Top 6 Highlights Of ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD

ONE Championship lit up Bangkok, Thailand’s Impact Arena once again with a stunning event that was packed with action.

ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD featured some of the finest martial artists from the worlds of Muay Thai, kickboxing and mixed martial arts, and the stakes were high thanks to World Championship gold and World Grand Prix final spots on the line.

The 14-bout bill delivered it all – knockouts, submissions, crowd-pleasing battles, and stunning upsets.

It was hard to pick just a few of the best bits, but these are the six best highlights from the show.

#1 Ennahachi Dethrones Petchdam With Emphatic Finish

The Dutch challenger did not fear his Thai rival and dialed up the pressure as the bout wore on. Petchdam was put on wobbly legs in the second and somehow managed to survive, but the SB Gym representative did not let him off the hook in round three.

Ennahachi used his volume and intensity to overwhelm Petchdam, and then clubbed him with a short overhand left that buckled his knees. He continued to swarm, and the defending World Champion fell to the mat.

When he got back up to his feet, the man from Utrecht rallied with boxing combinations to the head and body until the 21-year-old was put down and out.

#2 “The Doctor” Seals His Final Spot With First-Round KO

Giorgio “The Doctor” Petrosyan punched his ticket to the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Championship final with a first-round knockout victory over “Smokin” Jo Nattawut.

He lined up “Smokin Jo” with his lead hand and then stepped forward with a piston of a straight left. Nattawut absorbed the blow on the chin and fell backward, unable to pick himself off the canvas to meet the 10-count.

The win puts him in the final of the biggest kickboxing tournament in history against Samy “AK47” Sana, who also looked fantastic as he knocked down Dzhabar “Genghis Khan” Askerov on his way to a dominant decision win earlier in the evening.

#3 Stamp Sparkles In Mixed Martial Arts

Two-sport ONE World Champion Stamp Fairtex is already a superstar because of her success in kickboxing and Muay Thai, but in front of her compatriots, she began her quest for gold in mixed martial arts, too.

The 21-year-old from Pattaya showed power in her punches and her strong clinch against Asha “Knockout Queen” Roka, but it was her work on the ground that really stood out.

Stamp is still a relative newcomer to grappling, but she took control to land hard ground and pound, attempt several different submissions, and finally latch onto a rear-naked choke to elicit the tap.

The World Title is still a long way away, and greater tests await, but she has got off to a great start on her run at a historic third belt.

#4 Le’s Second KO In A Row 

Thanh Le’s debut knockout victory in The Home Of Martial Arts was incredible, and he added another to his résumé in Bangkok.

Kotetsu “No Face” Boku took aim at the Vietnamese-American as he threw a left body kick, but the Japanese athlete overextended on his punch and left himself out of position.

As Le retracted his kick, he missed with a left, but then his right hand crunched into the former ONE Lightweight World Champion’s jaw and sent him tumbling. A final punch on the ground made sure it was over after just 88 seconds.

#5 “Dragon Boy” Wastes No Time In Making An Impression

Ryuto “Dragon Boy” Sawada made his first appearance on the global stage for martial arts following his graduation from Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series, and he picked up where he left off on the show.

The 23-year-old from Japan continued his run of submission victories with a swift finish of Aziz “The Krauser” Calim just 69 seconds into round one.

Calim took a swing at the Japanese star, but left himself open, and Sawada scored an easy takedown. Within seconds, he was mounted, and then Sawada effortlessly moved to his back to cinch up the rear-naked choke for the tap.

#6 Ramazanov’s Phenomenal Punching Power

Three-time IFMA Muay Thai World Champion Alaverdi “Babyface Killer” Ramazanov was relentless in his pursuit of the finish against Ognjen Topic in their bantamweight Muay Thai bout on the preliminary card.

Topic is a durable and experienced World Champion in his own right, but he was sent to the canvas three times in the opening round.

The Russian knockout artist got the first knockdown when the Serbian-American caught his kick, and he chopped with a hard right hand to put him down. He threw a powerful cross-hook for the second, and finally sealed the deal when he feinted with a kick and dropped another right hand on the button.