Oct 15, 2019

The Top 5 Highlights From ONE: CENTURY PART II

Yosuke Saruta defeats Daichi Kitakata at ONE: CENTURY PART II

As the biggest event in martial arts history, ONE: CENTURY was always going to be memorable, and the action inside the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan lived up to all the hype.

Following on from the exciting first card, ONE: CENTURY PART II had a lot to live up to, and it delivered emphatically on Sunday, 13 October.

Some of The Home Of Martial Arts’ biggest stars produced stunning knockouts and submissions, and there were incredible three-rounders from international and homegrown favorites.

Here are the five best moments from the second part of the historic double-header.

#1 Aung La N Sang’s Thunderous Knockout

ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang faced his toughest test to date — on paper at least — against ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera.

However, despite being the much smaller man, the Myanmar superstar never looked fazed by the “The Truth’s” power, and stood toe-to-toe with the Filipino for the whole contest.

Aung La N Sang dialed up the intensity in round two when he hurt Vera with low kicks. The heavyweight kingpin tried to hide his discomfort, but “The Burmese Python” knew he was there for the taking.

He nailed his man with a spinning elbow, evaded Vera’s reply, and then finished him with a right hook and a succession of ground strikes for a monumental victory.

#2 Aoki Gets The Fastest Finish Of The Day

The quickest bout on the card came thanks to hometown hero Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki in his co-main event tussle with Team Lakay’s Honorio “The Rock” Banario.

The Japanese submission specialist took his opponent to the canvas in the opening 30 seconds, and before the one-minute mark, it was all over.

Aoki landed in half-guard after he had tumbled “The Rock” to the canvas, and when the Filipino tried to use an underhook to escape, he turned straight into “Tobikan Judan’s” trap.

The 36-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt had his D’Arce choke waiting, and he tied Banario up to force the tap after just 54 seconds to send the Ryogoku Kokugikan into meltdown.

#3 Fernandes Keeps His Crown

The fourth ONE Bantamweight World Title bout between Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes and Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon was booked to bring a definitive end to their rivalry, and the Brazilian did just that.

Aside from a handful of powerful low kicks at the start of each round, Belingon had no chance to get off any offense as “The Flash” took him to the canvas and dominated him.

“The Silencer” tried his patented burst out from underneath in round two, but Fernandes – now well acquainted with his long-time adversary – anticipated it, and took his back.

Within seconds, the choke was locked up, and Belingon waved the white flag to give “The Flash” the win and the series victory by a 3-1 margin.

Masterful Petrosyan Scoops World Grand Prix Prize

You could forgive Giorgio “The Doctor” Petrosyan for being nervous or hesitant in the ONE Featherweight World Grand Prix Championship Final against Samy “AK47” Sana. His sport’s biggest ever prize of US$1 million was on the line, but the stoic Italian never missed a beat.

It was nine minutes of classic Petrosyan. He landed his trademark right hook-straight left combination almost at will and slipped out of the way of most of his rival’s power salvos.

Given how dominant “AK47” looked taking out Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex and Dzhabar Askerov en route to the tournament final, many expected a closer match, but in the end, it was a shut-out decision win for Petrosyan, who added another illustrious World Grand Prix belt to his résumé.

Shooto And Pancrase Tied In Card Openers

Four Shooto World Champion vs. Pancrase World Champion match-ups opened up proceedings at ONE: CENTURY PART II, and showcased the world-class skills of the promotions’ graduates.

The series ended level with two for wins each side, but it was Shooto World Champions Shoko Sato and Yosuke “The Ninja” Saruta who delivered the most spectacular victories.

After Pancrase took a 2-0 lead, Sato defended Rafael “Morcego” Silva’s takedowns and then scored a superb TKO with punches in the second frame.

Saruta followed that up with another second-round stoppage over Daichi Kitakata – this time a huge KO courtesy of some of the most scintillating ground and pound you will ever see in the Circle.