ONE Championship’s weekly Asia primetime event series continued in style on June 30 with ONE Friday Fights 23 at the celebrated Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The latest edition featured sensational debuts, stunning comebacks, powerful finishes, and the usual dose of hard-hitting action from bell to bell.
After 12 more exciting MMA, kickboxing, and Muay Thai bouts, we recap all the moments that left fans in attendance and those watching around the world thirsting for more.
Kongklai Dominates Paedsanlek For Destructive Second-Round KO
With his punches, elbows, knees, and sheer aggression, Kongklai Annymuaythai finally emerged in ONE Championship as the revered fighter he is known as.
After dropping two losses to dangerous knee striker Superball TDed99 over the past few months, the 24-year-old earned a much-needed win over Thai compatriot Paedsanlek PK Saenchai in Friday’s 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai main event.
Round one came and went without a glitch, but in the second, the AnnyMuaythai representative scored two eight-counts on Paedsanlek, courtesy of his punches.
The PK Saenchai man answered both counts, but he eventually fell at the 2:19 mark when Kongklai drove three brutal knees into his head.
With the impressive victory, Kongklai bumped his all-striking record to 76-17-5.
Beckham’s Precise Counter-Striking Overwhelms Petrov
Beckham Bigwinchampiongym left a great first impression on ONE fans in his debut, battering Anton Petrov for a unanimous decision victory in their 160-pound catchweight Muay Thai affair.
Petrov threw with evil intentions right off the bat, catching one of Beckham’s body kicks and responding with haymakers to the head and body.
Despite being on the receiving end of hard shots, Beckham stayed calm and composed, finding his rhythm from the outside with precise teep kicks.
The ultra-aggressive Petrov stayed in his face, but the 27-year-old kept him at bay with chopping elbows each time they got too close for comfort.
Beckham unleashed his feared kicking game in round two, opening a cut above the Bulgarian’s left eye with a beautiful roundhouse. The Japanese-Thai’s elite counter-striking then blew the fight wide open in round three, as he kept tagging the 31-year-old in their exchanges.
Beckham, who trains out of Banchamek Gym, took home the convincing decision and improved his professional record to 57-18-1.
Irvine Stops Pettong In Second-Round Stunner
After the monumental victory of his Deachkalek Muay Thai Academy teammate Nico Carrillo at ONE Friday Fights 22 last week, Stephen Irvine followed suit with a sensational second-round knockout of Pettong Kiatsongrit in their strawweight Muay Thai encounter.
The duo put the pedal to the metal from the first bell, with Pettong landing heavy strikes early on.
The Thai striker wasn’t ahead for long, though, as “El Matador” would drop him with a Superman punch before stinging him twice more in quick succession to earn the stoppage at 2:36 of round two.
The Scottish striker opened his ONE account successfully while moving to 24-3 overall.
Petlampun Coasts To Victory With Muay Thai Masterclass
Petlampun Muadablampang scored his third consecutive win at ONE Friday Fights, this time besting Patakake Sinbimuaythai after three rounds of 128-pound catchweight Muay Thai action.
The 26-year-old controlled much of the matchup, racking up damage with his dangerous elbows. He also appeared to seal the deal early after staggering his Thai compatriot with a crisp right punch.
Never once was the Bumrungsit standout ever in danger, and the judges rewarded him with the clear-cut unanimous decision.
The win nudged Petlampun’s overall striking slate to 83-18-2.
Numsurin Outduels Chokdee In Three-Round Thriller
After splitting their first two encounters, Thai wrecking machines Chokdee Maxjandee and Numsurin Chor Ketwina left it all on the line in their 116-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest. In the end, it was Numsurin who won the grudge match after three rounds of absolute mayhem.
The 27-year-old got the ball rolling early with his forward pressure, cornering Chokdee near the ring ropes and unleashing a torrent of wicked strikes.
Chokdee turned the tide in the second round, getting the better of the clinch with short punches and slicing elbows.
With neither fighter giving an inch heading into the final stanza, Numsurin proved he wanted it more. The Tdet99 Gym standout threw everything but the kitchen sink and finished the fight strong, earning the unanimous decision nod and improving his overall slate to 102-19.
Songchainoi Battles Back To Shock Mungkorn With Flying Knee
Thai strikers Songchainoi Kiatsongrit and Mungkorn Boomdeksean went to war in 119.2-pound catchweight Muay Thai action. And despite being behind on the scorecards late, Songchainoi landed the fatal blow in the final frame.
Mungkorn found success early on, but the dynamic of the bout shifted when he dropped his foe with a left elbow in the second round, opening the floodgates for a slugfest.
The moment proved to be a pivotal point in the clash, as Songchainoi showcased his intestinal fortitude to rally back and knock out Mungkorn with an epic flying knee at 1:52 of the third round.
The highlight-reel win saw the 22-year-old move to 2-0 in ONE and 52-18-2 in his career.
Kompet Triumphant In ONE Kickboxing Debut
Kompet Fairtex may have dropped his last Friday Fights outing to now-ONE Interim Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Prajanchai PK Saenchai, but he put himself back on track with an impressive victory at Lumpinee Stadium – albeit in a new sport.
The 23-year-old battled Huo Xiaolong for three hard rounds of strawweight kickboxing action to capture the unanimous decision and inch his way closer to a coveted six-figure contract on ONE’s global stage.
Fairtex Gym’s latest rising star punished Huo with punches, right kicks, and knees throughout the nine-minute affair and never once let off the gas. His Chinese rival tried to rally back toward the end, but Kompet held a wide enough lead on the scorecards to get all the nods.
With his win, the Thai striker improved his overall record to 84-19-3.
Vitez Spoils Daz’s Unbeaten Record In Back-And-Forth War
Romania’s Silviu Vitez stopped the River Daz hype train in its tracks with a sensational performance in their 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai clash.
After dropping his first two bouts under the ONE banner, the 29-year-old striker came out of the gates hot and found a home for his looping hooks early and often.
“Hitman” kept his frenetic pace in rounds two and three, overwhelming the Australian phenom with sharp combinations and well-timed counters.
The judges awarded Vitez the hard-fought unanimous decision victory – improving his record to 46-9-3 overall – while the highly touted Daz suffered his first career defeat in 34 professional bouts.
Skvortsov Surpasses Hita In Three-Round Affair
Alexandr Skvortsov opened his ONE Championship tenure in fantastic fashion, dispatching Spaniard Jose Manuel Hita by majority decision in featherweight Muay Thai action.
The 26-year-old showcased his striking power throughout the contest, stunning Hita multiple times while managing to endure the latter’s striking barrages in return.
Ultimately, the judges decided the Russian had done enough to earn the victory, giving him 31 wins in his professional career.
Yu Ransacks Ruumet To Stay Perfect In ONE
It’s clear that atomweight standout Yu Yau Pui not only has star power – she has the power to extinguish stars.
After finishing two highly skilled Muay Thai fighters in her first two outings at ONE Friday Fights, the 30-year-old turned her attention to promotional veteran Marie “Snow Leopard” Ruumet.
Once the bell sounded, the Hong Kong resident sprinted at Ruumet and dumped bucketloads of punches over her head. However, it was a single body shot that forced Ruumet to take a knee and ride out an eight-count.
For the rest of the contest, the KF 1 representative kept the pressure on her Estonian opponent and blasted her with punches from every direction. After three rounds, the judges’ unanimous decision in favor of Yu was a mere formality.
With the win, the 30-year-old pushed her overall professional record to 25-2-3.
Phillips Smashes Moradian In Less Than A Round
Lawrence Phillips did not mess around in his second appearance inside the hallowed grounds of Lumpinee Stadium, needing less than a round to annihilate ONE debutant Dalir Moradian in their heavyweight MMA encounter.
The unbeaten American immediately took the fight to the ground, ducking a right high kick from the “Kurdish Warrior” and countering with a beautiful double-leg takedown.
From there, Phillips transitioned to the crucifix position and smothered Moradian with punishing ground-and-pound. The referee had seen enough and put an end to the beating at the 3:47 mark of round one, awarding the TKO.
It was another dominant win for the 29-year-old, who scored an 18-second KO in his ONE debut earlier this year.
Oorzhak Stuns Hamidov With Head Kick To Earn TKO
Chayan Oorzhak arrived in ONE looking to make a statement, and he set the tone for the evening with a first-round TKO of Avliyohon Hamidov in bantamweight mixed martial arts.
It was a true striker-versus-grappler battle, as Hamidov tried to keep the action on the ground in the early going.
However, Oorzhak responded to the wrestling predicaments in fine form. And once they returned to their feet, the Mongolian-Russian landed a head kick that dropped his foe, before following up with body blows until the referee called off the action after 3:18 of round one.
With his debut win, the 31-year-old got his promotional tenure off to a great start and moved to 6-2 overall.
