While the UFC continues to be the king when it comes to MMA and gambling, there is more MMA than ever to bet on now. Promotions all over the world as well as domestic ones are showing up in sportsbooks. The advantage here is that the data is usually quite a bit less sharp than when you’re making MMA predictions for the UFC. So we’ve decided to dig into some each week to get you started on your regional MMA journey. This week we head overseas for ONE Samurai 2 from Tokyo, Japan for our regional MMA pick.
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MMA Regional Pick of the Week: ONE Samurai 2
ONE Featherweight Fight: Ayumu Yamamoto vs Ryo Hirayama
Card Start Time: Saturday (8/8), 4:30am EST (Internet PPV)
ONE has leaned into having as many different martial arts as they can put on a card. They love having muay thai, jiu jitsu, and kickboxing fights dotting their cards. However, on Saturday morning, they’ve gone back to their roots a bit. There are three MMA fights on this card, including a very interesting featherweight contest.
Ayumu Yamamoto takes on Ryo Hirayama in the most closely contested fight on the card. Yamamoto is a pleasure to watch because you never have to wonder about his intentions. While he’s defensively sound on the feet, he wants nothing more than to grab a body lock and drag this thing to the ground. His skills on the mat are superb as well. He has excellent control and really goes for it with his submissions.
Hirayama is unlikely to want to engage him on the ground. He is definitely the better striker in this fight, but his striking style lends itself to getting taken down. He stands very upright when throwing down and crashes into range rapidly. If he doesn’t make an adjustment, one of those crashes should result in a clinch and a takedown. Once on the mat, it’s just a matter of time until Yamamoto slaps a submission on.
ONE Samurai 2 Pick: Ayumu Yamamoto ML (+125)
SGPN Daily Content for August 7th, 2026
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