Top 5 Highlights From ONE: DAWN OF VALOR

This past Friday, 25 October, ONE Championship closed its final Indonesian event of the year in style.

At ONE: DAWN OF VALOR, all the fans inside the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia were treated to a 14-bout spectacle that included some of the world’s best martial artists and the nation’s most talented athletes.

There was sensational back-and-forth action, several exciting knockouts, a brilliant submission victory, and the crowning of a new ONE World Champion.

Before we turn the page, let us take a look at the top five highlights from an incredible night in the Indonesian capital.

#1 Abbasov Overwhelms Kadestam To Take The World Title

Kiamrian “Brazen” Abbasov can finally call himself a World Champion. The Kyrgyz hero frustrated defending titleholder Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam and constantly pressured him throughout their 25-minute clash to take a unanimous decision win and the ONE Welterweight World Championship.

Both men had their moments in the opening two rounds, but Abbasov’s grappling is what separated him from the Swede. He often forced “The Bandit” on the defensive and allowed him little opportunity to come forward.

The bout took its deciding turn toward “Brazen” in the third stanza. A thunderous belly-to-back suplex echoed throughout the Istora Senayan, and the Kyrgyz challenger maintained top control and peppered his foe with short, effective strikes.

He switched up his strategy in the fourth period and charged at the backpedaling Swede with a slew of rattling boxing combinations. Then, he hit another takedown, dominated in side control, and unloaded knees to the ribs and head.

Kadestam attempted to get his offense going in the fifth, but the rigors of the contest wore him down and he was not able to muster the energy for a last-ditch knockout. Abbasov had the grappling prowess and the close-range boxing savvy to dethrone “The Swede,” and that well-rounded display rightfully earned him the belt.

#2 Eersel’s Masterful Five-Round Performance

Regian “The Immortal” Eersel left no doubt that he is the rightful ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Champion. He went five full rounds with his legendary compatriot Nieky “The Natural” Holzken and, once again, out-worked the Dutch icon en route to a unanimous decision victory.

The opening frame saw both men have their key moments. Eersel masterfully chained his combinations together and dropped “The Natural” with a crisp left cross for the only knockdown of the match-up, but Holzken returned to his feet and closed the period strongly by rocking the defending World Champion.

From there, it was a tale of two different strategies. Holzken hurled singular power strikes, whereas the Sityodtong Amsterdam representative strung together diverse, and effective, combinations.

Eersel continued to unload volume deep into the championship rounds, which served to be the difference-maker. Whenever the Dutch kickboxing legend gained momentum, he was stymied by “The Immortal’s” well-placed jabs and leg kicks.

The 26-year-old’s gorgeous combinations were a buffet of strikes, and Holzken had no answer. It was a beautiful display of kickboxing, and Eersel looked even better than he did in their last encounter five months ago.

#3 “Golden Boy” Beats The Buzzer For A First-Round Win

“Golden Boy” Wang Junguang made quite the impression in his promotional debut.

The Henan resident initially stood out because of his mohawk, but he made sure fans remembered his name by knocking down his opponent three times to earn a TKO victory. What’s more, he did so with just one second remaining in the opening stanza of his ONE Super Series kickboxing clash.

Even though Frederico “The Little Big Man” Roma tried to walk him down, the Chinese star confidently attacked him with boxing combinations, push kicks, and knees. The first official knockdown came when he dropped the Argentinian with a slew of left hooks.

With 17 seconds remaining in round one, Wang ate a leg kick against the fence and responded with a clean short right to drop Roma for the second knockdown of the contest.

Once “The Little Big Man” returned to his feet, the Chinese star went for the finish — he attacked with a push kick, followed by rights and lefts until the referee stepped in to end the contest for good.

#4 Siregar’s Lightning-Quick Rear-Naked Choke

If you blinked, you missed it — that was how fast Elipitua “The Magician” Siregar’s transition to Egi Rozten’s back was in their flyweight contest.

Rozten was on the move early, as he attempted to stay in his opponent’s face. However, the Indonesian wrestling champion brilliantly changed levels, ducked under a punch, and scored big with a double-leg takedown.

Then, as his compatriot scrambled to get up just a second later, “The Magician” instantly grabbed onto his back and set up his best trick of all — the rear-naked choke. Once it was locked in, the valiant Rozten was forced to tap.

#5 Paryanto Opens The Show With A Magnificent TKO

The event got off to a flying start thanks to IndoGym’s “Zenwalk” Adi Paryanto, who earned his first win in The Home Of Martial Arts with a 64-second performance.

After threatening his countryman Angelo “The Unicorn King” Bimoadji with a head kick in their all-Indonesian strawweight mixed martial arts battle, he stuffed a takedown attempt and then pressured his opponent against the fence.

Once they engaged in a clinch, Paryanto crumpled “The Unicorn King” to the canvas with a massive knee to the ribs. He followed that up with a knee to the head, which prompted the referee to stop the contest and award “Zenwalk” the victory.

Read more: Kiamrian Abbasov Rips Through Zebaztian Kadestam To Claim World Title Gold