The exciting show also featured a variety of strong fights, including the quick knockout victory of the world Muay Thai Featherweight Champion, Tuanchay Bek Sanxiay, in his title defense battle once morest Turkey’s Jamal Yusupov.
Here are the highlights of the show, which was held at dawn on Saturday, February 25, at the Lumpini Boxing Stadium in Thailand.
New world bantamweight champion
Finally, Fabricio Andrade was able to realize a long-awaited dream, following he was crowned on Saturday with the world bantamweight title at the expense of former champion in this category, John Lineker.
In the main event battle, the new champion, dubbed “Wonder Boy”, followed a fruitful fighting strategy of using fierce straight punches as well as withstanding Lineker’s ferocious hooks and takedowns as best he might.
Over the course of the match, Lineker seemed tired and exhausted as a result of his exertion in punching and hitting with low kicks. Andrade tried to take advantage of the situation and intensified his straight left punches towards his opponent’s eyes, causing them to bulge visibly.
Before the start of the fifth round, a surprise occurred as the “Hands of Stones” coach demanded that the fight be stopped for fear of exacerbating the situation of his fighter. To win “Wonder Boy” by knockout and exit from the Lumpini Arena, carrying on his shoulder the golden belt for the rooster weight that he has always pursued.
Tawanchai finishes Jamal Yusupov in 49 seconds
When Jamal Yusupov got the chance to fight for the Muay Thai World Featherweight Championship title, some thought he would be able to clinch the title given his strength and clean 3-0 record at Won.
But the king of the category, Thai Tawanchai Pk.Saenchai, was unwilling to relinquish his title especially as he battled it out in front of the home fans of Thailand, who packed the Lumpini Arena.
The fight started with kicks from the Thai striker, and some ineffective punches from Yusupov’s side. Tawanchai fired a low, excruciating kick towards Yusupov’s thigh, which hurt badly.
In just 49 seconds into the first round, the referee declared a quick win for Tawanchai, 23, who received a $50,000 performance bonus from One Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Chhatri Sitiodtong.
Martin Nguyen’s victory in mixed martial arts
Former two-class mixed martial arts world champion Martin Nguyen has maintained his rank to fight for the world featherweight title.
The 33-year-old Australian-Vietnamese defeated Brazilian Leonardo Casotti by unanimous decision following a three-round fight.
With this victory, the veteran star raised his perfect record to 15-6, maintaining his hopes of competing for the world title in his category.
In the flyweight category, MMA World Heavyweight Championship contender Danny Kingad emerged victorious from his grueling fight once morest impressively victorious Iku Roni Saputra.
Kingad’s advantage in the three rounds eventually gave him the unanimous decision win. A victory that improved him, ranked third in his class, with a record of 15-3, and also stopped Saputra’s streak of seven consecutive victories.
Langacker and Kelly win a submission wrestling match
With a perfect 2-0 record, Tommy Langacker will have the opportunity to compete with ONE World Welterweight Champion Kaede Rotolo.
On Saturday, Langacker defeated four-time world sambo champion and world title contender Wally Korzhev.
From 2:58 into the 10-minute one-round fight, the Norwegian jiu-jitsu champion settled the fight in his favor with a “heel lock” submission that earned him a deserved win and a $50,000 reward.
In women’s wrestling, Danielle Kelly improved her submission record to 21-7-1 and called out her old enemy, Jessa Khan.
Kelly’s second successive victory in the world’s largest martial arts organization was not easy. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu star struggled once morest Japan’s Ayaka Miura in an unrestricted 53.9kg bout before achieving a unanimous decision victory.
First win for Albanian Shaka in light heavyweight kickboxing
A split decision settled the fight in kickboxing for the light-heavy weight category, in favor of Albanian Francisco Xhaka at the expense of Romanian Andre Stoica.
For three rounds, the two giants exchanged heavy blows, and following the end, two referees awarded the victory to Shaka, who proved to martial arts fans around the world his value following suffering a loss in his first match in the “One” championship.
At bantamweight, Symabic Vertex emerged victorious by unanimous decision in his fight once morest China’s Zhang Xinglong.
Symabetek, who holds the professional record (125 -18-1), produced good levels thanks to his perfect punches and his quick dribbling movement.
The 25-year-old Chinese tried to target his opponent with punches from close range and rotating blows, but the experience of the 28-year-old Thai stood in the way of him achieving his goal.
