Dzhabar Askerov and Samy Sana square off in the semi-final of featherweight kickboxing World Grand Prix. The contest has been officially added to the upcoming “ONE: Dreams of Gold” fight card. The event takes place at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand on August 16.

Advertisements

Askerov and Sana advanced to the semi-final winning their respective bouts at the “ONE: Enter the Dragon” event held mid May in Singapore. Askerov earned a three-round unanimous decision against Enriko Kehl. Sana arguably caused one of the biggest upsets in modern kickboxing history by taking a unanimous decision against Yodsanklai Fairtex.

Dzhabar Askerov of Dagestan (federal subject of Russia) has been known in the world of kickboxing and Muay Thai for over a decade. In addition to winning titles, he has appeared at the famed reality show The Contender Asia (2008). Over the course of his career he defeated legendary Jomhod Kiatadisak, Andy Souwer, among others.

Prior making ONE Championship debut French-Algerian Samy Sana has predominately competed in France and Thailand. A recent victory over Yodsanklai has been integral in bringing attention. Yet, his resume also includes the victories against Armin Pumpanmuang, Armen Petrosyan, among others.

What stands out from the upcoming Askerov-Sana matchup is the height difference between the two. The Russian athlete is 1.70m tall, while the French competitor is 1.85m.

The winner of Askerov-Sana advances to the final of WGP contested at the future event with US $1,000,000 on the line. Another semi-final features Giorgio Petrosyan up against Jo Nattawut. The pair also battles it out at “ONE: Dreams of Gold”, serving as the co-main event. Both encounters are scheduled for three rounds.

The headliner of the show features the defending flyweight kickboxing champion Petchdam Petchyindee Academy up against the challenger Ilias Ennahachi. The championship bout is scheduled for five rounds.