Superball Debuts With Victory In ONE Friday Fights 5 Main Event; Fiery Card Features 9 Finishes
ONE Championship has been making a habit of staging high-octane martial arts events every Friday in Thailand – and the latest edition was no different.
On February 17, ONE Friday Fights 5 went down at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and delivered 12 more thrilling Muay Thai and MMA contests. Nine of the bouts never made it to the final bell, and fans were shown why the organization’s weekly series is must-see TV.
Here’s how everything went down inside Bangkok’s most iconic sporting arena.
Superball Overcomes Kongklai In Barnburner
Thai stars Superball Tded99 and Kongklai Annymuaythai knew they had to deliver the goods to cap off an exhilarating night of action – and from the opening bell, they left everything in the center of the ring.
Superball walked into the fray of their 138-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout with thrusting knees that nearly split his opponent’s torso in two. But the puncher in Kongklai came to life as he was forced to defend his space.
Neither man wanted to give an inch, and that led to back-to-back knockdowns – Superball’s coming first, but Kongklai’s immediately following. And once back on their feet, the men wore on.
When the dust settled on this entertaining affair, all three judges scored the unanimous decision for Superball, who improved his record to 71-19-1 and showed that he could be a force in the organization.
Denkriangkai Edges Past Sonchana In Catchweight Chaos
Over the course of three intense rounds, Denkriangkrai Singha Mawynn and Songchana Tor Brucelee staged an unbelievable firefight.
Both Thai strikers put everything on the line in their 130-pound catchweight Muay Thai tussle, and the result hung in the balance until the very last moment.
Ultimately, Denkriangkrai’s impressive work rate and volume saw him receive the nod from two of three judges, as the 23-year-old picked up the close split decision and improved his overall record to 51-29-1 in a memorable ONE debut.
Namphongnoi Scores 57-Second Knockout Of Ploypanlan
Namphongnoi Sor Sommai spent weeks training for his flyweight Muay Thai matchup with Ploypanlan PK Saenchai, but he needed less than a minute to get the job done.
The two Thai strikers met in the middle of the ring and swung hard and fast. Before long, an overhand right from Namphongnoi connected flush and sent his opponent down.
As Ploypanlan struggled to regain his feet, the referee waved off the bout at 0:57 of round one.
Teeyai Cuts The Contest Short Against Blommaert
Teeyai PK Saenchai showcased his striking talents in front of the Lumpinee faithful, dominating Jelte Blommaert across one full round of strawweight Muay Thai action.
The 21-year-old Thai found early success inside the clinch, allowing him to land relentless elbow strikes on his Belgian adversary. That precision soon opened a deep cut on Blommaert, forcing the doctor to stop him from returning for the second round.
The TKO victory saw Teeyai move his slate to 56-20-12.
Lawrence Makes Quick Work Of Ploymuangjan
Iony “Iron Fist” Lawrence lived up to her moniker in her 132-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout against Ploymuangjan Smile Muaythai.
It didn’t take long for the British striker to put Ploymuangjan on the back foot, as she pressured her into the ropes with punches. A dazzling jab to the body curled the Thai’s frame forward, and Lawrence zapped her with a follow-up right hand.
That two-piece led to another barrage of punches, and the referee was forced to stop the fight at 1:58 of round one. The victory nudged “Iron Fist’s” record to 20-3-1.
Khunsuk Stuns Yodbuangarm In Two-Round Triumph
Khunsuk Sor Dechapan and Yodbuangarm Luckybuntherng collided in an entertaining 112-pound catchweight Muay Thai affair, with the two young scrappers putting on a show.
The Thai duo traded blows in a steady first round, but it was Khunsuk who took the most from the opening three minutes.
The 19-year-old then dispatched Yodbuangarm by knockout just 52 seconds into the second stanza.
Karabag Turns Tables To Win Epic Battle With Revo
Furkan Karabag and Revo Sor Sommai delivered a riveting showcase of Muay Thai in their back-and-forth 154-pound catchweight matchup.
WBC Muay Thai World Champion Revo dominated in round one, before a strong resurgence from Karabag in the second frame.
The Thai then wobbled Revo with a huge left hand in round three, but the Turkish slugger survived and capitalized, finishing his foe with punishing low kicks at 0:37 and extending his record to 26-6.
Biagtan Scores Last-Minute KO Of Adamkhonov
Fritz Biagtan kicked off his ONE Championship career in emphatic style.
In his flyweight MMA bout against dangerous striker Nurmukhammad Adamkhonov, the Filipino phenom’s hammering left hook was the weapon of choice, nearly stopping his foe in the second round with a flurry of thudding lefts to the body.
Ultimately, the highlight-reel finish came with just 24 seconds remaining in the fight, as the 27-year-old melted Adamkhonov with a jaw-crushing left hook that improved his pro record to 5-1.
Savicheva Shows Off Well-Rounded Skills With TKO Of Bano
Aleksandra Savicheva dominated Zeba Bano en route to a decisive first-round TKO victory at 3:39 of their strawweight MMA encounter.
The debuting Russian looked slick on the feet, scoring with laser-guided straight punches and punishing kicks, and when Bano tried to clinch for some respite, Savicheva ended up on top.
The unbeaten 24-year-old drilled her Indian foe with punches from mount, before securing back control and sealing her third straight victory with another barrage of ground-and-pound.
Dedduanglek Earns Decision Over Bekmurzaev In Thriller
In 138-pound catchweight Muay Thai action, Dedduanglek Tded99 and Temirlan Bekmurzaev went to war for three furious rounds.
The Road to One Thailand Champion’s venomous kicking game was on point throughout, as he punished his opponent’s body and head with massive round kicks.
And while the Russian gamely answered back with heavy counter-punches, Dedduanglek was simply too powerful and too clean on his way to securing the unanimous decision victory.
With the win, the 20-year-old Thai improved to 61-50 overall.
Brady Scores First-Round KO Over Rankine
British striker Hannah Brady and Scottish opponent Claire Rankine both debuted in a frenetic 130-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle that lasted just 2:07.
Brady came out firing with heavy punches, and Rankine was initially able to match her punch for punch. However, the Leeds native quickly established a clear power advantage.
The 24-year-old then sent Rankine reeling with a jutting elbow to set the finishing sequence in motion. She swarmed with a barrage of punches to score the knockout finish and push her record to 18-6-2.
Sawada Tears Through Fayazmanesh In Two Rounds
Japanese standout Chihiro Sawada put on a beautiful display of grappling in her atomweight mixed martial arts showdown with Iranian rising star Sanaz Fayazmanesh.
Former Shooto Champion Sawada dominated her unbeaten opponent from start to finish, utilizing masterful takedowns, suffocating top control, and relentless submission attacks.
The submission finish came at 53 seconds of the second frame when Sawada latched onto an Americana shoulder lock from the mount position, improving her sterling MMA record to 4-0-1.
