We recap the entire undercard from an exciting night of action in U.S. primetime.
On October 4 in U.S. primetime, the world’s largest martial arts organization returned for an action-packed fight card loaded with intriguing matchups.
Headlined by a hotly anticipated ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Title rematch, ONE Fight Night 25: Nicolas vs. Eersel II on Prime Video also featured seven thrilling MMA and Muay Thai battles.
Here’s how everything on the ONE Fight Night 25 supporting card went down at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
In lightweight Muay Thai action, promotional newcomer Youssef Assouik ventured into enemy territory to score a unanimous decision victory over Thai hero Sinsamut “Aquaman” Klinmee.
Tall, long, and lanky for the weight class, the Danish-Moroccan striker employed a high-volume, fast-paced attack over the course of three closely contested rounds.
Assouik found success through the opening two frames with a dynamic and aggressive kicking game, while Sinsamut roared back in the final round with relentless pressure.
Ultimately, the judges awarded Assouik the win on the strength of his early work, improving his career slate to 28-3 overall.
More importantly, the 29-year-old shined against a former two-time ONE World Title challenger to announce himself as a legitimate threat in the division.
Brazilian superstar John “Hands of Stone” Lineker continued his ascent in a new sport by stopping Alexey Balyko in the first round of their bantamweight Muay Thai clash.
The former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion’s left hand was money all night long, as he dropped Balyko twice with the same weapon the Russian is known for.
But the first two knockdowns were just a precursor to the finish, as another left rocked Balyko before Lineker wrapped up the fight with a right body shot and an overhand left to get the KO after just 2:14 of action.
The dominant victory moved “Hands of Stone” to 2-0 in “the art of eight limbs.” Full of confidence, the 34-year-old then called out longtime ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon for a potential super-fight.
In a matchup of top-five strawweight MMA contenders, #5-ranked Mansur Malachiev toppled #2-ranked Bokang “Little Giant” Masunyane to continue his climb up the talent-laden division.
Malachiev was forced to overcome early pressure as Masunyane pummeled him with punch and kick combinations. But as the fight wore on, the Russian came to life.
The 32-year-old from Universal Fighters began to fire back with devastating attacks and even dragged Masunyane to the canvas. From there, he hunted for submissions and ground down the South African until the final bell tolled.
When the dust settled on the all-important fight, Malachiev got the judges’ nod, moved his MMA record to 13-1, and may have tossed his name into the hat of contenders eyeing a World Title shot.
Colombian phenom Johan “Panda Kick” Estupinan produced an epic and unforgettable performance in his flyweight Muay Thai showdown with heavy-handed Moroccan Zakaria El Jamari.
The fighters traded blows at a frantic pace from the opening bell, as Estupinan found success with his trademark blitzing attacks, massive punches, and high-flying kicks. For his part, El Jamari wobbled the Colombian with a number of sharp counter-punches while maintaining his composure in the heat of battle.
The brawl continued until 1:07 of the second round when “Panda Kick” found the fight-ending shot, sending his foe to the canvas with a vicious left – followed by a wild celebration – that brought the raucous Bangkok crowd to its feet.
The knockout victory pushed the 22-year-old’s career record to an impeccable 26-0, extended his ONE slate to 4-0, and earned him a second straight US$50,000 performance bonus.
Israeli rising star Shir Cohen earned the biggest win of her career and snapped Amy Pirnie’s 22-fight winning streak with a stunning unanimous decision win in their 119.25-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout.
It was the decorated Scottish superstar who established herself early in the fight, landing push kicks and leg kicks to frustrate Cohen.
Cohen, however, turned things around in the second. The 23-year-old landed a plethora of boxing combinations, with her left hand finding a home in Pirnie’s face, creating a welt on the 31-year-old’s right eye as the fight went on.
The Fairtex Training Center representative kept the combinations going in the third, and with Pirnie seemingly out of answers, Cohen took a comfortable decision win, improving to 3-0 in ONE Championship and 10-1 overall.
Rui Botelho scored the 21st victory of his career after dragging Thongpoon PK Saenchai through nine minutes of blistering strawweight Muay Thai action.
Both fighters attacked hard and fast when the first bell sounded, and from there on out, referee Olivier Coste had trouble peeling the men apart.
On the outside, the Thai sensation suffocated Botelho with wild punches, but once they entered the pocket, the pride of Portugal slammed elbows, knees, and hooks into the face and body of his foe.
One-upping Thongpoon in almost every exchange, the 29-year-old from Dinamite Team kept himself ahead on the scorecards to snag the unanimous decision and run away with his second straight win.
The card kicked off with a 136.25-pound catchweight MMA tilt between Thai-Australian fan favorite “Mini T” Danial Williams and Chinese sensation “The Prince” Banma Duoji.
Both athletes spent most of the three-round contest trading crispy strikes on the feet. Fighting out of the southpaw stance, Banma found moments of success with his hammering straight left hand, but it was “Mini T” who did the most punishing work.
Williams leaned heavily on big kicks and punches to the body, nearly dropping his foe to the canvas in both the second and third rounds. In the end, it was the 31-year-old’s quality bodywork coupled with his excellent takedown defense that secured a unanimous decision victory.
With the win over a talented fighter in Banma, the former ONE World Title challenger snapped his recent losing skid and appeared in top form.