Top 5 Highlights From ONE Warrior Series 10
Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series (OWS) held its 10th event in Singapore on Wednesday, 19 February, and once again gave a platform to some of the best emerging talent from across the world.
With 16 nations represented on the bill, it was a truly global affair that showcased the best of martial arts – knockouts, submissions, heart, and courage – that could help some of the stars of the show toward a ONE Championship contract.
Here are the top five moments from the thrilling fourteen-bout OWS 10 card in “The Lion City.”
#1 “Lucky Guy” Closes The Show With Big Finish
“The Lucky Guy” Byung Hee Lim and Kieran “The Stonecutter” Joblin topped the bill in Singapore, and managed to fit a lot of action into their contest, even though it only lasted fewer than four minutes.
Joblin used his strong wrestling to pressure the South Korean, but he could not keep him grounded. When “The Lucky Guy” shrugged off another attempted takedown, the Kiwi athlete looked content to play guard, but Byung surprised him with a huge left hand over the top that rocked him hard.
From there, he unleashed punches and knees to the head to get a dramatic first-round finish in his OWS debut.
#2 Faress Shuts Down Surging Philpott
Ahmed “The Prince” Faress looked incredible as he dispatched in-form contender Alan “The Apprentice” Philpott in his first OWS bout.
Northern Ireland’s Philpott had back-to-back wins in ONE’s developmental league and was hoping to clinch a contract for the big show by chalking up a trio of victories.
However, Faress had other plans. He drilled his opponent with hard strikes on the feet before he took him down and quickly advanced to back mount. “The Apprentice” tried to stand up to shake the Egyptian off, but “The Prince” sunk in a tight rear-naked choke for a career-best victory.
#3 Bagheri Finally Overcomes Game Shikuwa
Though it was Iranian wrestling stylist Mehdi Bagheri who picked up a huge victory over Koji “Animal” Shikuwa, the Japanese athlete’s warrior spirit was a big talking point after their battle.
Bagheri took Shikuwa down in the opening moments and put “Animal” in a painful-looking Suloev stretch submission attempt. The Legion Top Team man somehow survived, but he was clearly hurt, and could barely stand at the end of the round.
However, he came back with guns blazing in round two, only to be taken down and hit with hard ground and pound. Shikuwa pushed through every bad position despite only having one functional leg, and hopped back to his corner when the bell rang again. He would no doubt have come out for round three had the doctor not stopped him.
However, though “Animal” deserves credit for his heart, the plaudits belong to Monarchy MMA’s Bagheri, who left with a well-deserved first victory in OWS, much to the delight of his cornerman, ONE welterweight Agilan “Alligator” Thani.
#4 Grayson Hangs Tough To Catch Late Submission
Australian middleweights Rick “Ice Cold” Alchin and Marc “Gyrocopter” Grayson went back and forth in a grueling mixed martial arts tussle, but Grayson ended it in spectacular fashion in the final frame.
After being in the ascendency in round one, “Gyrocopter” felt the force of the veteran Alchin throughout rounds two and three. “Ice Cold” was dominant and looked for a D’Arce choke finish, but his countryman escaped his grasp and got on top.
With less than two minutes remaining, Grayson needed to do something drastic to win. He hammered his rival with ground and pound, but Alchin somehow slipped out to top position. However, it was straight into the Gyro Jiu Jitsu athlete’s armbar, and he got a hurried tap with just 64 seconds left on the clock.
#5 Danesoe And Ahmad’s Three-Round Thriller
Irfan “The Gorilla” Ahmad and “Saint” Peter Danesoe engaged in a thrilling three-round tussle in the strawweight division that went all the way to the judges’ scorecards.
The mixed martial arts encounter showed the full range of skills of both men – with a wide range of strikes, high-amplitude takedowns, and frenetic work on the ground.
The most decisive moment of the bout came late in round two when Ahmad dropped his rival with a spinning back elbow, and he went on to take the nod via unanimous decision.
Read more: ONE Warrior Series 10 – All The Action And Results
