9 Incredible Knockouts From The Stars Of ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR

ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR is stacked with some of ONE Championship’s most prolific knockout artists.

From the two huge World Title match-ups at the top of the bill in Manila’s Mall Of Asia Arena, all the way to the prelims, the card features many of the hardest-hitting athletes in The Home Of Martial Arts. 

This should guarantee edge-of-your-seat action next Friday, 12 April in the Philippines. For a taste of the kind of big hits that could be in store, check out this extensive list of amazing stoppages.

Nguyen’s World Title-Winning Overhand Right

Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen wanted redemption for the 41-second defeat he suffered at the hands of the ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov. He got it in their rematch at ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS.

Nguyen shrugged off “Cobra’s” wrestling attack at the start of round two, and then showed the world what he did not get a chance to the first time around. “The Situ-Asian” invited the Russian forward, and then pounced when he attempted a weak inside low kick.

The defending World Champion had also dropped his lead hand, and Nguyen saw the gap. He let rip with a fearsome overhand right, which landed on the jaw, sent Gafurov to the canvas, and exposed him to a final flurry of punches.

“The Situ-Asian” claimed his first ONE World Title, which he will defend on 12 April.

Jadambaa Shows His Raw Power

Narantungalag “Tungaa” Jadambaa showed how he can end a contest in a split-second when he took out Eric “The Natural” Kelly at ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS (Anhui).

Straight away, “Tungaa” looked to close the distance to engage with his rival, and saw his opportunity when “The Natural” attempted to land a lead hook.

When he tried to land the strike again, Jadambaa capitalized by stepping in with a perfectly-timed straight right. Kelly was down and out in a second to give the Mongolian hero a highlight-reel KO.

Jadambaa will challenge Nguyen to try and reclaim the ONE Featherweight World Title on 12 April.

Pacio’s Spinning Stunner

Joshua “The Passion” Pacio picked up the most spectacular finish of his career when he met tough boxer Roy Doliguez at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD.

Pacio tried to halt Doliguez’s forward pressure with an inside low kick, which his Filipino compatriot anticipated and defended by stepping back. However, “The Passion” used the momentum from his missed kick to step through and make up the distance.

He quickly rotated and landed a devastating back fist which ended the bout just 38 seconds into the second round.

“The Passion” will hope for a similar result so he can leave no doubt about who deserves to be ONE Strawweight World Champion when he faces Yosuke “The Ninja” Saruta in a rematch for the belt in the co-main event in Manila.

El Bouni Stays Cool, Then Turns Up The Heat

Ibrahim “Mr. Cool” El Bouni anticipated a fast start from Andre “The Giant” Meunier in his promotional debut and, like his moniker suggests, calmly weathered the storm.

He allowed the Australian to come forward and landed a thudding right hand when he lunged in with punches. Meunier went down but dragged himself off the canvas. However, El Bouni knew the end was near, and then unleashed a finishing salvo to earn his first victory in The Home Of Martial Arts with just 91 seconds on the clock.

You can bet another sensational finish will be on the cards when the hard-hitting Moroccan takes on Andrei “Mister KO” Stoica in a ONE Super Series light heavyweight kickboxing bout on 12 April.

Santos Ambushes Abe For A Rapid Result

Luis “Sapo” Santos wasted no time in dispatching Daichi Abe at ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS. The Brazilian southpaw came out of the blocks firing his trademark left kick, and the first time it landed, he saw a weakness in Abe’s armor.

“Sapo” walked his rival down and searched for another opportunity to fire his left leg at his opponent’s midsection. It connected perfectly, forcing the Japanese athlete to crumble to the canvas and concede defeat in the quickest bout in ONE welterweight history.

Santos will attempt to secure a shot at the ONE Welterweight World Title with a win against unbeaten American James Nakashima in Manila.

Kelly’s Quick, Slick Combination 

Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly needed just 21 seconds to dispatch Meas Meul at ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES using a mesmerizing three-shot combination.

The Cambodian lunged in with an inside low kick, but Kelly replied back with a straight right and left hook that perfectly teed up his bout-ending strike. “The Ferocious” threw a right kick, but as Meul dipped his head, he put it into the path of the oncoming knee.

It was lights out for the Cambodian Top Team man, and Kelly will hope for more of the same when he takes on Sung Jong Lee next Friday.

“The Natural” Takes Out A Legend

Eric “The Natural” Kelly welcomed mixed martial arts legend Jens “Lil’ Evil” Pulver to the world’s largest martial arts organization back in 2012, and earned a landmark victory at ONE: PRIDE OF A NATION.

The featherweight pair engaged in an entertaining tussle, but the Filipino’s pressure was too much for Pulver to keep up with. In round two, Kelly maintained his offense and the American started to wilt, which opened the door for a massive left kick to the midsection that dropped Pulver. “The Natural” sealed the deal with punches.

Kelly meets late stand-in Kwon Won Il at ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR.

Kwon’s Stunning Straight Right

“Pretty Boy” Kwon Won Il showed his class on the global stage when he overcame Anthony “Archangel” Engelen with a 67-second TKO at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY.

The rising South Korean walked Engelen down and put his reach to good use.  He feinted with a jab, which provoked a reaction from the Dutch-Indonesian, who tried to parry the shot away. That left a gap for “Pretty Boy” to dart in with a thunderous straight right that sent his opponent to the canvas, where he was finished off in an instant.

The 23-year-old will look for his second win in the ONE Circle in his match-up with Eric Kelly.

Jasoor’s Heavy Artillery Stops “Tank”

Ahmad “Lycan” Qais Jasoor and “Tank” Ma Xu Dong engaged in an exciting two-round battle at ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS, and the Afghan warrior prevailed thanks to an emphatic second-round KO.

Jasoor’s straight left sent his rival reeling. “Lycan” then chased his opponent down with a barrage of powerful hooks which dropped him against the cage, and he swarmed until referee Yuji Shimada stepped in to halt the contest.

Jasoor is aiming for back to back wins against Chinese opposition when he takes on “The Stalker” Xie Bin in Manila.