At ONE Championship’s first on-ground U.S. event, ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video on Friday, May 5, former ONE Lightweight World Champion Ok Rae Yoon will square off with American veteran Lowen Tynanes. The inclusion to the epic card was disclosed on March 3, by the Singapore-based promotion.
When Tynanes returns to the Circle for a fight that will have a significant impact on the divisional rankings, he will have the American audience on his side.
Ok, who scored three surprise victories that included a shocking World Title triumph against Christian Lee, emerged as ONE’s breakout star in 2021.
The South Korean lost the championship to Lee in 2022, but with a brilliant 16-4 record, a convincing win might put him back in the mix.
A formidable test for anyone in the lightweight division, the 31-year-old striking expert possesses strong stand-up techniques as well as strong takedown and submission defense.
Throughout his ONE Championship career, Ok Rae Yoon repeatedly demonstrated his mettle. But, the South Korean star has generally been impressive during his time in ONE, and another dominant performance in May might see him set a course for ONE gold once more. At ONE on TNT III in April 2021, Ok made his ONE debut by defeating former featherweight champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov by unanimous decision. At ONE on TNT IV, Ok stunned Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez in his second ONE appearance.
The Team Mad slugger challenged Christian “The Warrior” Lee for the lightweight title at ONE: REVOLUTION in September 2021 after his back-to-back victories over two MMA World Champions gave him his first chance at a divisional crown. By knocking Lee off his throne that evening with his relentless striking and firm defense, Ok pulled off the biggest upset of his career.
He was declared the new king of the division after five hard rounds and a unanimous decision victory. Sadly, the Singaporean-American put on a show to remember to win the race back with Lee just under a year later, completing the South Korean barely 60 seconds into round two.
But Ok has been inspired to reach higher goals by his defeat. And on May 5, he intends to exit the Circle with his hand raised to distance himself from the pursuing group in the lightweight rankings. Tynanes, though, is a skilled athlete who can thwart Ok’s plans.
As he returns to the Circle and tries to earn his 12th career victory, the American will have the crowd on his side. Although injuries have hampered his career, the Hawaii Elite MMA representative is still among the most dangerous competitors in the category.
In contrast, Tynanes has a stellar 11-1 MMA record and just overcame his lone career defeat by winning by decision over Dae Sung Park in December.
The 32-year-old, whose career has been marred by injuries, can pose a threat to any opponent in his weight class when he is at his best.
The key to defeating Ok will be his wrestling and grappling, in particular. Tynanes’ turnaround time will be the quickest since 2016 during this period, therefore his upward trend may work in his favor.
Given that Ok recently held the title of ONE Lightweight World Champion, a victory for either guy would solidify their position in the World Title race.
As this lightweight clash begins on May 5 at ONE Fight Night 10 inside the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado, it will be intriguing to see who manages to permanently stamp their superiority. Both guys have great all-around arsenals.
