Superbon will soon know exactly who stands between him and his next World Title defense.

The ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion watches the semifinals of the ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament unfold at ONE SAMURAI 4, live from Tokyo's Ariake Arena on Saturday, October 17. Armenian legend Marat Grigorian faces China's Luo Chao, who reached the final four by outpointing Kosuke Takagi, while Japan's Masaaki Noiri battles Iranian knockout artist Mohammad Siasarani, who remains unbeaten in ONE kickboxing after finishing Kaito Ono. The eventual tournament winner earns a shot at Superbon's crown.

“I think Marat takes his match. The other semifinal is a tough one to call – it's pure 50-50,†Superbon said. “But if I had to pick, fighting on home turf gives Noiri a slight edge to pull off the win.â€

A Grigorian or Noiri final would carry real stakes for Superbon

Either outcome would carry significant legacy implications for Superbon's own résumé. A Grigorian tournament victory would set up a fourth career meeting between the two longtime rivals, following a rivalry that dates back to a 29-second knockout loss in 2018 before Superbon answered with consecutive decision wins at ONE X and ONE Friday Fights 58. A Noiri triumph would instead give the Japanese star a chance to avenge his own ONE 173 World Title loss this past November.

Superbon has already fought through the drama of picking a side once this tournament, and he knows fans will hold him to it either way.

“Whenever I make a call, people just love to grill me. But if forced to pick, I'm leaning toward Marat and Noiri as the final two.â€

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Colby Covington believes Gable Steveson has done himself no favors aligning with Jon Jones.

Jones took Steveson under his wing before the Olympic gold medalist was offered a UFC contract. Steveson even competed under Jones' Dirty Boxing Championship promotion. Jones cornered Steveson for his successful UFC debut against Elisha Ellison back in July. “Bones†was back in Steveson's corner for UFC 331 this past Saturday, but things did not go the way the team envisioned.

Steveson was knocked out cold by Sean Sharaf in 12 seconds and made his exit from the Octagon before Bruce Buffer could announce the official result. Speaking to the folks at Submission Radio, Covington insisted that Steveson should drop Jones and start over with a new camp (via MMAJunkie).

“Jon Jones is bad energy,†Covington said. “That guy is a demon, man. We've seen the long laundry list of bad things he's done to women, to people, to cops, to drug testers. He's just a horrible person, bro. When you align yourself with, and you're surrounded by that bad energy all the time, it's going to rub off on you.

“You've got to surround yourself in this life with good people that are like-minded, that work hard, that have faith in God, and aren't just freaking piece of sh*t people like Jon Jones. So he should definitely cut Jon Jones, and get to a new camp, and get focused, and start believing, and start using his wrestling, what got you to the dance.â€

Covington hasn't shy on his views of Jones as a person throughout the years. The two were once roommates at Iowa Central Community College, but they had a falling out. Ever since, Covington has publicly ripped Jones and has brought up past legal issues.

Do you think Gable Steveson should be seeking guidance outside of Jon Jones, or should he stick with his current team? Sound off in the comments below.

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Could Joshua Van be in for his most dangerous challenger yet in the form of Manel Kape?

Van left no doubt that he is the true 125-pound king when he defeated Alexandre Pantoja in their UFC 331 rematch this past Saturday. Van won the championship in his first encounter with Pantoja due to an injury. He went on to have a successful title defense against Tatsuro Taira, but many felt the rematch with Pantoja was his first real test at an elite level.

Ultimately, Van shined bright and solidified his place at the top of the mountain. A dominant final round of a competitive five-round affair sealed the deal, and Van was awarded the unanimous decision victory.

A new test will emerge for Van, and the general consensus is that Kape will be become the new No. 1 contender for the flyweight gold. In a post-UFC 331 reaction video, Daniel Cormier said he thinks Kape is a credible threat to Van's title reign (h/t MMAJunkie).

“My guess is he's going to fight Manel Kape,†Cormier said. “He has been through now all the grapplers in the division, so he will not have to deal with that threat. The one area that Manel possesses that most don't is Manel has the power to knock him out. That's the difference. Manel can knock him out if he gets the opportunity.

“But in terms of a stylistic challenge, going through Taira, going through Pantoja back-to-back, he's already dealt with what most people thought would have been the biggest issue for Joshua Van, and that's the wrestling, and he passed those fights with flying colors, finishing Taira, and then tonight beating Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision.â€

UFC CEO Dana White had significant praise for Van following Saturday's event. He called the 125-pound titleholder the “greatest thing†to happen to the flyweight division in the modern era. Kape plans to spoil the party if he does indeed get dibs next.

Do you think Manel Kape would be Joshua Van's most dangerous challenger thus far? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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