ONE Fighting Championship, Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organisation, returns to Kuala Lumpur for the fifth time on October 17 with another blockbuster event at the 9,000-seat Stadium Putra.

The first three matchups on the fight card, titled Roar of Tigers, were announced yesterday and include a main-event clash between undefeated Russian featherweight Marat Gafurov and Rob Lisita of Australia.

Malaysian cage fighter Ev Ting will meet Edward Kelly of the Philippines in the co-main event, while a bantamweight bout between Singapore’s Stephen Langdown and Malaysia’s Raymond Tan has also been added.

ONE FC chief exec Victor Cui said in a press release: “ONE FC is putting together a fight card that will blow away the millions of passionate fight fans all around the world.

“Marat Gafurov and Rob Lisita are two of the best featherweights in the world. Both of them have a penchant for putting on exciting battles, and I think the fans will be in for a treat.”

Gafurov (9-0) has emerged as the top featherweight in Europe, possessing vicious ground and pound abilities that have led him to six spectacular finishes so far.

Prior to signing with ONE FC, the 29-year-old was the reigning M-1 Global Featherweight Champion. He joins an exciting featherweight division that is currently ruled by Mongolia’s Jadambaa Narantungalag.

Lisita (14-6) has been on a tear in recent bouts, winning seven of his last nine. The 31-year-old embodies his nickname “Ruthless” in going for the finish, having heard the final bell only three times in his 14 victories.

Ev Ting (7-2) is widely regarded as one of Malaysia’s top MMA proponents. He is of Malaysian Chinese ancestry, with his family relocating to New Zealand when he was 7 years old.

Ting, 25, made a successful ONE FC debut by knocking out Indonesian Yohan Mulia Legowo in Jakarta on June 14 and now gets the opportunity to compete in his country of birth for the first time.

Edward “The Rock” Kelly (5-1) is the brother of ONE FC featherweight No 1 contender Eric “The Natural” Kelly and possesses many similar traits to his sibling, such as the relentless pursuit of a stoppage as well as being multifaceted and able to emerge on top in every situation.

Tan (2-2) is a founding member of Penang Top Team and boasts one of the longest reach in both his punches and kicks in the bantamweight division.

Langdown (1-1) is a solid, well-rounded fighter equally adept at both striking and grappling.