Fight weekend: Malaysia's Rifdean Masdor chases ONE gold in Tokyo as Buckley meets Malott at UFC Edmonton

Two major combat sports cards fill this weekend, and both land at friendly hours for fans in Malaysia. ONE Championship's ONE Samurai 4 takes place at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Saturday, 17 October, with Malaysia's Rifdean Masdor challenging for a world title. Less than a day later, the UFC heads to Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada, where welterweights Joaquin Buckley and Mike Malott headline a Fight Night card whose main card starts at 8am on Sunday, 18 October, Malaysia time.

ONE Samurai 4: Masdor's shot at history

Rifdean "Magic Boy" Masdor, 23, faces Nadaka for the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title. Masdor is 7-1 in ONE and arrives on a five-fight winning streak, having earned a US$100,000 contract and a place on the global roster by stopping Javad Mozafari in the first round at ONE Friday Fights 159 in June.

The task is a big one. Nadaka, 25, won the inaugural belt at ONE 173 and outpointed Songchainoi Kiatsongrit over five rounds at ONE Samurai 1 in April. This is his second defence and, according to ONE, he is on a 41-bout winning streak. A Masdor win would make him only the second ONE world champion from Malaysia, after Aliff Sor Dechapan, the newly crowned interim strawweight Muay Thai champion.

Haggerty headlines in Tokyo

The main event is Jonathan Haggerty's defence of the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title against former titleholder Hiroki Akimoto. The card also features the semi-finals of the ONE Samurai featherweight kickboxing tournament, with Masaaki Noiri facing Mohammad Siasarani and Marat Grigorian meeting China's Luo Chao, plus a women's atomweight MMA bout between Itsuki Hirata and Jihin Radzuan. The night also includes a ceremony for Japanese kickboxing star Takeru Segawa.

ONE lists the start time as 1.30pm Indochina time, which is 2.30pm in Malaysia. The first three bouts stream free on ONE's YouTube and Facebook channels, with the rest of the event on live.onefc.com.

UFC Edmonton: Buckley vs Malott

At Rogers Place, Buckley tries to end a two-fight losing streak. The top-10 welterweight opened his run at 170 pounds with six straight wins but has since lost decisions to Kamaru Usman and Sean Brady, being out-wrestled in both. Canada's Malott brings a four-fight winning streak into his second headlining slot of the year, most recently stopping Gilbert Burns in the third round in April. It will be his sixth straight UFC appearance in Canada.

The co-main event is a flyweight clash between ranked contenders Erin Blanchfield, 14-2 overall and 8-1 in the UFC, and Jasmine Jasudavicius. Also on the main card are Kyle Nelson vs Cristian Perez, Marc-Andre Barriault vs Kyle Daukaus, Louis Jourdain vs Timmy Cuamba and Mandel Nallo vs Nate Landwehr.

The preliminary card starts at 5am on Sunday, 18 October, Malaysia time (5pm Saturday US Eastern time), with the main card from 8am.

Timings at a glance

• ONE Samurai 4, Tokyo: Saturday, 17 October, from 2.30pm Malaysia time.
• UFC Edmonton prelims: Sunday, 18 October, 5am Malaysia time.
• UFC Edmonton main card: Sunday, 18 October, 8am Malaysia time.

Key takeaways

• Malaysia's Rifdean Masdor challenges Nadaka for the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE Samurai 4 in Tokyo on 17 October.
• Jonathan Haggerty defends his ONE bantamweight kickboxing title against Hiroki Akimoto in the main event.
• Joaquin Buckley, on a two-fight skid, meets Mike Malott, on a four-fight win streak, at UFC Edmonton.
• Erin Blanchfield faces Jasmine Jasudavicius in the UFC co-main event.

FAQ

What time does ONE Samurai 4 start in Malaysia? 2.30pm on Saturday, 17 October, with the first three bouts free on ONE's YouTube and Facebook pages.

What time is UFC Edmonton in Malaysia? Prelims start at 5am and the main card at 8am on Sunday, 18 October.

Who is Rifdean Masdor fighting? Nadaka, the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion, who is making his second title defence.

Sources: ONE Championship, UFC.com, Khel Now