NEXTGEN Hogwash.

Billed as events for the best up-and-coming superstars, ONE: NEXTGEN was nothing more than bullshit baffling brains!

The 29 October event kick-started the trilogy with the finalists of the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix, featuring the likes of former two-sport ONE World Champion Stamp Fairtex (MMA: 7-1 / Kickboxing: 63-17-5 / MuayThai: 4-2), Julie Mezabarba (9-3-1), Ritu Phogat (7-1) and Jenelyn Olsim (5-3).

Also on the card were the up-and kickboxing comers Anderson Silva (44-20-1-1) and his opponent Iraj Azizpour (67-5) along with Heavyweight MMA up-and-comers Kirill Grishenko (5-0) vs. Dustin Joynson (6-1).

The 12 November event – ONE: NEXTGEN II – saw the #1 bantamweight Muay Thai contender Saemapetch Fairtex (123-17-1) lose his World Title to another up-and-comer Rittewada Petchyindee (66-19). Also on the card were featherweight finishers Tang Kai (5-2) and Yoon Chang Min (13-2).

The best was yet to come at ONE: NEXTGEN III! 

In the main event, fiery Filipino Lito Adiwang (17-2-1) lost his #5 contender spot against brash American upstart Jarred Brooks (13-4). It got much worse as former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Alaverdi Ramazanov (62-7) returns to his MuayThai roots to beat the hard-charging 2x Lumpinee Muay Thai World Champion Pongsiri (154-35-11). 

Add to that the veterans in a Strawweight MMA bout where Alex Silva (11-6) defeated Rene Catalan (6-5).

The standout up-and-comer of the entire ONE: NEXTGEN trilogy must be the bout where Panpayak Jitmuangnon (247-41-3) defeated daniel Puertas (31-8).

You just cannot make this shit up!

It is as if the events were arranged by MMA South Africa where Grassroots events feature seasoned amateur fighters or where athletes vying for professional contracts burn their feat on a mat while competing in a cage that has no covering from the intense Sun City heat!