Kazuki Tokudome's Sharp Strikes Stop Adrian Pang In Round 2
Kazuki Tokudome announced his return to the winner’s circle with a thrilling stoppage victory over perennial lightweight contender Adrian “The Hunter” Pang in Bangkok, Thailand.
On Friday, 17 May, the two lightweight contenders threw down at the center of the ONE Championship Circle on the main card of ONE: WARRIORS OF LIGHT, and it was the Japanese athlete’s smart striking that brought him the TKO in round two.
The first round started off slowly as Pang and Tokudome carefully gauged each other from range, but the early caution was quickly thrown to the wind when Tokudome shot in for a takedown.
The 32-year-old Japanese veteran drove Pang to the canvas, but the Australian immediately bounced back up to his feet and engaged in the clinch. From there, a heavy right forearm connected on the inside for “The Hunter,” which shook up his rival for a moment and prompted him to disengage.
Once there was some distance between the two, Pang turned up the heat and connected with a thudding left hook that sent Tokudome reeling towards the fence.
Three more hard left hands landed for “The Hunter,” and then he finished the round with another powerful punching combination.
It seemed as though Pang had the bout under control, and he was overpowering his rival, but the Pancrase Lightweight World Champion brought about a drastic change in momentum in the second round
Tokudome opened up the stanza with a heavy right jab, left cross combination that put Pang on the back foot, and then followed up with a straight left hand that landed flush in his opponent’s face.
Sensing his opponent was hurt, Tokudome closed the distance and took the Integrated MMA representative to the ground, where he continued his attack with ground and pound.
Referee Olivier Coste called a halt to the action to get the ONE physician to survey the damage to Pang, and he declared that Pang was unable to continue due to an injury, which gave Tokudome the win via TKO.
His victory marked a successful first foray into the lightweight division in the world’s largest martial arts organization, and improved his overall professional record to 19-10-1.
