5 Crucial Takeaways From ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov Vs. Grigorian
ONE Fight Night 13 on Prime Video: Allazov vs. Grigorian on Friday, August 4, saw a plethora of highlight-reel finishes, not to mention the two explosive ONE World Title defenses.
Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, played host once again to the world’s largest martial arts organization — and legends continued to make their mark within its hallowed halls.
After reflecting on what it all meant, here are the five biggest takeaways from ONE Fight Night 13.
Allazov Shows Why He Is Pound-For-Pound King
Chingiz Allazov’s rise to the top of the kickboxing world was filled with aggression and knockouts.
But against #2-ranked featherweight contender Marat Grigorian, he orchestrated a game plan that proved he could also orchestrate a symphony of destruction.
“Chinga” played all the sections throughout the five-round masterpiece.
The Azerbaijani-Belarusian moved effortlessly with precise footwork, kept his head off the center line, constantly kept his challenger guessing, and routinely responded with clean counter-attacks. It was a masterclass in strategy.
Grigorian could not find the pathway to victory, consistently thwarted at each turn, while “Chinga” tallied up the points en route to a unanimous decision.
Allazov composed a magnificent tune and ensured that spectators left Lumpinee Stadium knowing he is the pound-for-pound greatest kickboxer in the world.
Musumeci Continues Unstoppable Reign
Fans can only praise ONE Strawweight World Champion Jarred Brooks for moving up to flyweight to try and unseat ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci.
Unfortunately for Brooks, he soon met the same fate as most against “Darth Rigatoni.” The strawweight king was forced to tap to a triangle-armbar at 7:30 of the one-round submission grappling spectacle.
Musumeci’s brilliance continued to shine onto the world. After all, his submission intellect operates at a different frequency. The New Jersey native is always a step — or three — ahead of his opposition.
At just over the halfway point of the year, “Darth Rigatoni” has already defended the ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Championship three times to bring his impressive career mark to 62-5.
It only leaves the question — if Musumeci is the unstoppable force, who will become the immovable object?
Tawanchai Lives Up To Kickboxing Hype
Tawanchai PK Saenchai has been heralded as a generational talent, and after his third-round TKO victory over Davit Kiria, it’s difficult to deny the claim.
The ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion not only threw his hat into the mix to become a two-sport king after taking out a former Glory Kickboxing World Champion, but he did it in his ONE kickboxing debut and made it look clinical.
Undeniably, the featherweight kickboxing ranks are the deepest in all of martial arts. Adding Tawanchai’s magnificent kicks to the mix only makes the greatest division that much more challenging.
As Tawanchai continues to fulfill his prophecy with each performance, the kickboxing and Muay Thai divisions have to contend with a once-in-a-lifetime talent.
Kane Emerges As Serious Heavyweight Contender
A Herculean task requires plenty of strength to carry the weight. “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane took that to heart in his three-round war with formerly unbeaten 17-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida.
“Reug Reug” put Senegalese wrestling on his back and carried it to the victory line against the greatest heavyweight grappler of all time. In the end, he came away with his biggest win to date.
Kane was able to defend takedowns, escape unfavorable positions, and score heavy ground-and-pound over the course of three rounds against the Brazilian. It was a career-defining performance on the biggest stage in martial arts.
The victory not only showed the strength and might of “Reug Reug,” but it also put him in a position to be one of the top contenders for the ONE Heavyweight World Championship.
Mahmoudi Displays Dangerous Side
Anything you can do, I can do better — that was the message Elias Mahmoudi sent ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon after his first-round destruction over Edgar Tabares.
In May, Rodtang put away Tabares in the second frame, but Mahmoudi didn’t even need to go past the first. The #5-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender had the Mexican down on the canvas three times in 98 seconds.
The Algerian was on a mission. Unfortunately, Tabares was the target. Mahmoudi sent a clear message in a wide-open division that his weapons are just as dangerous, if not more, than Rodtang’s.
