The Singapore-based ONE FC event has scheduled an August 29th date for the United Arab Emirates that will feature title fights in the Lightweight and Welterweight divisions. The card is titled ‘Reign of Champions’ and features welterweight champion Nobutatsu Suzuki facing Ben Askren, and lightweight champion Shinya Aoki taking on Kamal Shalorus.
Look for Suzuki to come in as the underdog for his match with Askren, despite being the champion. He is a solid 11-1-2 overall, so their experience levels are comparable, and he has 10 TKO stoppages in his 11 wins. His lone loss was to a submission at the hands of countryman Keita Nakamura back in October of 2012, and under the ONE FC flag he has defeated Brock Larson and Phil Baroni.
Askren is 13-0 and his level of competition at Bellator is higher than that of Suzuki throughout his career. Wins over veterans Dan Hornbuckle and Nick Thompson came early in his career. In his last two outings, he has added getting the fights stopped early to his overall game, taking out Bellator wiz kid Andrey Koreshkov and beating Bakhtiyat Abbasov at ONEFC 16.
If Suzuki cant get off a series of punches that take the wrestler out, he will blanketed by Askren and beaten up. Askren has already proven the elite nature of his takedown and wrestling game, and Suzuki will have no answer for that.
Kamal Shalorus has gone 2-0 under the ONE FC banner, recovering from an 0-3 run in the UFC that saw him cut. His wins over Eduard Folyang and Ariel Sexton in ONE FC have earned him a title shot, but look for him to be an underdog when the line hits the books.
Nothing in Shaolrus’ resume prepare him for a fighter like Aoki, who is 35-6 and is one of the elite fighters in the weight class. SInce losing to Gilbert Melendez in STRIKEFORCE by UD back in April of 2010, Aoki is an astounding 12-1, with his lone loss coming to all-world fighter Eddie Alvarez. Aoki owns a mean streak and is always looking to finish his fights, and he could potentially make short work of Shalorus.
Look for Aoki to be favored when the line hits the books, and keep an eye on the over under, as Aoki owns more first round finishes than Shalorus has fights.
