Home Articles Kantharaj Agasa On ONE Championship Debut: ‘It’s A Dream-Come-True Moment’

Kantharaj Agasa On ONE Championship Debut: ‘It’s A Dream-Come-True Moment’

India’s Kantharaj Agasa “Kannadiga” will look to build on the momentum that his compatriot Arjan “Singh” Bhullar started by becoming the new ONE Heavyweight World Champion at ONE: DANGAL earlier this month.

Agasa is set for his ONE Championship debut against organizational veteran “The Hunter” Xie Wei in a flyweight mixed martial arts matchup at ONE: FULL BLAST, a previously recorded event that airs this Friday, 28 May.

ONE Championship is a huge organization – it’s globally recognized, it’s really famous,” Agasa said.

I always dreamed of competing in the world’s best organization. It’s a dream-come-true moment for me. Hopefully, I will start with a win in my debut.

My preparation has been really great and I feel confident about the fight.”

Kantharaj Agasa vows to overwhelm Xie with grappling

Agasa will enter this bout with glowing ground skills, while Xie is known as an excellent striker.

If the Indian star can take the match to the ground, he’ll have a better chance of pulling off the debut win. But if the clash stays on the feet, it could be a different story.

From what I have seen, my opponent focuses on his striking. He is good, too, but in grappling, he is no match for me. My game plan is to play to my strengths,” Agasa said.

I think his weakness is his ground game. Since I am a grappler, he will definitely work on it before the match, but his preparation won’t matter because I am better than him.

Xie Wei is a really good opponent, but I trust my hard work and grappling. I am a born grappler, so I think the fight will be over on the ground. I always try to take the fight to the canvas and finish it there.”

That’s not just empty talk – “Kannadiga” has already proven his worth on the ground against another ONE submission specialist, Roshan Mainam. The two athletes met twice outside of ONE, with Agasa winning both occasions, including one by submission.

Now, the Indian standout is looking to finish another established ONE flyweight, etch his name in the division’s top five, and then challenge for the belt – all before the end of 2022.

If everything goes according to my plan, I will finish Xie in the first round by submission,” Agasa said.

I am hoping to take part in at least three fights this year and win them all. By the end of next year, I would like to beat all my opponents in this division and hopefully get a World Title shot.  

I want to pave the way for any youngsters who dream of joining the biggest martial arts organizations in the world.”

Watch ONE: FULL BLAST on Disney + Hotstar or Star Sports Select 2 at 6 p.m. India Standard Time (IST) on Friday, 28 May.

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