In what’s been named the disruptor event of the year, ONE Fight Night 12 on Prime Video: Superlek vs. Khalilov revealed plenty about the future of some of ONE Championship’s most stacked divisions.
Across the eight bouts leading up to the event’s headliner, new ONE World Title contenders emerged, rising stars showcased their potential, and all but two contests ended with early finishes.
Here’s a recap of what went down this past Friday, July 14, at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Tonon Taps Out Gasanov In Second Round
The co-main event saw #2-ranked featherweight MMA contender Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon and undefeated #5-contender Shamil “The Cobra” Gasanov lock horns in a battle between two of the division’s most skilled grapplers.
Both men saw moments of success in the first frame and looked for positional advantages on the canvas, although Gasanov landed a series of heavy knee strikes that rattled the American.
They returned to grapple more in the second frame. And from there, Tonon did what he does best, latching onto the Russian’s leg to secure a knee-snapping kneebar at 2:26 into the round.
The submission finish netted the BJJ legend a US$50,000 performance bonus, improved his MMA record to 8-1, and might have earned him another crack at the ONE Featherweight World Title.
Aliakbari Crushes Joynson In Opening Frame
Iranian superstar Amir Aliakbari made short work of Canada’s Dustin Joynson in their heavyweight MMA contest.
The former Greco-Roman Wrestling World Champion took Joynson to the mat early in the opening frame, quickly securing his signature crucifix position.
Joynson then tapped after just 1:48 of action, unable to escape as the 35-year-old rained down punches and elbows.
Aliakbari’s finish earned him a US$50,000 performance bonus and bumped his MMA record to 13-3.
He then quickly turned his attention toward a potential rematch with ONE Heavyweight World Champion Anatoly Malykhin who stormed the ring to confront him post-fight.
Wakamatsu Rebounds With First-Round TKO Of Xie
Former ONE Flyweight MMA World Title challenger Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu bounced back from a two-fight losing skid while possibly re-inserting himself into the division’s top-five rankings.
The Japanese star scored a TKO of #5-ranked flyweight contender “The Hunter” Xie Wei in just over two minutes of their 135.5-pound catchweight MMA affair.
The Japan-versus-China clash began with both fighters locking horns in the clinch – but it wasn’t long before “Little Piranha” dragged his foe down.
From there, he gained side control and began dropping elbows onto Xie’s forehead. The Chinese athlete squiggled and squirmed under the pressure of the attacks and even managed to post up. However, Wakamatsu shoulder-bumped Xie back to the canvas and finished him off with a series of ground-and-pound strikes.
The victory came at the 2:02 mark of round one and improved his professional MMA record to 16-6.
Abdullaev Starches Canarte In Under One Minute
Unbeaten Kyrgyzstani sensation Akbar Abdullaev hardly broke a sweat in his featherweight MMA showdown with undefeated promotional newcomer Aaron Canarte.
“Bakal” went right to work from the opening bell, pursuing his Ecuadorian foe around the ring with ferocious strikes, landing a rib-crunching spinning back kick followed by thunderous, concussive punches to bring an end to the bout after just 41 seconds.
With the dominant win, the 25-year-old knockout artist improved his pristine record to 10-0, picked up his ninth career finish, and earned a US$50,000 performance bonus.
Phetjeeja Blows Away Fernandez In Record-Breaking 26 Seconds
Rising star Phetjeeja has sent a resounding message to the atomweight Muay Thai division with a 26-second demolition of former World Title challenger Lara Fernandez.
“The Queen” quickly showed off her elite boxing pedigree when a hard right hand wobbled Fernandez in the opening seconds.
From there it was all academic, as the 21-year phenom swarmed with a volley of punches on her stricken foe. The fight was quickly waved off, improving the Thai sensation’s professional record to an incredible 205-12 and handing her the fastest finish by a woman in ONE Championship history.
The crushing victory earned Phetjeeja a US$50,000 performance bonus. She’s now 3-0 in ONE Championship following two thrilling knockouts at the ONE Friday Fights event series, which earned her a six-figure contract with the organization.
And in the ring post-fight, Phetjeeja called for a showdown with reigning ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues.
Banma Outpaces Goncalves In Three-Round MMA Thriller
“The Prince” Banma Duoji showed that a little maturity goes a long way.
After a rocky start in ONE two years ago, the 26-year-old returned to the promotion as a new man, defeating Walter Goncalves by unanimous decision in a 135.75-pound catchweight MMA bout.
The Chinese standout stayed aggressive no matter where the 15-minute foray played out.
On the feet, he stung the Muay Thai veteran with dizzying punching combinations, but it was on the ground where “The Prince” did his best work. He controlled the MMA debutant from the top, rained down powerful ground-and-pound, and never gave his foe a second to breathe.
With the bounce-back win, Banma moved his MMA record to 15-2.
Tammi Musumeci Scores High-Paced Decision Over Alequin
Elite BJJ black belts Tammi Musumeci and Amanda “Tubby” Alequin traded positions and submission attempts at a furious pace for 10 minutes in their women’s strawweight submission grappling battle.
For the majority of the match, Musumeci looked to take her foe’s back using both the leg drag and her trademark berimbolo. Alequin, in return, attempted to counter those back-takes with a variety of leg locks.
Ultimately, Musumeci was able to achieve the most dominant positions, ending the bout on the Ecuadorian-American’s back.
That constant aggression and positional success earned her the victory, improving the multiple-time BJJ World Champion’s career record to 77-20.
Shumarov Knocks Out Rusu With Third-Round Stunner
Bogdan Shumarov overturned a significant deficit to open ONE Fight Night 12 with a bang.
The Bulgarian striker was under fire throughout the opening two rounds of his lightweight kickboxing clash, as Constantin Rusu pushed an extraordinary pace with a relentless barrage of kicks to the body.
The manic volume continued in the final frame, but it was Shumarov who found the opening he’d been looking for. As Rusu hunted for a right hand, the 26-year-old caught him with a head kick that sent him crashing to the canvas.
The Moldovan rose to his feet but was still on wobbly legs, forcing the referee to call off the contest at 1:33 for the TKO.
Shumarov improved his ONE record to 2-0 with the shocking knockout and was rewarded with another US$50,000 performance bonus for his efforts.
