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ONE Championship’s strawweight mixed martial arts (MMA) rankings was recently shaken up, and a new face has entered the Top Five of the division.
Danial Williams has found himself among the elite names in the ever-shifting 56.7-kilogram weight class at the No. 5 spot after having put together a three-fight win streak in recent months.
The ONE Super Series competitor knocked out former strawweight king Dejdamrong Sor Amnuasirichoke this past February, defeated Japan’s Namiki Kawahara via unanimous decision in April, and then thumped Chinese prospect Zhaxi Zelang in stunning fashion last July 22.
Wiliams and Zelang were not afraid to throw haymakers as soon as the opening bell rang, but it was “Mini-T” who came out with the victory after he caught the Chinese striker with a meteoric right hand that had him stumbling before crashing to the mat in the first round.
It is also worth noting that “Mini-T” is rated No. 5 in the strawweight Muay Thai division at the same time and even went on to call out reigning strawweight Muay Thai champion Joseph Lasiri after his victory over Zelang.
As is in all combat sports, rankings change all the time, but ONE’s strawweight division has experienced a ton of changes in recent months.
Currently, the division looks like this:
- Strawweight champion Joshua Pacio
- No. 1: Jarred Brooks
- No. 2: Bokang Mansunyane
- No. 3: Hiroba Minowa
- No. 4: Gustavo Balart
- No. 5: Danial Williams
Williams’ entrance into the Top Five saw Gustavo Balart of Cuba move up to No. 4 after rattling off two-straight wins via unanimous decision against division stalwarts Ryuto Sawada and former titleholder Yosuke Saruta after starting his run under the promotion’s banner with a record of 0-3.
Balart’s entry into the rankings came at the expense of Filipino Jeremy Miado, who initially secured a spot in the standings when he defeated countryman Lito Adiwang at ONE X last March.
While Williams’ ascent to the elite of both brackets comes as no surprise thanks to his ability to stand and bang with the best of them, his primary focus is to vie for the strawweight Muay Thai belt first before anything else.
Who he fights next will be a massive indicator as to which of the two sports he will prioritize in the coming months.
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