6 Signature Knockout Weapons From ONE’s Elite Strikers
ONE Championship’s Muay Thai, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts ranks are teeming with incredible strikers who all bring unique styles to the Circle.
While every martial artist needs to be versatile, it’s also important to have a go-to move that offers up a significant threat every time it’s thrown.
With that in mind, here are six ONE superstars and their instantly recognizable signature strikes that have delivered countless highlight-reel moments over the years.
#1 Nguyen’s Overhand Right
Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen blasted his way to a pair of ONE World Titles with his ferocious overhand right.
No matter who he’s up against, the Aussie slugger knows he always has the one-hitter quitter in his back pocket. He’s landed it time after time in his mixed martial arts career, but there are two massive moments that stand out above the rest.
First, Nguyen countered a loose low kick from Marat “Cobra” Gafurov with his right-hand rocket to win the ONE Featherweight World Championship He followed that up with another counter-strike finish of Eduard “Landslide” Folayang to claim the ONE Lightweight World Title.
#2 Aung La N Sang’s Crunching Uppercut
It’s clear that Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang carries bout-ending power in every limb, but the Myanmar hero’s right uppercut is particularly devastating.
He’s used it to hurt and finish many opponents over the years, but the former two-weight ONE World Champion etched the strike into history during the greatest ONE battle of all time.
After going back and forth for five rounds with Ken Hasegawa at ONE: SPIRIT OF A WARRIOR in June 2018, “The Burmese Python” ended the epic encounter with an incredible uppercut that topped it off in style.
#3 Petrosyan’s Straight Left
There may not be a strike in combat sports that’s as synonymous with one competitor as Giorgio “The Doctor” Petrosyan’s straight left.
The strategic southpaw gives his opponents nightmares with his laser-guided rear hand, often herding them into its path with his jab and lead hook.
In his rematch with “Smokin” Jo Nattawut ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD in August 2019, the Armenian-Italian legend showed just how effective it can be when he floored the durable Thai to win by first-round KO.
Petrosyan gauged the distance with his lead hand and then stepped straight through with a thunderous straight left that connected cleanly on Nattawut’s jaw and rendered him unable to meet the count.
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#4 Belingon’s Spinning Back Kick
Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon represents Team Lakay’s wushu stylings inside the Circle, and like many of his teammates, he has a penchant for the spinning back kick.
The Baguio City man has weakened many of his rivals with the flashy technique, and he showed its finishing potential against Andrew Leone at ONE: HEROES OF HONOR in April 2018.
After piling the pressure on the American in round one, Belingon obliterated his foe’s midsection with a spinning back kick that sent him flying to the mat.
Leone could not recover as “The Silencer” quickly swarmed him with punches to secure the TKO finish.
#5 Rodtang’s Liver-Rippers
Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon employs a variety of strikes into his muay mat style, which is comprised of constant forward pressure and aggression.
However, one tool that stands out is his liver-ripping left hook to the body. It’s taken the wind out of many sails and has helped Rodtang keep a firm grip on the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title.
In his rematch with Jonathan “The General” Haggerty at ONE: A NEW TOMORROW in January 2020, the Thai promised that he would take the Brit out with body shots – and he stayed true to his word.
Rodtang sent Haggerty down in round one with a shovel hook to the body, and though “The General” bravely battled back, it always seemed to be his kryptonite.
“The Iron Man” dropped his foe again with body punches in round three and then finished the contest with a furious salvo that was punctuated with another hurtful liver shot.
#6 Ngalani’s Spinning Hook Kick
There aren’t many heavyweights who can match the explosiveness of Alain “The Panther” Ngalani. The hulking Hong Kong native’s feats of athleticism have wowed fans on the global stage for years.
Unlike many of his peers in the division, “The Panther” can throw lightning-fast spinning kicks that endanger anything in their path, and he’s put them to good use in mixed martial arts and ONE Super Series bouts.
There are many options to choose from, but one spinning kick that will always stand out came in Ngalani’s debut against Mahmoud Hassan at ONE: CHAMPIONS & WARRIORS in September 2013.
That evening, the heavyweight uncorked a spinning hook kick from nowhere that took Hassan — and the watching world — by surprise, making it clear that every future Ngalani bout in The Home Of Martial Arts would be a must-watch affair.
Read more: Flashback Friday: Alain Ngalani Explodes Onto The Global Stage
