural world champion following a spectacular TKO win over Tarik "The Tank" Khbabez in his promotional debut. This co-main event showdown marks the Belarus-based fighter's third appearance under the ONE Super Series banner.

Before those two heavy hitters go to war, #1-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Saemapetch Fairtex faces Tawanchai PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym.

Saemapetch, a former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title challenger, will be eager to protect his spot as he eyes a rematch against divisional king Nong-O Gaiyanghadao.

The card will also feature the highly anticipated debut of Saygid Izagakhmaev, Khabib Nurmagomedov's training partner for more than a decade.

The sambo world champion who owns a 19-2 resume will be up against James "Nako" Nakashima for his first assignment.

Check out the entire lineup below:

Main Card For ONE: HEAVY HITTERS

• (c) Xiong Jing Nan vs. Ayaka Miura (ONE Women's Strawweight World Title)

• (c) Roman Kryklia vs. Murat Aygun (ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Title)

• Saemapetch vs. Tawanchai (Muay Thai - bantamweight)

• James Nakashima vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev (mixed martial arts - lightweight)

• Supergirl vs. Ekaterina Vandaryeva (Muay Thai - strawweight)

• Senzo Ikeda vs. Jeremy Miado (mixed martial arts - strawweight)

Lead Card For ONE: HEAVY HITTERS

• Elias Mahmoudi vs. Walter Goncalves (Muay Thai - flyweight)

• Beybulat Isaev vs. Giannis Stoforidis (kickboxing - light heavyweight)

• Yushin Okami vs. Leandro Ataides (mixed martial arts - middleweight)

• Shuya Kamikubo vs. Troy Worthen (mixed martial arts - bantamweight)

• Tiffany Teo vs. Meng Bo (mixed martial arts - strawweight)

• Robin Catalan vs. Elipitua Siregar (mixed martial arts - strawweight)