Kicking off a busy weekend in MMA is ONE FC’s latest offering from the Mall of Asia in the Philippines. The card will be available via internet stream for those in the United States, and through the numerous TV deals that ONE FC has in place internationally. The main event will be Bibiano Fernandes defending his bantamweight title against unbeaten Dae Hwan Kim. Brandon Vera finally gets a chance to fight in the Philippines in the co-main event, while the rest of the card is filled out with recognizable names like Roger Gracie and prospects like Herbert Burns. MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened the betting lines for the top six fights at ONE FC 23 today at Several Bookmakers. Check them out: ——————– MAIN CARD (Internet PPV, 7am ET) ONE FC Bantamweight Title Bibiano Fernandes -900 Dae Hwan Kim +500 Brandon Vera -765 Igor Subora +455 Eduardo Folayang -190 Timofey Nastyukhin +150 Roger Gracie -425 James McSweeney +305 Koetsu Okazaki -125 Kevin Belingon -115 Herbert Burns -350 Honorio Banario +250 ——————– Brad’s Analysis: Bibiano Fernandes is in Ben Askren territory in the ONE FC bantamweight division, where he’s just a cut above everyone else. That will continue against the aggressive, but overmatched Dae Hwan Kim. I think Fernandes will get takedowns repeatedly, control the fight from top position, and may find a sub. The price is a bit too steep for an aging fighter, but it’s very difficult to see Fernandes losing. Vera has advantages everywhere against Igor Subora, so as long as he’s even a fraction of the faded version we saw of him in the UFC, he should win. Subora has power, and not much else, so Vera could keep this on the outside and win with kicks on the feet, or get takedowns and win it on the ground. If I’m betting a side in the Folayang/Nastyukhin fight, it’s going to be the Russian. He’s got excellent stopping power — albeit against limited competition — and Folayang is one of those ONE FC mainstays who has never really impressed me. It’s hard to have a ton of faith in Roger Gracie when he’s faced with solid wrestlers, but luckily for him James McSweeney isn’t a great wrestler. McSweeney will be a bit bigger, and has a striking advantage, but that won’t matter when he’s got a submission artist like Gracie draped all over him. On the topic of ONE FC mainstays who haven’t impressed me, Kevin Belingon. I think Okazaki can outwrestle and outscramble Belingon to a decision in this one. Herbert Burns is a very good prospect, and even though he’s a year older than Honorio Banario, it seems like he’s on the way up and Banario is on a decline at just 25. Banario’s chin is very suspect, and standing is his best route to victory in this fight. That’s not a comforting recipe to me.
