MMA Stars Tyler McGuire, Agilan Thani, and Other Athletes Virtual Media Day Interviews for ‘ONE: BIG BANG II’
ONE Championship™ (ONE) athletes competing at ONE: BIG BANG II, a previously recorded event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium for global broadcast this Friday, 11 December, spoke to the media ahead of their respective bouts.
Former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion and #3-ranked flyweight contender Jonathan “The General” Haggerty, Japan’s Taiki “Silent Sniper” Naito, former ONE World Title challenger Tyler McGuire, #1-ranked lightweight kickboxing contender Nieky “The Natural” Holzken, and other athletes competing at ONE: BIG BANG II all took time to talk about their upcoming bouts.
The United Kingdom’s Jonathan Haggerty will be facing off with Japanese spitfire Taiki Naito in the evening’s main event offering. Haggerty addressed media ahead of the bout to touch on a variety of topics, including the United Kingdom’s most recent COVID-19 lockdown and how it affected his preparations, comments on Naito’s game and how important this bout is for him to win, his two wars with Rodtang Jitmuangnon, and earning another ONE World Title opportunity. All that and more in Haggerty’s complete pre-event interview down below.
The man standing at the opposite end of the ONE Circle is Naito, who is currently unbeaten in ONE Championship. Naito talked to the media about his secrets to success, thoughts on Haggerty as an opponent, potentially earning a shot at the ONE World Title, and how COVID-19 affected his training. Listen to Naito’s complete pre-event interview at the link.
After Tyler McGuire suffered the first defeat of his professional career at the hands of former ONE Welterweight World Champion Zebaztian Kadestam in 2018, the previously unbeaten American went on a much-needed break to clear his mind and reevaluate his career. Now McGuire is ready to return to the ONE Circle in spectacular fashion against Agilan Thani. McGuire fielded questions surrounding what he did during his time away from competition, the intricate details about his fight against Kadestam, his opinion of Agilan as an opponent, and much more.
Malaysian sensation Agilan Thani is also an athlete looking to bounce back and revitalize his career. After a hard-earned victory over Dante Schiro in late 2019, Agilan is ready to claim another prized scalp in Tyler McGuire. Agilan fielded questions regarding his training with Martin Nguyen and Aung La N Sang at Sanford MMA, his various side jobs to keep financially afloat during COVID-19, thoughts on his upcoming opponent McGuire, his experience facing ONE World Champions, and more.
Kickboxing superstar Nieky Holzken is looking to get back to his winning ways after two heart wrenching setbacks against his countryman, and now reigning ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Champion Regian Eersel. Speaking to the media, Holzken shared his thoughts on his two bouts against Eersel, the biggest lessons he learned from those experiences, his opinion of Elliot Compton, and what keeps him motivated at this stage in his career. Holzken’s complete pre-event interview is listed down below.
#5-ranked lightweight kickboxing contender Elliot Compton will be looking to add the biggest name to his fight resume when he takes on icon Nieky Holzken. Ahead of the much-anticipated contest, Compton talked about earning a ONE World Title opportunity, his opponent’s specific strengths and weaknesses, what he predicts will happen in the fight, and potentially training in MMA.
ONE Warrior Series product Ali Motamed is finally making his ONE Championship main roster debut. The Iranian warrior spoke with the media about what fans can expect in his first official appearance in the ONE Circle, the lessons he learned under the legendary Rich Franklin, his thoughts on Iranian martial artists around the world, and his specific advantages over his next opponent. Catch Motamed’s complete pre-event interview down below.
Complete Card for ONE: BIG BANG II
Taiki Naito vs. Jonathan Haggerty (ONE Super Series Muay Thai – flyweight)
Nieky Holzken vs. Elliot Compton (ONE Super Series kickboxing – lightweight)
Tetsuya Yamada vs. Kim Jae Woong (mixed martial arts – featherweight)
Errol Zimmerman vs. Rade Opacic (ONE Super Series kickboxing – heavyweight)
Agilan Thani vs. Tyler McGuire (mixed martial arts – welterweight)
Ali Motamed vs. Chen Rui (mixed martial arts – bantamweight)
