The 5 Best Knockouts From The ‘ONE On TNT II’ Superstars

The first edition of the “ONE on TNT” event series produced fireworks all night long, and the second installment is expected to be just as explosive.

This coming Wednesday, 14 April, the world’s largest martial arts organization returns to North American prime-time television with “ONE on TNT II.”

The card features a few submission wizards, but everyone involved also has a knack for delivering highlight-reel knockouts.

Get a taste of the type of action you’ll see Wednesday night by reliving some of the best KOs from the superstars who are scheduled to appear on the bill.

#1 Lee’s World Title Victory

By all accounts, the odds were stacked against Christian “The Warrior” Lee.

The young Singaporean-American moved up a weight class to challenge Japanese mixed martial arts legend Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki for the ONE Lightweight World Title in May 2019.

Despite making his lightweight debut and fighting an iconic athlete who had nearly four times the amount of competition experience, Lee defeated Aoki to claim the gold. But the Japanese veteran made the young phenom work hard for the win.

In the first round, Aoki took “The Warrior” down, locked in an armbar, and twisted the limb in the most unnatural ways imaginable for minutes. Lee refused to tap, however, and found a way to return to his feet before the stanza ended.

“Tobikan Judan” went for the takedown again in the second frame, but the Singaporean-American fended off his rival’s attempts and backed him toward the corner. Lee then connected with a cross and followed up with a straight left to the jaw, which rattled Aoki.

Another left caused the Japanese legend to fall down to the canvas, and Lee immediately rained down punches in the corner to secure the TKO victory – as well as the ONE Lightweight World Title, which he will defend against the man below.

#2 Nastyukhin Shocks ‘The Underground King’

Timofey Nastyukhin had his breakout moment in March 2019.

The Russian powerhouse was tasked with welcoming American mixed martial arts icon Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez to the Circle in the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix quarterfinals.

Many tagged Alvarez as the favorite heading into the tournament, but the Novokuznetsk resident shocked the world and gave his foe the earliest of exits.

Nastyukhin went on the attack soon after the opening bell rang and quickly found a home for his straight right hand. “The Underground King” returned fire, but the muscular Russian put him on the back foot and continued to threaten with massive shots.

Before long, one of those shots led to the Philadelphia native’s downfall.

Nastyukhin walked in with a jab and then threw a right hook to the head, which rattled Alvarez and put him off-balance. As “The Underground King” backed away, the Russian followed him to the Circle Wall with his powerful right hand until the legend crumpled to the canvas and covered up.

Brief ground-and-pound strikes ensued, but the referee quickly called off the action and awarded Nastyukhin the first-round victory.

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#3 Shinechagtga Shines In ONE Debut

When Mongolian hard-hitter Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg made his first promotional appearance against “Cannon” Ma Jia Wen in January 2020, he displayed the same kind of explosive striking and theatrics that made him a star in “Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series.”

Following a touch of the gloves, the Chinese wrestler got close and attempted to exchange, but Zoltsetseg’s wild and powerful looping punches caused him to back away.

Soon, Ma threw a body kick, but the Mongolian leaned in, absorbed the blow, and retaliated with a looping right and left cross to the head, which both found their mark. Zoltsetseg then faked with a left and jumped forward with a hook to the side of the head, briefly knocking the Chinese athlete off-balance.

Once “Cannon” sprung back to his feet, he seemed more determined to walk his foe down and get involved in a striking exchange – a decision that led to his downfall.

As Ma moved his arm and stepped in for a jab, the Mongolian anticipated the strike and beat his foe to the punch with an overhand right to the temple, which caused him to fall forward. A few follow-up punches later led referee Olivier Coste to stop the contest after just 55 seconds.

On Wednesday, Zoltsetseg will look to display that awesome power once again against Yoshiki Nakahara.

#4 Kim’s One-Hitter Quitter

South Korean star Kim Kyu Sung proved he was the real deal when he became the first and only person to knock out battle-hardened veteran Akihiro “Superjap” Fujisawa in November 2019.

Kim took the center of the ring while the Japanese athlete circled him, both throwing out strikes just to feel each other out.

The South Korean operated behind a jab to find his distance, but Fujisawa was wise to dodge most of the blows. Meanwhile, “Superjap” attempted to weave in with his shots, but the Evolve standout evaded his rival’s incoming strikes.

Although both landed leg kicks, Fujisawa became comfortable with his movement and bounced forward with a left hook to the head, which connected on two occasions.

However, when he attempted a third hook, Kim countered with an uppercut on the button, which instantly crumpled his opponent. The Evolve product rushed in to follow with hammerfists, and the referee quickly called off the action, giving the South Korean a 65-second victory.

Kim hopes to have another memorable performance when he welcomes “Little Whirlwind” Wang Shuo to the global stage on Wednesday.

#5 Todd’s Magical Head Kick

Janet “JT” Todd seems unstoppable right now.

With the ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Title in her possession, the American is now aiming for two-sport glory in Muay Thai, and one of her shining moments in “the art of eight limbs” occurred when she finished Ekaterina “Barbie” Vandaryeva in October 2019.

Following a competitive round and a half, the two athletes found themselves in the clinch when referee Atsushi Onari suddenly called for a break.

The two ladies reset themselves, slowly marched forward, and had a fiery exchange – Todd connected with a jab-cross on her taller foe and ate a leg kick, and the pair traded low kicks. “Barbie” also rushed forward with a boxing combination but landed a pair of leg kicks.

“JT” seemed unfazed, however. She was laser-focused and kept walking forward despite a few strikes flying in her direction.

The American then tested the waters with a jab to the head and a cross to the body, which got her opponent thinking. Next, she threw a jab but then went for a head kick just as Vandaryeva was going for a low kick.

With her defenses down, the Russian’s chin absorbed the full force of Todd’s kick, and she collapsed to the mat.

Todd will now meet fellow top contender Anne “Ninja” Line Hogstad in the co-main event of “ONE on TNT II.”

Read more: Nastyukhin Wants To Finish Lee ‘With A Spectacular Knockout’