ONE Championship returned to Bangkok, Thailand, for ONE Fight Night 9: Nong-O vs. Haggerty, and the main card delivered eight thrilling matchups across Muay Thai and MMA.
The event — which aired live on Prime Video from Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Friday, April 21 — saw a plethora of surging stars further their causes under the ONE banner.
Here’s what went down at the iconic stadium before Jonathan “The General” Haggerty dethroned Thai legend Nong-O Hama for the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship in the main event.
Undefeated Amir Remains Immaculate Against Tough Abevi
In a co-main event clash between two exciting lightweight mixed martial artists, fourth-ranked contender Halil Amir showed great resolve to survive Maurice Abevi and take home the unanimous decision victory.
Amir’s striking was on point as he dropped the debuting Swiss athlete twice in the first round. However, he was certainly tested when Abevi displayed amazing durability to match.
Abevi continued to push forward in the second, relying on his takedowns and grappling. He even came close to a finish with a calf-slicer near the end of the second round. However, Amir managed to tough it out.
Amir’s grappling proved to be the difference, though. In the final stretch, he took Abevi’s back before applying a Suloev stretch. While Abevi escaped the painful hold, Amir stayed busy, ending the match on the Swiss’ back as he looked for another finish.
That late surge was enough to convince all three judges to award the victory to Amir, as he stayed unbeaten and improved to 9-0.
Masunyane Shines In Decision Win Over Minowa
Second-ranked strawweight Bokang Masunyane took another big step toward a World Title opportunity after out-wrestling #3-ranked contender Hiroba Minowa.
The early stages of the bout were marred by a pair of accidental low blows from “Little Giant,” as Minowa required time to recover.
Each time the action resumed, Masunyane went back to work with relentless takedowns. Minowa remained a threat from the bottom but, ultimately, he was unable to deny the Commonwealth Games Wrestling Bronze Medalist.
With the unanimous decision victory, South Africa’s Masunyane improved his professional MMA record to 9-1.
Lobo Rallies Back With Stunning KO Of Saemapetch
Felipe “Demolition Man” Lobo secured the biggest win of his career in a come-from-behind knockout victory over #1-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai star Saemapetch Fairtex in an unforgettable war.
The Brazilian struggled early, suffering a knockdown in the second frame thanks to a thunderous left hook from Saemapetch. In the final frame, though, “Demolition Man” snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
Lobo’s massive right punch put Saemapetch on wobbly legs. Then, he followed with a flurry of ferocious strikes to bring an end to the electrifying encounter at 1:56 of round three.
The 30-year-old improved his striking record to 22-8 and, to make matters sweeter, earned a US$50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
Zamboanga Cruises To Unanimous Decision Victory Over Mezabarba
Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga held down her #3 spot in the atomweight rankings after a convincing unanimous decision win against Julie Mezabarba.
Zamboanga dominated the Brazilian in all facets of their three-round MMA bout. However, the Filipina truly shined in the striking department.
From overhands to hooks, the 26-year-old used her right punch to perfection. In fact, she flustered Mezabarba each time they exchanged blows. And, when Mezabarba changed levels and went for takedowns, the T-Rex MMA representative defended and controlled her opponent in the clinch.
After 15 minutes of action, Zamboanga got the nod from all three judges, secured her second straight victory, and improved to her MMA record to 10-2.
Fitikefu Scores Flashy First-Round Submission Of Da Silva
Isi “Doxz” Fitikefu is known for his thunderous knockout power, but this time the BJJ black belt showed his ground skills by submitting dangerous Brazilian Valmir “Junior” Da Silva.
“Doxz” hit an early takedown in the opening round of their welterweight MMA showdown, and Da Silva had to work hard on the bottom to prevent Fitikefu from advancing his position.
Nestled in the corner of the ring, the Tongan-Australian star freed his arms and used a kimura to step over Da Silva and take his back. From there, the 30-year-old sank in a fight-ending rear-naked choke at 4:15 of round one.
With the victory, Fitikefu bumped his MMA record to 8-1 and took home a US$50,000 performance bonus.
Meng Defeats Cardoso In Three-Round MMA Thriller
Surging Chinese standout Meng Bo left it all in the ring to pick up a unanimous decision victory over Dayane “Day Monster” Cardoso in their strawweight MMA bout.
The 27-year-old from Changsha displayed excellent boxing over the course of three action-packed rounds, landing her punishing right hand early and often.
A well-rounded fighter, Meng also found success on the ground when the fight hit the canvas, as she was able to secure top position to punctuate the later frames.
With the victory, the strawweight contender improved her MMA record to an impressive 21-6.
Ten Pow Survives Early Scare, TKOs Han In Round Three
Asa “The American Ninja” Ten Pow scored his first promotional win with a thrilling finish of former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title challenger Han Zi Hao.
The pair traded leather for the first three minutes of their 149.5-pound catchweight Muay Thai tussle. Then, a hard left hook sent “The American Ninja” to the canvas in round two. Ten Pow, however, answered the call and began unloading power shots onto Han.
Ten Pow’s aggression continued into round three, and a right hand from him wobbled the Chinese veteran. The American swarmed his wounded foe with punches, forcing the referee to wave off the contest just 52 seconds into the frame.
With the victory, the 33-year-old improved his overall striking record to 13-2. He even hinted at a run in MMA in his post-fight interview with Mitch Chilson.
Sangiao Dominates Farinelli With First-Round Submission
In ONE Fight Night 9’s curtain raiser, Jhanlo Mark “The Machine” Sangiao scored his sixth straight finish after an impressive first-round kneebar of Matias “El Rasta” Farinelli.
The 20-year-old started the 149.75-pound catchweight MMA bout by tagging Farinelli with leg kicks and boxing combinations. This forced the Argentinian to shoot for a takedown. However, Sangiao defended and attacked Farinelli’s leg with a kneebar.
“El Rasta” tried to take the Filipino’s back, but that gave Sangiao a chance to further sink in the submission. With that, Sangiao got the tap at the 58-second mark of round one.
The victory pushed the young Team Lakay stud’s MMA record to 6-0 and earned him a second straight US$50,000 performance bonus.
