ONE Championship returned to Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, December 1, and offered up another evening of scintillating action to its global fanbase.
ONE Friday Fights 43 featured 12 fights of MMA and Muay Thai inside the famed ring, and each athlete gave everything they had in the hopes of scoring a highly sought-after US$100,000 contract with the world’s largest martial arts organization.
In case you missed any of the thrilling finishes or full-rounded affairs, here’s what went down live in Asia primetime inside the Mecca of Muay Thai.
Pettonglor Improves To 3-0 In ONE With Tight Win Over Kongsuk
In the main event of the evening, two muay femur stylists lit up Lumpinee.
Pettonglor Sitluangpeenumfon and Kongsuk Fairtex faced off in flyweight Muay Thai action, and they looked like mirror images of each other from the start of the bout.
On the outside, both Thais blasted one another with kicks and punches. And when the fight entered the pocket, they threw dangerous elbows and knees to keep the crowd on the edge of their seats.
This furious pace was kept up across all three rounds. But when the dust settled, 23-year-old Pettonglor got the split-decision victory.
With his third straight win in ONE Friday Fights, the An Sukhumvit standout nudged his slate to 53-21.
Kongthoranee Nails Aminpour With Left Elbow To Score KO Win
Kongthoranee Sor Sommai made it five in a row at ONE Friday Fights with an impressive performance and third-round finish against “Lord” Parsa Aminpour in their flyweight Muay Thai clash.
The two-time Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai World Champion countered Aminpour’s aggression with his thudding straight left to drop his rival in the opening frame.
The Iranian was never out of the contest, however. He marched forward to land punches, kicks, and knees in round two, but Kongthoranee nailed him with his counter-punching once again.
In a rare clinch in the final stanza, the Sor Sommai man created just enough space to crack Aminpour in the chin with a left elbow.
The strike separated “Lord” from his senses at the 1:07 mark, and Kongthoranee pushed his record to 66-15-1 as a result.
Sibsan Triumphs Again In Three-Round Barnburner With Kazimba
Sibsan Nokkhao KorMor11 knew he had his hands full in his 139-pound catchweight Muay Thai meeting with Award Kazimba, but he fought fire with fire to find his fourth win in a row in ONE Friday Fights.
The 29-year-old endured wild strikes from Kazimba across all nine minutes, but he waited for the energetic attacks from his Ugandan foe to fade in the first round before firing back.
As the fight progressed into the later stages, more of the same was on offer. This time, Sibsan decided to take his chances against “The African Venom,” and he stepped in to thwart his attacks while reading the pressure well.
The Thai star’s patience paid dividends in the end, as he took home the unanimous decision win and moved his slate to 64-18-2 overall.
Chokdee Ends Two-Fight Skid With Second-Round KO Of Qadir
Chokdee Maxjandee spoke about his improved boxing before he entered Lumpinee Stadium, and it was on show when he brought the fight to Yousif Qadir en route to a dominant finish in their atomweight Muay Thai matchup.
The 26-year-old stood in front of his foe, dodged his shots, and made him pay for throwing them in the first round, resulting in the Iraqi striker being sent to the canvas twice before the bell.
Not one to let his handiwork go to waste, Chokdee continued to play the role of counter-striker in the second frame before a right hand caught Qadir flush and put him down for good at the 0:48 mark.
The Thai scored his third win in ONE and moved to 54-17-5 with the impressive KO victory.
Jomjai Steals Victory In Three-Round Thriller With Kaoklai
Jomjai Naksugym scored a unanimous decision win over Kaoklai Chor Hapayak in his ONE debut, but it didn’t come easy.
For all three rounds of the 124-pound catchweight Muay Thai meeting, the 23-year-old went toe-to-toe with his Thai compatriot, resulting in a blistering battle.
Neither man took a step back as they continuously searched for the knockout. But over the course of the nine-minute affair, Jomjai did enough to get the nod from all three judges when the action came to an end.
With that, the Captain Kane Gym fighter improved his striking record to 81-20.
Petnamkhong Comes Off Canvas To Knock Out BM In Round Three
Petnamkhong Mongkolpet and BM Fairtex delivered a spectacular showcase of heart and courage in their 122-pound catchweight Muay Thai encounter.
The first round of action was entertaining enough, but the match really came alive when the pair went shot for shot at the start of round two.
Petnamkhong struck first when he knocked his Thai foe down with a left elbow. BM then roared back by flattening the Laotian with a left straight. But Petnamkhong survived the ensuing onslaught and dropped the Fairtex athlete again on the bell.
The Mongkolpet Gym athlete kept up the intensity in round three. First, he forced a standing eight-count with a flurry of punches, and he then sealed the deal with a blistering uppercut to score the KO win at 1:45 and extended his record to 40-5-1.
Ortikov Terminates Chatanan With First-Round Head Kick
Following two consecutive victories at ONE Friday Fights, Muay Thai prodigy Aslamjon Ortikov wasted no time in claiming his third win against Chatanan Sor Jor Joyprajin – and he did it in style.
The Uzbek brawler stalked Chatanan from the opening bell of the 129-pound catchweight Muay Thai affair and connected with better strikes.
As the hits landed clean, and his confidence grew, Ortikov knew he was on a heater, and he brought Chatanan’s two-fight winning streak to an end with a left high kick at 2:33 of round one.
The 20-year-old moved to a braggadocious 17-0 with the win and 3-0 in ONE.
Al Tekreeti Finishes Chanajon With Second-Round KO
Mustafa Al Tekreeti returned to ONE with a vengeance after suffering a loss in his promotional debut.
The Team Mehdi Zatout standout met Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai World Champion Chanajon PK Saenchai in lightweight Muay Thai action on Friday’s card, and he didn’t disappoint.
He eased into the clash with his much more experienced opponent in the first round. But once the gears got moving, Al Tekreeti’s force couldn’t be stopped.
The 27-year-old striker entered the second round like a man possessed, lighting up Chanajon with punch combinations. He wanted something big, though, so he dropped his right hand into his pocket and sent his fist careening into the PK Saenchai Muaythaigym fighter’s face.
Chanajon was lifted off the canvas and sent crashing back down when it connected. And though he returned to his feet, it was clear the fight was over.
The referee waved off the action at 1:43 of the second frame, and Al Tekreeti’s all-striking record moved to 23-8 with the KO win.
Rambong’s Pressure Earns Decision Win Over Tough Jiduo
Rambong Sor Therapat‘s relentless aggression was the key to victory in his 126-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle with “The Eagle of Yi” Jiduo Yibu.
The LookSuan MuayThai Camp athlete went after Jiduo from the opening bell, looking to land his straight left and left high kick.
Despite having a reach advantage, “The Eagle of Yi” obliged in the toe-to-toe exchanges, but he struggled to connect as much as his Thai rival throughout the first two rounds.
Jiduo found a home for some looping punches to the body and head in round three, but Rambong’s strikes landed harder and more frequently, and he earned the unanimous decision victory and his third straight win at ONE Friday Fights as a result.
Sat Scores TKO Win Over Alvarez In Two-Round War
It was clear from the outset that Nachyn Sat and Carlos Alvarez’s featherweight MMA battle wasn’t going to see the final bell, and that became a reality when Sat scored a perfect TKO in the second round.
The Mongolian-Russian debutant rocked Alvarez with an uppercut in the first round, but the Team Lakay standout wasn’t going out like that, and he returned the favor minutes later via a right hand.
The second round saw Sat in deep waters as Alvarez snuck in two rear-naked chokes under his chin. But “Samurai” stayed patient and escaped the threatening positions to return to his feet and take control with his striking.
With 30 seconds left in the frame, Sat’s punching power proved too much for Alvarez, and the referee waved off the action at the 4:27 mark to hand the 25-year-old his fifth career win.
Honda Debuts With Dominant Win Over Bangguigui
ONE Championship debutant Ryosuke Honda dipped his hand into his pouch and pulled out not one, not two, but a whole variety of tools to hammer home a unanimous decision win over Dave “Kintas” Bangguigui.
Their strawweight MMA battle began as many do, with both men standing and trading heavy and fast blows. But a high kick from Honda in the early moments of the fight left Bangguigui damaged.
By the midway point of the fifteen-minute foray, Honda began to outbox his foe, leaving little space for his Filipino foe to occupy the ring.
Bangguigui tried to out-wrestle and out-maneuver the Japanese star, but Honda was there with punches, kicks, and a late takedown to seal the victory.
With that, the 32-year-old from Tiger Muay Thai moved his MMA record to 12-3-1.
Mesquita Wins Grappling Exchanges To Defeat Kurmanbekova
Faine Mesquita‘s slick grappling helped her to victory in a tough three-round strawweight MMA battle against Baktygul Kurmanbekova.
The 35-year-old Australian had to fend off some leg lock attempts from Kurmanbekova in the first two rounds, but she kept her composure to escape and dominate with ground-and-pound from top position and attacks to her rival’s back.
The Kyrgyz athlete looked to flip the script with her own takedown and top control in round three, but it wasn’t enough to undo Mesquita’s early work, and she took the nod via unanimous decision to earn an impressive debut win.
