​The world’s largest martial arts organization is heading back to Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, this Friday, July 31, where nearly 20 fighters will be chasing a life-changing US$100,000 and a spot on ONE Championship’s main roster.ONE Friday Fights 164 features ten bouts across Muay Thai, kickboxing, and MMA, and the card is stacked from top to bottom with international stars.View this post on InstagramIn the main event, devastating Thai striker Watcharaphon Laochokcharoen takes on France’s Akram Hamidi in a strawweight Muay Thai showdown between two fighters who have been forged by extraordinary journeys.Watcharaphon’s story begins in a school yard. His father, fed up with his bullying, marched him into a Muay Thai ring to “settle his feud” with a classmate — not realizing he was introducing a future professional to his calling. With 172 wins and a lifetime of dedication behind him, the 33-year-old PK Saenchai Muaythaigym product has become one of the most feared strikers in the weekly series. He arrives on a five-fight winning streak in ONE, four of which have ended before the final bell, and carries the kind of raw power that has made opponents wary from the opening exchange.Hamidi has earned his shot the hard way. The 27-year-old French-Algerian nicknamed “La Pepite” started training at 13 after stumbling into a gym near his house, going on to claim three ISKA Kickboxing World Championships and a WBC Muay Thai International Title. He has faced elite ONE competition, sharing the ring with former and current ONE World Champions Sam-A Gaiyanghadao and Prajanchai PongSuphan PK in the weekly series. On Friday, the man who has been chasing the ONE contract since he first discovered the promotion has his chance to take it.View this post on InstagramIn the co-main event, hard-charging southpaw Arsoonnoi Sitjasing squares off with Thai debutant Nongkhailek Dr.Knotmuaythai in a flyweight Muay Thai tilt that pits one of the series’ most dangerous names against an intriguing newcomer.Arsoonnoi’s path to ONE Friday Fights is rooted in sacrifice. He started fighting at 11 to fund his own education. His father, a former fighter himself, now coaches him. That blend of hardship and craft has produced one of the most complete pressure fighters in the division. A two-fight winning streak that includes an elbow KO bonus at ONE Friday Fights 152 has established him as a genuine contract contender, and he heads into Friday with the confidence of a fighter who knows exactly what he is capable of.Nongkhailek arrives with credentials that demand respect. The Thai newcomer went on a tear before his ONE debut, suggesting a level of quality that goes well beyond what his fresh ONE record might suggest. A composed, patient technical fighter who uses timing and smart shot selection to dismantle opponents, he is the kind of debutant who comes to Lumpinee Stadium ready — not hoping.Photo credit: ONE ChampionshipONE Friday Fights 164 Full Card