5 Stunning Knockouts From The Stars Of ONE: BAD BLOOD
The ONE: BAD BLOOD fight card is absolutely littered with powerful athletes who can score spectacular knockouts at any moment.
Those athletes want to win by any means necessary on Friday, 11 February, but all of them would love another highlight-reel finish.
For now, get a taste of the action to come by looking back at five incredible KOs from the stars scheduled to compete at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
#1 Fernandes’ Right Hand Sparks Tauru
Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes is known for his incredible Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills, but the reigning ONE Bantamweight World Champion cannot be overlooked on the feet, either.
Back at ONE: KINGDOM OF WARRIORS in July 2015, the AMC Pankration representative successfully defended his gold with a stunning KO of Toni “Dynamite” Tauru.
After some back-and-forth grappling exchanges in the first two frames, Fernandes came out firing in round three. A hard knee to the midsection took the wind out of Tauru’s sails, and “The Flash” immediately waded in to seal the deal.
As “Dynamite” tried to stem the flow of strikes and buy himself some time, Fernandes shrugged himself free and clubbed his foe with a right uppercut that snapped his head back.
The following left hook narrowly missed, but another right hand didn’t, connecting firmly on Tauru’s jaw and separating him from his senses.
At ONE: BAD BLOOD, the Brazilian superstar will defend his throne once again – this time against the next man on our list.
#2 Lineker Shows Off His ‘Hands Of Stone’
John “Hands of Stone” Lineker earned his right to challenge Fernandes for the ONE Bantamweight World Title with an impressive first-round KO of Troy “Pretty Boy” Worthen at “ONE on TNT III” in April 2021.
The Brazilian juggernaut trudged forward in his usual style, throwing a plethora of heavy hooks and overhands to the head and body of his American rival.
To Worthen’s credit, he ate the shots well and continued to stay on his toes, feint, and look for openings. However, it only takes one shot from “Hands of Stone” to change the game – and he found it.
Lineker saw Worthen stepping in with a jab and replied with a thunderous right hand to the chin. “Pretty Boy” fell backward onto the canvas, and Lineker finished him off with a big shot on the ground.
With that in mind, Fernandes will do everything he can to avoid his compatriot’s immense power when they square off in the main event on 11 February.
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#3 Malykhin Showcases Concussive Boxing
Unbeaten Russian mixed martial artist Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin scored his first standing KO in ONE over Amir Aliakbari – and the feeling has intoxicated him.
Despite his wrestling background, Malykhin has vowed to knock out his future opponents on the feet following that memorable first-round victory at ONE: REVOLUTION in September 2021.
“Sladkiy” first dropped Aliakbari with an overhand right, though the latter managed to recover and stand back up. From there, Malykhin maintained the pressure and pushed his foe to the Circle Wall behind a flurry of punches.
Tired and breathing heavy with his mouth wide open, Aliakbari became an easy target. “Sladkiy” stuck a jab in his face and then grazed the chin with a right hand. Next, he followed up with a monstrous left hook to the jaw that toppled the massive Iranian wrestler and ended the bout.
The emphatic win saw Malykhin earn the chance to challenge Arjan “Singh” Bhullar for the ONE Heavyweight World Title. But with “Singh” unable to agree on contract terms, the Golden Team man will instead face Kirill Grishenko for the ONE Interim Heavyweight World Title in the co-main event of ONE: BAD BLOOD.
#4 Saruta Earns Clean KO With Ground-And-Pound
Former ONE Strawweight World Champion Yosuke “The Ninja” Saruta showed that clean knockouts don’t have to come on the feet when he finished fellow Japanese athlete Daichi Kitakata at ONE: CENTURY PART II in October 2019.
Saruta’s wrestling was crucial in getting the match to the canvas and controlling his foe, and his extreme athleticism and power got him the second-round stoppage.
“The Ninja” went to land a hammerfist, but Kitakata blocked the shot. Saruta wisely used that to trap his opponent’s right arm to his body, leaving him defenseless for the left hook that slammed over the top.
A few more punches got through, and it was clear that Kitakata was completely out, prompting the referee to dive in and halt the match.
At ONE: BAD BLOOD, the Japanese star will take on Gustavo “El Gladiador” Balart as he attempts to return to winning ways.
#5 Abelardo’s Insane Tomahawk Elbow
Mark “Tyson” Fairtex Abelardo scored one of the greatest knockouts of 2021 in his second-round victory over Emilio “The Honey Badger” Urrutia at ONE: FISTS OF FURY II last March.
The Filipino-Kiwi was a step ahead with his striking throughout the bout and almost finished Urrutia in round one, while the American’s toughness was the only thing keeping him in the match.
In round two, “Tyson” continued to dial up the pressure – and then pulled off a once-in-a-lifetime finish.
“The Honey Badger” tried to loop a left hook around Abelardo’s guard, but it opened up a path for the Fairtex man to come through the middle. He promptly chopped down the pipe with a tomahawk elbow that cracked Urrutia on the jaw and immediately put him out cold.
Abelardo will aim for another memorable moment when he returns to action against “The Ghost” Chen Rui in the final bout of the ONE: BAD BLOOD lead card.
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