Stephen Loman gets second win in ONE Championship, outclasses Sato at ONE X

26 March 2022

Filipino star Stephen Loman and Japanese star Shoko Sato locked horns today in a Bantamweight contest at ONE X.

The fighters started the fight by testing the waters against each other. Loman had a slight upper hand in the round and increased the pace in the closing minutes. The fighters were issued a yellow card in the second round due to lack of action and soon, Loman landed a huge takedown. Sato and Loman followed a cautious approach despite the sudden surge and Loman landed another huge takedown midway through the third round. Loman had the top control after the takedown and cruised into a decision victory. 

Stephen Loman came into the fight on the back of his promotional debut against Russia’s Yusup Saadulaev. The Team Lakay star manage to finish Saadulaev in the first round itself and booked himself a spot in the ONE Championship Bantamweight rankings as well. Prior to this, Loman was on an eight-fight winning streak and was the longest-reigning World Champion in BRAVE Combat Federation where he reigned on top of the Bantamweight division.

Shoko Sato, meanwhile, came into the fight with a record of 32-14 to his name. The Japanese MMA star was riding on a one-fight winning streak. He had suffered a loss to Fabricio Andrade in his last ONE Championship fight but had secured wins over Kwon Won II and Rafael Silva in the promotion prior to this. Sato has a wealth of experience on his resume and has fought in promotions like Shooto, Road FC, Vale Tudo Japan, and Pancrase among others.

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ONE X is the 10th-anniversary special card from ONE Championship and has a long list of exciting fights on offer for the fans with the event being headlined by the ONE Atomweight title showdown between Angela Lee and Stamp Fairtex. The much-awaited special rules fight between Demetrious Johnson and Rodtang is also another major attraction on the card.

What are your thoughts on the result? Let us know in the comment section below.