Singapore-based ONE Championship debuted its mixed martial arts’ Heroes of the World event at the Venetian’s Cotai Arena on Saturday night drew a near capacity crowd – with the fights televised in 118 countries around the world pulling in around one billion viewers, according to the MC of the night.
There were nine fights on the programme culminating in the Interim Flyweight World Championship fight between Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes of Brazil and Tilek Baytr” Batyrov of Kyrgyzstan.
The crowd cheered fighters from Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, mainland China, Hong Kong Japan, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand with the largest roars and banging of neon lit thunderstick noisemakes for the fighters from the mainland, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
Brazilian Istela Nunes poses at the entrance to the arena before her fight against Mei Yamaguchi of Japan at the Venetian’s Cotai Arena on Saturday night. Nunes won by unanimous decision. Photo: Lesley Wells
