The 5 Best Knockouts From ONE: FISTS OF FURY II’s Heavy Hitters

After an explosive start to the FISTS OF FURY event series, the mixed martial arts stars are ready to bring the heat in the sequel on Friday, 5 March.

That evening, a host of hard-hitting finishers will display their elite skills at the previously recorded ONE: FISTS OF FURY II, which airs from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

A pair of captivating heavyweight mixed martial arts showdowns will top the bill, and the undercard will feature a quartet of exciting mixed martial arts contests across various weight divisions.

The one thing that bonds all these athletes together is their ability to produce a highlight-reel KO in the blink of an eye.

With that said, here are five of the greatest knockout victories from the athletes set to star in the FISTS OF FURY sequel.

#1 Kang’s Come-From-Behind KO

“Mighty Warrior” Kang Ji Won kept his streak of first-round stoppage wins alive when he posted a come-from-behind TKO victory over Mehdi Barghi at ONE: UNBREAKABLE III last month.

The unbeaten South Korean star had to survive an early onslaught from his Iranian rival, who utilized his wrestling and ground and pound to great effect. However, Kang found a way to escape and get on top of his adversary with 90 seconds left in the opening frame.

Barghi had clearly drained his tank in his hunt for the finish, and when “Mighty Warrior” started slamming in hard strikes from the half-guard position, the Iranian Freestyle Wrestling Champion barely held on.

Kang progressed to mount, where he shellacked his foe with hard elbows that forced him to give up his back, and he sealed the deal with a series of looping hooks for a remarkable win with just 10 seconds left in round one.

The undefeated heavyweight will face Greco-Roman Wrestling World Champion Amir Aliakbari in a colossal main event clash on 5 March.

#2 Machado Bludgeons Sekine In Heavyweight Tilt

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Alexandre “Bebezao” Machado showed that he also had the striking skills to match his submission prowess when he finished former ONE Heavyweight World Title challenger Hideki “Shrek” Sekine at ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS in November 2018.

Machado held out against the Japanese grappler’s ground offense in round one and capitalized in the second. He clubbed Sekine with looping overhand lefts and short right hooks that prompted a sloppy single-leg takedown attempt from “Shrek.”

The Brazilian bruiser easily shrugged it off and then clubbed his rival with a series of hard lefts. Sekine rolled to his back, only for “Bebezao” to follow him and swarm with even more thudding punches.

With no intelligent defense coming from the Japanese grappler, the referee stopped the contest and awarded Machado the win via TKO at 1:44 of round two.

Machado returns to the Circle against unbeaten Russian debutant Anatoly “Spartak” Malykhin in the co-main event on Friday.

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#3 Takahashi Halts The Yoon Train In Its Tracks

The featherweight battle between Ryogo “Kaitai” Takahashi and “The Big Heart” Yoon Chang Min at ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX IV last November pitted experience against momentum — and experience prevailed.

Things were fairly even after the first five minutes, but that didn’t last when the second round got underway. Yoon looked sharp in the opening minute, but a crunching jab-cross from “Kaitai” turned the tables immediately.

As “The Big Heart” stumbled, Takahashi followed up with a hard low kick that buckled his rival and sent him to the canvas. When the South Korean scrambled back up, he managed to compose himself in the clinch until “Kaitai” struck again.

The Japanese slugger pulled back from a jab and then countered with a massive right hand that rocked his foe. Takahashi kept up the pressure until a right uppercut-left hook combination separated Yoon from his senses at 2:52 of the second round.

Takahashi’s next test at ONE: FISTS OF FURY II will come against another formidable striker.

#4 Tang Scores Head-Kick KO In Stunning Debut

Tang Kai made sure his ONE Championship debut was a night to remember when he knocked out NAGA No-Gi Grappling Champion Sung Jong Lee in their featherweight clash at ONE: HERO’S ASCENT in January 2019.

The Chinese rising star set his platform in round one as he fended off Lee’s grappling threat and battered his foe’s legs and body with his powerful kicks.

Unable to find a foothold in the grappling stakes, the South Korean caught Tang’s attention with his hands, but the new strategy came with consequences.

As Lee pressed forward, Tang took him off balance with inside low kicks to the lead leg, and then the Shanghai resident switched it up high with a lightning-fast head kick. The South Korean managed to react fast enough to get his right arm up to meet it, but Tang’s shin still wrapped around Lee’s skull and sent him face-first to the canvas for a KO win at 1:14.

The Chinese athlete will meet Takahashi’s power head-on in their mixed martial arts encounter in Singapore.

#5 Urrutia Stops The “Puccibull”

Patience paid off for Thailand-based American Emilio “The Honey Badger” Urrutia, as he dismantled Bruno “Puccibull” Pucci en route to a first-round KO at ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES in January 2018.

Pucci, a two-time No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion, tried to take his rival down twice, but the American shrugged off those attempts and then blasted him with heavy punches and low kicks.

Urrutia continued to press forward on the front foot and landed a three-punch salvo that snapped “Puccibull’s” head back. Another right hand sent the Brazilian flailing to the Circle Wall, and “The Honey Badger” rallied with another flurry of punches as his foe hit the deck.

Pucci somehow found the strength to get back to his feet, but Urrutia reset, stepped back, and waited for another opportunity.

“The Honey Badger” walked down his dazed opponent and then darted in with a cross-hook that dropped his rival for the final time at the 3:33 mark of round one.

Urrutia opens ONE: FISTS OF FURY II against Mark “Tyson” Fairtex Abelardo on Friday.

Read more: All Main Card Fights For ‘ONE On TNT’ Event Series Confirmed