The 5 Best Highlights From ONE HERO'S ASCENT

The Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines played host to another spectacular ONE Championship event that provided 11 exciting match-ups in mixed martial arts, kickboxing, and Muay Thai.

There were dynamic performances from established names and debuting talent at ONE: HERO’S ASCENT on Friday, 25 January, and a complete array of martial arts skills were on display from strikers, wrestlers, and submission specialists.

With so much fast-paced action throughout the night, separating the standout moments was not easy. But somehow, we managed to whittle them down to five.

Here are the best highlights from a phenomenal night in Manila.

Moraes Wins Epic Flyweight Rubber Match

Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes and Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio put their rivalry to bed in the historic ONE Flyweight World Championship trilogy match.

After coming up narrowly short in their last contest and surrendering his belt to the Team Lakay man, Moraes reclaimed the gold after another closely-contested five-round battle.

The local hero did his best work on the feet, but he could not stop the Brazilian’s game plan of taking the bout to the canvas. “Mikinho” attacked for chokes and a rarely-seen Suloev Stretch – which tested “Gravity” like nothing else – but Eustaquio would not quit in front of his countrymen.

After five rounds, the judges awarded the decision to Moraes, who starts his third reign as World Champion at an interesting time, as the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix gets underway in the coming weeks.

Tynanes Unleashes His Best Shots

Lowen Tynanes returned from almost three years on the sidelines, but there was no easing his way back in.

The American entered the fray for the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix, so the competition was world-class.

He took on former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario in the first bout of the tournament, but it looked like he had never been away. The Baguio City athlete could not stop Tynanes’ wrestling, and in the end, it was a forceful ground and pound assault that sealed the finish.

Tynanes improved to 10-0 with the victory, and he punched his ticket into the semi-finals, where he will meet the winner of the Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez and Timofey Nastyukhin battle at ONE: A NEW ERA in Tokyo, Japan.

Rodtang Blitzes “The Gladiator”

Thai wrecking machine Rodtang “Iron Man” Jitmuangnon has one way of competing, and that is at full tilt.

Fans expected the two-time Omnoi Stadium Muay Thai World Champion to put on another exciting performance in The Home Of Martial Arts, and he did not disappoint.

Fahdi “The Gladiator” Khaled played his part in the three-round contest as he pulled himself off the canvas in round one and continued to engage with his rival throughout. However, the balance of the action was never in his favor as he was overwhelmed by the Jitmuangnon representative’s offense.

Rodtang charged at “The Gladiator” with heavy punches to close the distance, and tossed him to the canvas whenever they clinched. His pressure was too much, and it was an easy decision for the judges when the final bell rang.

Mahmoudi’s Incredible ONE Debut

Elias “The Sniper” Mahmoudi thrilled martial arts fans with a riveting striking performance in his ONE Super Series Muay Thai debut against Yukinori Ogasawara.

The 21-year-old French-Algerian delivered a masterclass in the art of eight limbs. He connected with punches, kicks, knees, and elbows, and also dominated his Japanese foe in the clinch by sweeping him at will.

When Ogasawara tried to fire back, “The Sniper” dialed up the intensity and made him pay. The Tokyo man’s resilience was the only thing that kept him in the match, but Mahmoudi was simply operating at a higher level.

His addition to the bustling flyweight ranks will make for some interesting bouts.

Tang Kai Scores Huge Head Kick KO

China’s Tang Kai offered up another hugely successful promotional debut in Manila, as he scored a second-round knockout over Sung Jong Lee.

He battered the South Korean’s body and legs with kicks when the bout was standing, and also showed enough acumen on the ground to escape a triangle choke attempt from the NAGA No-Gi Grappling Champion.

The Shanghai native’s strikes continued to take their toll in round two, and he threw a lightning-fast head kick in his opponent’s direction that found the mark, despite Lee bringing his right arm up to block it.

The power went straight through the defenses and sent the South Korean reeling, before he collapsed onto the canvas to give Tang a brilliant TKO finish.

His backflip celebration was not too bad, either.