ONE Championship confirms Inner Circle 21 card for Lumpinee Stadium
The Asian mixed martial arts organisation has locked in the main and co-main events for its July 10 event in Bangkok, with streaming restricted to members.
ONE Championship has officially confirmed the headlining matchups for The Inner Circle 21, scheduled to take place on Friday, July 10, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. The organisation, a major mixed martial arts body based in Asia, will broadcast the event live in Asia primetime, with access restricted exclusively to members via live.onefc.com.
The main event features a rematch for the ONE Strawweight MMA World Championship between the reigning champion, Joshua “The Passion” Pacio, and Mansur Malachiev. Pacio, a prominent figure in the Philippines’ “Lions Nation” fanbase, currently holds the unified title following his victory over Jarred Brooks at ONE 171: Qatar in February 2025.
This bout serves as the second chapter in a rivalry that began three years ago. Pacio previously defeated Malachiev via unanimous decision at ONE Fight Night 15 in October 2023, handing the Russian fighter his first professional loss. Since that defeat, Malachiev has won his last three fights, including a second-round submission victory over former titleholder Jarred Brooks at ONE Fight Night 36 in October 2024.
The co-main event marks the return of former lightweight champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, who will face Japanese fighter Shozo “Great Teacher” Isojima. Folayang, a pioneer in Asian MMA who has competed in the organisation for over a decade, last suffered a submission defeat to Shinya Aoki at ONE 172 in March 2025.
Isojima, 28, is looking to regain momentum after back-to-back losses to Tye Ruotolo and Adrian Lee. He previously achieved a TKO victory over Nicolas Vigna at ONE Fight Night 36 in October 2024. The event will be held at Lumpinee Stadium, a historic venue in Bangkok traditionally associated with Muay Thai but now a regular host for MMA competitions.
