Top Fight Highlights From ONE: FISTS OF FURY

ONE Championship’s latest event was aptly named, as ONE: FISTS OF FURY featured a slew of striking superstars – although a new face in mixed martial arts also made her highly anticipated debut.

The athletes on the card displayed speed, power, and technical brilliance throughout six outstanding fights at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, 26 February.

With every matchup firing on all cylinders, narrowing down the top performances was no easy feat. But after some back and forth, we’ve picked our top three highlights from an incredible night in “The Lion City.”

#1 Ennahachi Narrowly Bests Superlek

After #1-ranked flyweight kickboxing contender Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon – who is also the reigning Muay Thai king in the division – won his ONE Super Series kickboxing debut earlier in the night, it was time for the division’s reigning World Champion, Ilias “Tweety” Ennahachi, to hold serve.

He did just that in the main event, edging out tough challenger “The Kicking Machine” Superlek Kiatmoo9 to retain the belt.

In the early rounds, Ennahachi flashed his unorthodox movement to befuddle his Thai challenger. Superlek struggled to get going, and “Tweety” was able to score with a wide array of strikes.

But Superlek would not go quietly and began to pick up the pace. The Kiatmoo9 star became increasingly aggressive in the second half of the bout by marching forward, cutting off the Circle, and firing his powerful right kicks.

Although his body was turning red from the damage, the defending king responded to Superlek’s pressure with counters, which helped swing the scorecards in his favor. The result was still in doubt when the final bell rang, but all three judges gave Ennahachi the narrow advantage – and the gold – following the five-round classic.

After holding up his end of the bargain, Ennahachi called for a World Champion versus World Champion super-fight against Rodtang, potentially setting the stage for the dream showdown later this year.

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#2 Buntan’s Stunning Debut

Jackie Buntan stepped onto the global stage for the first time at ONE: FISTS OF FURY and immediately put herself in the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship picture with a surprisingly dominant unanimous decision victory over Wondergirl Fairtex.

Wondergirl, who had knocked out her first two ONE Super Series foes, came forward from the outset of the match, but she was met with the Filipino-American’s blistering speed and cracking power.

The most significant counter-shot came late in the first round when Buntan connected with a hammering left hook to the jaw that made Wondergirl face-plant on the canvas. Somehow, she met the referee’s count and gathered herself between rounds.

Still, Wondergirl never fully recovered from the blow. Meanwhile, the Southern California native continued to showcase her Boxing Works training with combinations that repeatedly stifled the Thai across nine minutes of action.

The sterling performance instantly made Buntan a name to watch in ONE Super Series and positioned her among the elite fighters in the strawweight Muay Thai division.

#3 A ‘Prodigy’ Delivers

The bar for Victoria “The Prodigy” Lee is sky-high thanks to her ONE World Champion siblings – reigning atomweight queen “Unstoppable” Angela Lee and current lightweight king Christian “The Warrior” Lee – but the youngster may have exceeded her lofty expectations at ONE: FISTS OF FURY.

In her professional debut, the 16-year-old mixed martial artist overwhelmed and ultimately finished Sunisa “Thunderstorm” Srisen to kick off the show in Singapore.

Lee opened the atomweight contest by displaying her hand speed and connecting with a flurry to Srisen’s face. However, the Thai responded with a hip toss that put “The Prodigy” on her back.

The Singaporean-American quickly stood and worked herself back into the clinch, where she dragged the Thai athlete to the canvas. Although she could not lock up the rear-naked choke, Lee showcased her dominance on the ground until the round came to a close.

Fans saw more of the same in the second frame, as the United MMA product quickly put Srisen back on the mat. This time, the Hawaii resident effortlessly took her opponent’s back and sunk in the choke she had searched for in the first stanza. The squeeze forced Srisen to officially tap at the 1:03 mark of round two.

With her impressive debut victory, “The Prodigy” silenced many doubters and looked the part of a budding superstar in The Home Of Martial Arts.

Read more: All Main Card Fights For ‘ONE On TNT’ Event Series Confirmed