ONE Championship ONE Championship The world’s largest martial arts organization returned to U.S. primetime on March 7 with another thrilling fight card featuring the full spectrum of combat sports.
ONE Fight Night 29: Rodrigues vs. McManamon on Prime Video went down at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, with 11 matchups that showcased elite competitors in MMA, Muay Thai, and submission grappling.
Here, we recap the entire supporting card that played out ahead of the ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Title main event.
Rambolek Destroys Gheirati With Four KnockdownsRambolek Chor Ajalaboon was firing on all cylinders in his bantamweight Muay Thai tilt with fellow 21-year-old phenom Parham Gheirati.
Rambolek’s crispy counter-striking was a sight to behold, as he was able to consistently draw his foe into punching range, only to fire off a punishing right hand.
The Thai sat Gheirati down to the canvas twice in the first round with beautiful straight right hands. He would do the same in the second, again finding a home for that show-stopping right hand to score two more big knockdowns.
The fight came to an end 1:15 into the second round after four consecutive knockdowns. The dominant TKO victory pushed Rambolek’s career record to an impressive 65-14 and earned him a US$50,000 performance bonus.
Kovtun Outguns Soe Lin Oo To Take Second Straight WinRussian upstart Dmitrii “The Silent Assassin” Kovtun stayed composed amid the storm that was “Man of Steel” Soe Lin Oo and took the biggest win of his career with a clear-cut unanimous decision win in their bantamweight Muay Thai bout.
Early on, Kovtun kept the lethwei legend at bay with his jab, a stinging left hand, and some well-placed body kicks as his adversary tried to battle inside the pocket.
Soe Lin Oo continued to bring the heat in the second round, but Kovtun was savvy with his movements, landing one-two combinations each time his foe overcommitted while also connecting with punches and knees to the body.
In the third frame, the Myanmar fan favorite once again continued the aggression and walked down Kovtun, knowing he was down on the scorecards. But while he got what he wanted near the end – as the strikers brawled in the corner – Kovtun emerged unscathed as the final bell sounded.
After three rounds, “The Silent Assassin” took the exciting decision win and moved to 3-1 in ONE Championship.
Erdogan Ends Galvao In 41 SecondsUndefeated colossus Shamil Erdogan scored his second highlight-reel victory in two months – and this time, he did it in the light heavyweight MMA division.
The 34-year-old moved to 12-0 and kept his 100 percent finishing rate intact after stopping Gilberto Galvao via TKO at the 0:41 mark of round one.
His mother (Janaki) is saddled with debt to the trader. There’s an advance she took to keep the family afloat, after her husband, a card-carrying communist,was found dead. To get themselves unbound, the family of three have no choice but to lug. All the escape-eyeing Sivanaindhan wants is to attend school and stick to homework. Education may enable a job but how far can it cut into historical lack of access to a life of dignity? The bleak emphasis strays to how cooped up the villagers are in misery and neglect. Their chief livelihood springs from lugging the plantain combs from the fields to the lorry. Generations slip by yet there’s little difference in their social status. Protests of the villagers for a one-rupee wage hike naturally comes at a price. The one steady thing through decades of inherited labour is public humiliation at the slimmest reluctance.
The Turkish star stitched together his finishing sequence after Galvao shot for a takedown. Erdogan stepped back and hit the Brazilian veteran with a knee to the head. From there, he circled around and took Galvao’s back, where he unloaded heavy ground-and-pound until referee Herb Dean stopped the action.
With the victory, Erdogan not only earned a US$50,000 performance bonus, but he may have brought himself closer to a shot at two-division ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin.
Baatarkhuu Dominates Pacatiw In Top-Five Contender ShowdownIn a clash between top-five ranked bantamweight MMA contenders, #4-ranked Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu out-grappled and out-paced #5-ranked Jeremy “The Juggernaut” Pacatiw to pick up a unanimous decision victory and secure his third consecutive win.
After starting the fight in style with a spinning wheel kick, the Mongolian turned to his relentless takedowns, suffocating top control, and ever-threatening submission game to dominate Pacatiw on the canvas over the course of three grueling rounds.
While the Filipino showed quality defense, it was Baatarkhuu’s grappling and incredible work rate that earned him the unanimous decision. The victory improved “The Tormentor’s” career record to 13-3 and cemented his spot in the divisional rankings.
Kierczynska Outlasts Yu In Gritty Three-Round WarMartyna Kierczynska showed grit, composure, and the ability to adapt in taking a hotly contested split-decision win over Yu Yau Pui in their three-round atomweight Muay Thai banger.
riopg777The Polish fighter started well, outworking Yu in the clinch for most of the first round while landing knees and elbows. When Yu found herself out of the clinch, Kierczynska utilized her push kicks effectively to disengage.
Yu, however, made a fight of it in the second. The athlete out of Hong Kong turned to her trademark volume and pressure, overwhelming Kierczynska while connecting with a few straight left to even the score.
Kierczynska’s adaptability shone through in the final round as she avoided her opponent’s swarming offense by fighting on the back foot well and being quicker to the punch. Late in the fight, a piercing elbow opened a bad gash over the right eyebrow of Yu.
After three action-packed rounds, Kierczynska got the nod from two of three judges to take the hard-earned decision and improve to 6-1 for her career.
Zakirov Stays Undefeated With Second-Round KO Of SaputraUzbek rising star Sanzhar Zakirov moved to 14-0 in his professional career by finishing Eko Roni Saputra via knockout in their 140-pound catchweight MMA bout.
The #5-ranked strawweight MMA contender immediately attacked Saputra from the outside, angling to close the distance. He pinned the Indonesian veteran against the turnbuckle and inflicted damage with punches. But Saputra, struggling to free himself from the grips of his tormentor, got a yellow card for grabbing the ropes.
In round two, Zakirov nailed a takedown, but since the athletes were near the ropes, referee Herb Dean had to reset the men in the middle of the ring. When he called for action, Zakirov worked from inside Saputra’s guard.
The 21-year-old then blasted Saputra with ground-and-pound until the referee stopped the fight at the 1:46 mark, giving Zakirov his fifth victory in ONE Championship and showing that he could also be a force in the flyweight MMA division.
Nontachai Wins Three-Round Firefight With EsparzaIn featherweight Muay Thai action, Nontachai Jitmuangnon turned in a gutsy, high-octane performance to secure a unanimous decision win over American standout Arian “Destroyer” Esparza.
The debuting Esparza bombed away early with big punching combinations, often pressuring the Thai against the ropes with near-constant forward movement.
Nontachai kept his calm, though, and quickly began finding a home for his lethal right body kick and then a big right hand that wobbled his foe midway through the second round.
The pace remained fast throughout the final frame, with the ringside judges agreeing that Nontachai’s clean work deserved the decision. With a victory in his U.S. primetime debut, the 25-year-old moved to 3-0 in ONE and 50-21 in his pro career.
Banma Gets Back On Track With TKO Of PerreiraChinese star Banma “The Prince” Duoji returned to his winning and finishing ways by stopping promotional newcomer Joshua “Flyin Hawaiian” Perreira in the first round of their flyweight MMA bout.
After a brief feeling-out stage that saw the strikers exchange leg kicks, Perreira’s right knee buckled. Banma immediately tried to take advantage, swarming the injured American with punches, although the latter hung tough.
Perreira did his best to move forward and trade strikes, but that same knee soon gave in once more – and this time, Banma did not let up.
“The Prince” promptly connected with a left straight before swarming his opponent with punches, forcing the TKO at the 2:13 mark of the first round to take his 15th career stoppage win and improve to 16-3 overall.
‘Baby Shark’ Taps Ishiguro In Sensational DebutTwo-time ADCC World Champion Diogo “Baby Shark” Reis arrived at ONE Championship in style.
The Brazilian superstar turned in a dominant performance en route to a highlight-reel submission win over Shoya Ishiguro in the pair’s flyweight submission grappling tilt.
Reis found success with his explosive side-to-side guard passing through the bout’s opening minutes, eventually jumping into a picture-perfect kimura lock. From there, he torqued his foe’s arm at a grotesque angle to secure the tap at 6:05 into the match.
With the victory, “Baby Shark” improved his career slate to 87-9 and made a statement in his promotional debut.
Korodi Rallies Back To Score Much-Needed Win Against KitanoStefan Korodi earned his first victory in ONE Championship while simultaneously snapping Road to ONE: Japan winner Katsuki Kitano’s seven-fight winning streak.
Korodi, who splits his time between Dublin Combat Academy in Ireland and Team Mehdi Zatout in Thailand, absorbed early damage from his Japanese foe in their 148-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout.
But as the fight wore on, the 30-year-old found a way past Kitano’s range. Working from inside the clinch, Korodi stormed back with knees and elbows to pulverize Kitano’s face.
When it was all said and done, all three judges declared Korodi the winner by unanimous decision. With the victory, the Irishman snapped his two-fight losing skid and nudged his professional striking record to 28-6.
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