MMA’s leading Asian promotion returns for a Sunday event this weekend, meaning that fans will have events on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on a busy weekend for the sport. The featherweight division takes center stage in Jakarta, as the 145lb title is on the line in the main event, and the next contender for the very same belt will likely be determined in the co-main event. Jadamba Narantungalag, the best name to spell in MMA, defends his featherweight title against undefeated Dagestani Marat Gafurov. Narantungalag won the title in his last outing, best Koji Oishi in every area en route to a unanimous decision. It moved him to 2-0 in ONE FC, and if not for an ankle injury against Koji Ando in 2013, would have pushed his winning streak to 10 fights. Gafurov has been dominant across his 11-fight career, scoring eight stoppages among his wins. His closest outing was a split decision victory over rising UFC prospect Mairbek Taisumov, who was already a 20-fight veteran when Gafurov defeated him in his fifth pro bout. Since coming to ONE FC, he has scored a pair of first round submission victories to work his way to a title shot. The co-main event pits prospects Herbert Burns against Timofey Nastyukhin in an extreme clash of styles. Burns is known for his submission skills, while Nastyukhin brings extremely aggressive striking into the cage. If Burns is able to get this fight to the ground, he’ll hold a big advantage and move his record to 6-0. However, if he can’t get a takedown — or chooses to strike with the Russian — it will probably end swiftly and poorly for the Brazilian, just like the last nine opponents Nastyukhin has faced. ONE FC 31 also features Roger Huerta in a bout with former lightweight title challenger Koji Ando, and former middleweight champion Leandro Ataides who attempts to bounce back from dropping his title in his last outing. MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened the betting lines for ONE FC 31 today at Several Bookmakers. Take a look: ——————– MAIN CARD (Internet PPV, 6am ET) ONE FC Featherweight Title Marat Gafurov -350 (c) Jadamba Narantungalag +250 Timofey Natsyukhin -150 Herbert Burns +110 Roger Huerta -120 Koji Ando -120 Alexey Butorin -135 Leandro Ataides -105 Arnaud Lepont -190 Vincent Latoel +150 Muin Gafurov -385 Casey Suire +265 ——————– *Bonus Fight* ONE CHAMPIONSHIP FUTURE ODDS: VALOR OF CHAMPIONS April 24, 2015 Mall of Asia Arena, Manila ONE FC Welterweight Title (c) Ben Askren -505 Luis Santos +335 ——————– Brad’s Analysis: Narantungalag has consistently been one of the most underrated fighters in MMA. Going back to 2010 when he first became a notable fighter, he has never closed as a betting favorite in any of his fights, but his only loss came to injury. I think the line on Gafurov is going to get ridiculous in this spot, so I may end up with a small play on Narantungalag. Gafurov is the more talented grappler, but Narantungalag has shown solid takedown defense, and is a far cleaner striker than the Dagestani. I think Gafurov deserves to be a small favorite, but the public will combine his record, nationality, and hype into some decent value on the reigning champ. Timofey Nastyukhin’s name is perfect for him. Timmy Nasty, as I’ve come to call him, is exactly that with his striking. The flying knee he beat Eduard Folayang with was devastating, as were his kicks against Yusuke Kawango. Still, I don’t like this matchup for him, since Burns has a massive grappling advantage, and should have no hesitation using it. I think Burns survives the early onslaught from Nastyukhin and gets this to the ground where it will get very one-sided the other way. As a dog, Burns is a very tempting play. Roger Huerta looked good in his return to MMA last August, but he’s now been out for another 13 months since that bout, so it’s hard not to have questions. Koji Ando has impressed in pretty much every outing except for his title challenge against Shinya Aoki, and that includes a decent level of competition. I think Ando is still making improvements, while Huerta has become a bit stagnant by focusing on other ventures. I’ll favor Ando slightly, but this isn’t a fight I’m looking to bet. The other three bouts will be learning experiences for me, as I’ve seen Leandro Ataides fight but never his opponent, Lepont and Latoel are both journeymen (although I do favor Lepont), and both Muin Gafurov and Suire have faced virtual amateurs in the bulk of their competition.
