Easy nights are not on the menu when eight of the planet’s best flyweight Muay Thai strikers collide under one roof. Only one will walk away with the silver belt, though it will not be the only prize waiting at the finish line.
The 2026-2027 ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix brings together the reigning World Champion, the division’s top five contenders, and two surging talents eager to crash the party. With the champion’s gold on the line every time he steps into the ring, the last man standing will take home both coveted belts.
The quarterfinals go down at Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium, with The Inner Circle 38 opening proceedings on Friday, November 13, before The Inner Circle 39 follows on Friday, November 20. Both cards stream live in Asia primetime, exclusively for subscribers via live.onefc.com.
Before the first bell rings, here is a closer look at the eight men vying to rule the division.
Shimon Yoshinari
Former WBC Muay Thai World Champion Shimon Yoshinari has made it a habit to leave the ring with his hand raised. The Japanese slugger improved to 27-1 after going undefeated across seven ONE Championship outings.
Two highlight-reel finishes at the start of his ONE tenure set the tone, but this year, his stock went through the roof. A win over teenage star Johan “Jojo” Ghazali at ONE SAMURAI 1 in April earned Shimon a US$100,000 contract. In September, he knocked out Suablack Tor Pran49 at ONE SAMURAI 3.
What sets the Eiwa Sports Gym product apart is his fight IQ. He rarely wastes a strike, preferring to study his opponents before cashing in on their mistakes, and his calm demeanor in the heat of battle belies his age.
The Japanese slugger now sits at the #4-ranked spot in the star-studded division. A quarterfinal triumph over Ramadan Ondash, which opens the Grand Prix at The Inner Circle 38, would keep his perfect ONE record intact and send him into the semifinals with the kind of momentum that makes him a genuine threat to go all the way.
Ramadan Ondash
Being the youngest man in the bracket comes with a hidden advantage, so Ramadan “The Scorpion” Ondash has nothing to lose and everything to gain. The 19-year-old already owns a 14-4 professional record and has yet to lose since moving up to flyweight.
The Lebanese phenom went four from four to kick things off on the global stage en route to the coveted six-figure main roster contract. A narrow setback against future ONE Interim Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Aliff Sor Dechapan prompted a jump to flyweight, and he has looked even more menacing with two triumphant outings against Suriyanlek Por Yenying and Ghazali.
Sharpened daily at Tiger Muay Thai, the young knockout artist packs fight-ending power in both hands. He hunts for exchanges, throws every shot with bad intentions, and needs only a split second to turn a fight on its head.
As the #5-ranked contender, Ondash steps into the most stacked Muay Thai World Grand Prix ever assembled with a golden opportunity to make a statement against Shimon. Ending the Japanese star’s unbeaten promotional run would extend his flyweight campaign to 3-0 and prove that the tournament’s youngest entrant belongs among its favorites.
Rodtang Jitmuangnon
Thai megastar Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon needs no introduction. The 29-year-old is one of the most recognizable faces in combat sports, and his 274 career victories only begin to tell the story of his greatness.
During his reign as ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion, he turned back five challengers and became the face of the division. The past 12 months, however, have tested him like never before, from an illness-forced withdrawal against Nong-O Hama at ONE 173 to a fifth-round TKO loss in his rematch with Takeru “Natural Born Krusher” Segawa for the ONE Interim Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship – the very man he shut down inside only 80 seconds at ONE 172.
None of that has dimmed his hunger. Freshly re-signed with the world’s largest martial arts organization, the Muay Thai maestro is fine-tuning the blueprint that made him a household name for this high-stakes Grand Prix: an iron chin, relentless forward pressure, an appetite for destruction, and the ability to walk through fire.
Now ranked #2 in the division, he finally gets the fight that slipped away. A victory over Nong-O in their quarterfinal fixture at The Inner Circle 38 would prove “The Iron Man” is still forged from the same unbreakable stuff and leave him just two wins away from reclaiming the 26 pounds of gold he once owned.
Nong-O Hama
Muay Thai living legend Nong-O Hama has been dismantling opponents for longer than some of his Grand Prix rivals have been alive. The 39-year-old has piled up 268 career victories, a tally built on the kind of genius that cannot be taught.
When Nong-O was ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion, he built the most dominant reign in the discipline under the promotional banner, fending off seven consecutive challengers with masterful technique and unshakable composure. Rather than ride off into the sunset, he dropped to flyweight in search of fresh glory.
Training out of Evolve MMA, the Thai fights like a master craftsman. His timing is impeccable, his balance rarely wavers, and his right kick lands like a sledgehammer. Those tools were on full display in his trilogy against Kongthoranee Sor Sommai at The Inner Circle 20 this past June.
The #3-ranked contender finally meets Rodtang nearly a year after their ONE 173 showdown fell through, in what promises to be one of the most memorable clashes of the entire tournament. Toppling “The Iron Man” would push him into the semifinals and prove that, like a fine wine, he only gets better with time.
Black Panther
Momentum is a potent weapon, and Thai warrior Black Panther brings plenty of it into the tournament of a lifetime. The 26-year-old has won six straight fights against world-class opposition, turning a rocky start into one of the hottest and most explosive runs in the weight class.
That surge did not come out of nowhere. With 82 career victories to his name, the Venum Training Camp and Team Mehdi Zatout athlete spent years sharpening his weapons long before arriving at ONE, and that experience has shone through in wins over Johan “Panda Kick” Estupinan, Diego Paez, and Sean Climaco.
He wins with relentless pressure and razor-sharp instincts. The Thai sets a demanding pace, chips away at his opponents round by round, and pounces the instant they slip. It is a formula built for the long haul, and one that has carried him past some of the toughest in the division.
Now, the stakes have never been higher. Black Panther goes toe-to-toe with Ubaid Hussain in the quarterfinal stage, the first of two matchups on the other side of the bracket at The Inner Circle 39. A victorious night would carry that momentum straight into the semifinals of this ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix.
Ubaid Hussain
British-Pakistani talent Ubaid “Bad” Hussain has spent his young career turning doubters into believers, and his name is fast becoming impossible to ignore. His pristine 17-0 record is proof that his rapid rise is no fluke.
Eight of those victories were forged under the brightest lights in martial arts, and he has looked sharper with each outing. The defining moment arrived in August, when he defeated Isannuea Sor Sasiwat at The Inner Circle 28 to secure a life-changing contract and a place among the sport’s very elite.
What makes the 20-year-old so difficult to solve is his versatility. He is equally comfortable trading punches, firing off kicks, or tying opponents up in the clinch, and every passing appearance seems to reveal a new layer to a game that is still evolving. For an athlete with so many years ahead of him, that is an ominous sign for the rest of the field.
Hussain faces the stiffest test of his career in red-hot Black Panther next. A win here would catapult him straight into a confirmed World Title matchup in the semifinals, where the divisional gold would be waiting for him on the other side of the ring, with a spot in the final and the coveted silver strap hanging in the balance.
Asadula Imangazaliev
Winning the gold was only the beginning for reigning ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Asadula “The Dagestan Ninja” Imangazaliev. Now, the undefeated king sets out to prove he can keep it, and his first World Title defense comes with a Grand Prix semifinal spot also on the line.
His ascent has been nothing short of ruthless. The 13-0 Russian striking magician stormed through his first eight ONE appearances with seven knockouts, including a head-kick finish of multi-time World Champion “The Angel Warrior” Panpayak Jitmuangnon and a stoppage of Nong-O in March, before edging then-unbeaten Aslamjon Ortikov in a five-round thriller at The Inner Circle 20 to claim the vacant throne.
The Dagestani, who represents Team Chingiz Allazov and Team Mehdi Zatout, brings a style that defies easy categorization. He blends awkward angles, patient pressure, and frightening finishing power — a combination that has led Joe Rogan to praise him as one of his favorite strikers.
Imangazaliev’s first challenger at The Inner Circle 39 is a familiar face. A more emphatic victory over the man he edged in June would settle any lingering debate from their first encounter, keep his perfect streak intact, and send the defending king into the semifinals as the undisputed man to beat.
Aslamjon Ortikov
Aslamjon “El Pantera” Ortikov has built a career on making the complex look effortless, and he arrives at the quarterfinal stage of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix with a score to settle. With a 24-1 record and 10 victories under the ONE banner, the Uzbekistani dynamo is as accomplished as they come.
He brought that same completeness to ONE, rattling off 10 straight victories to earn a shot at the vacant ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title in June. There, he took Imangazaliev the full five rounds in a gripping back-and-forth classic that proved he belongs at the very top and set the stage for this long-awaited rematch.
The Sport Club Shakhriyor and TC Muaythai affiliate paints with every color on the Muay Thai palette. He is just as threatening at range as he is in the pocket, flowing between punches, kicks, knees, and elbows with seamless precision. His relentless output rarely dips, and opponents who solve one problem are immediately handed another.
Now the #1-ranked contender, Ortikov runs it back with “The Dagestan Ninja” to close out the quarterfinals of this explosive eight-man tournament. Getting his hand raised this time around would inflict the first defeat of Imangazaliev’s career and send him into the semifinals as the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion.