Manila, Philippines – Just when everyone thought that the upcoming card in Manila could not be more stacked, ONE Championship spoils its fans with a new surprise.

Current featherweight kingpin Martin Nguyen is now set to defend his title against Japanese competitor Koyomi Matsushima at ONE: Dawn of Heroes in Manila, August 2, ONE announced. The fight will headline ONE’s already massive event to be held at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Nguyen is coming off an impressive win against former featherweight champion Narantungalag Jadambaa last April. Despite being out of competition nine months prior to the event, “The Situ-Asian” showed no signs of ring rust as he sent the Mongolian icon down with a flying knee in the second round.

Nguyen first became a breakout star when he knocked out former champion Marat Gafurov in 2017 to capture the featherweight title. Just a few months later, he would become the first two-division championship by finishing Filipino icon and former lightweight champ Eduard Folayang. Due to injuries, however, Nguyen was forced to vacate his lightweight belt.

Matsushima, on the other hand, is a former Shooto champion and Pancrase contender. He is currently undefeated in his two outings in ONE Championship. In his ONE debut last September, Matsushima immediately put the division on notice by knocking out Gafurov to spoil the former champion’s comeback.

Following his breakout performance, the Japanese then dominated fellow featherweight competitor Kwon Won Il to earn a unanimous decision win, and subsequently a title shot.

Stacked Card

ONE: Dawn of Heroes will also feature another world title match-up between Jonathan Haggerty and Rodtang Jitmuangnon for the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai Championship.

Haggerty earned his title shot with his incredible performance against Muay Thai superstar Sam-A Gaiyanghadao. Jitmuangnon, on the other hand, has been rolling through the division since his entry and is currently undefeated at ONE.

Also in the card is a lightweight super-showdown between former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez and former ONE lightweight champion and Team Lakay stalwart Eduard Folayang.

The Manila card will also host the semi-final bouts for the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix. Former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson faces Tatsumitsu Wada, while Team Lakay’s Danny Kingad meets former ONE flyweight champion Kairat Akhmetov. Winners of these fights will face each other in the Finals in ONE: Century in Tokyo, Japan.

The last finals spot for the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix will also be contested on August 2. Timofey Nastyukhin faces former ONE featherweight champion Honorio Banario to decide who will face Sagid Arslanaliev in the finals. Banario steps in as a replacement for Lowen Tynanes who had to pull out of the tournament because of an injury.