Top 5 Highlights From ONE Warrior Series 7
The rising stars of Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series (OWS) once again showed how hungry they are for a ONE Championship contract with some top-class performances in Singapore.
OWS 7 took place on Tuesday, 6 August with 15 bouts that included athletes from every corner of the globe — all with their eyes on a six-figure contract in The Home Of Martial Arts.
If you missed any of the action, you can catch up on everything here, but first, take a look at some of the best moments from a thrilling show.
#1 Adiwang’s Complete Performance
Lito Adiwang topped the bill in a strawweight battle with Anthony “The Antidote” Do, and the Team Lakay man put on one of his most complete performances to date to push his record to 3-0 in ONE’s developmental league, and 9-2 overall.
American Kickboxing Academy’s Do pushed Adiwang to his limits for three rounds, particularly in the grappling stakes, but the Filipino handled the pressure well and came back strong.
He found a home for his heavy hands and powerful kicks, and he also showed a complete array defensive skills on the ground to stay out of danger from submissions, and turn the tables to go on the attack in the final stanza.
After a pair of first-round knockout wins in OWS, the hard-earned decision victory showed that Adiwang is the complete package, and he could be a brilliant addition to the main ONE roster.
#2 Philpott’s Late Late Show
Alan “The Apprentice” Philpott and Myeong Gu Kim engaged in a fast-paced battle for three rounds before the Northern Irish athlete turned up the heat on his South Korean rival.
Philpott showed glimpses of his striking prowess in the first two rounds, but the pair mostly battled on the ground and exchanged dominant positions and submissions attempts. A finish could have happened at any time.
It finally came at the start of round three when “The Apprentice” really poured on the pressure in the stand-up. His hands were accurate, and he also added kicks and knees to his offense.
A left hook at the end of a quick-fire combo dropped Kim to the mat, and a knee sealed the deal for his second consecutive OWS victory.
#3 McEwan Dispatches Olsim Within A Minute
Caitlin McEwen’s OWS debut went perfectly, as the Stockade Training Center athlete submitted Jenelyn Olsim less than a minute into their strawweight encounter.
The 22-year-old Australian clinched up with her Filipino rival early, but then opted to pull guard when her takedown attempts did not bear fruit.
Within seconds, McEwen had switched her hips to attack Olsim’s right arm and got the tap from a tight armbar to extend her professional record to 5-1.
#4 Bandiwan’s Barrage Stops Sulaiman
Ismael Bandiwan and Adib “Deep” Sulaiman duked it out in another extremely well-matched tussle that came to a head early in the final frame.
Bandiwan wanted to put a stamp on the contest at the start of round three and sensed that his powerful striking was the way to do it.
He backed Sulaiman into the corner and then let rip with a furious barrage of punches. “Deep” could only cover up in the hope that the offense would stop, but it did not.
The Tribal Torogi man continued to pound away until his rival crumbled, and got his third victory in OWS.
#5 Punnya Sai Moves To 4-0
Myanmar’s Punnya Sai could be the next big thing in Myanmar mixed martial arts.
The 20-year-old has now posted a 4-0 slate, and every win has come in ONE’s proving ground for up-and-comers. His latest was a quick one against Raghvendra Singh.
Punnya Sai’s grappling was too much for the Indian wushu stylist, and he forced Singh to turn his back with hard ground and pound. From then, he was there for the taking and immediately succumbed to a tight rear-naked choke with fewer than three minutes on the clock.
