Balyko Impressive In Debut, Otop Finishes Shibata In Under A Minute At ONE Friday Fights 33
ONE Friday Fights 33 kicked off a busy period for ONE Championship when it went live in Asia primetime from Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on September 15.
The global fanbase was treated to electric action from start to finish, with comeback victories and sensational knockouts spread across the 13 Muay Thai and MMA battles on the card.
All focus will soon return to Bangkok for the hotly anticipated ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title showdown between Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE Friday Fights 34 on September 22.
But before that happens, catch up on all the action from ONE Friday Fights 33.
Balyko Topples Yod-IQ In Three-Round Firefight
Alexey Balyko was expecting a war when he took on Yod-IQ PK Saenchai in the main event, and that is what the Russian star got in their 150-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest.
Balyko’s volume and power allowed him to play the role of the aggressor throughout the tie. Despite being at a height disadvantage, he wasn’t afraid to close the distance behind his left hooks – though he had to eat a bucketload of strikes from his Thai foe in return.
The debuting star seemed unfazed overall, however, and he continued to throw bombs at every opportunity, even sending the PK Saenchai standout to the canvas in the second round.
To Yod-IQ’s credit, he managed to land a slew of significant strikes, but his output wasn’t enough to minimize Balyko’s onslaught.
After three rounds of action, the judges unanimously handed the Tiger Muay Thai athlete his 21st career victory to kick-start his ONE tenure in style.
Watcharaphon Outworks Apiwat In Three-Round Thriller
Watcharaphon Singha Mawynn impressed in his debut this past July, and he followed that up perfectly with a three-round striking clinic against Apiwat Sor Somnuk in their 129-pound catchweight Muay Thai firefight.
The lanky limbs of Watcharaphon told the story of the contest from beginning to end. His pressure and range prevented Apiwat from ever finding his groove – despite the Thai veteran’s hard-hitting efforts to bait him into a slugfest in the second stanza.
At the end of the allotted nine minutes, the judges had a relatively easy decision, and all three handed Watcharaphon the win to move him to 2-0 in ONE and 72-8-2 overall.
Panthep Snatches Victory After Back-And-Forth War With Chalamkhao
Panthep VK Khaoyai bounced back from a previous loss to score a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Chalamkhao PK Saenchai.
The 21-year-old Singpatong and Sitnumnoi Muay Thai Gym standout found himself fighting fire with fire from the get-go in their 124-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle.
Both men fought ferociously, throwing masterful knees, punches, and elbows in close range while waiting for the right moment to attack and counter.
Panthep’s grit wore down Chalamkhao in the end, however, and he stayed ahead on all three of the judges’ scorecards.
With the victory, the Thai star nudged his Muay Thai record to 47-19-2.
Tubtimthong’s Left Hook Finishes Sakolpat In Round One
In 112-pound catchweight Muay Thai action, Tubtimthong Sor Jor Lekmuangnon maintained his winning ways inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium with another massive first-round knockout versus Sakolpat ChotBangsaen.
Just as he did in his highlight-reel debut, the Sor Jor Lekmuangnon representative immediately stepped into action in search of a finish. Barely 30 seconds in, he ripped into enemy territory with a right elbow-left hook combination that floored Sakolpat.
Sensing blood in the water, Tubtimthong quickly closed the distance when his foe regained his footing, and a quickfire right uppercut and left hook separated Sakolpat from his senses at 1:38 of the opening round.
Tubtimthong’s second consecutive finish in ONE pushed his resume to 58-11-1 and cemented him as someone to watch in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
Ondash Upsets Palangboon In Three-Round Slugfest
It was a razor-close contest when Abdallah Ondash and Palangboon Wor Santai went to war in 126-pound catchweight Muay Thai, but it was Ondash who eked out a split-decision win in the end.
The ferocious fighters stood toe to toe when the action kicked off. Palangboon appeared to land the cleaner strikes, but Ondash’s leg kicks were pivotal in slowing down his veteran foe’s pace.
Palangboon’s dominant combinations saw him take the second round, however, so Ondash had to put the pedal to the metal in the final frame.
The Thai-Lebanese striker bit down on his mouthpiece and took the fight to his opponent, encouraging a slugfest in which he came out the better.
Two of the judges gave Ondash the nod as a result, and he moved to 2-0 in ONE and 18-1 overall.
Sing Blitzes Win In Three-Round Thriller
Sing Sor Chokmeechai looked as good as advertised in his ONE Friday Fights debut.
The 20-year-old Thailand native defeated Win Sitjanim by unanimous decision in their 127-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout, but he had to battle hard for the win.
It was a dramatic affair for both athletes in the early stages, as Sing scored an eight-count on his fellow countryman. Win answered the referee’s call, however, and marched back into the fray to shake up Sing with punches and knees.
But the Sor Chokmeechai representative’s knockdown – plus his dizzying output of punches – kept him ahead on the scorecards, and all three judges gave him the nod after nine nail-biting minutes of action.
With the win, Sing improved his all-striking record to 51-9-1.
Yodnumchai Demolishes Chalamkhao, Scores Second-Round Stoppage
Two of Thailand’s most talented teenage fighters squared off in 116-pound catchweight Muay Thai action when Yodnumchai Fairtex took on Chalamkhao Jitmuangnon, and it was the former who proved more dominant.
After a brief feeling-out period in the opening minute, Yodnumchai found a home for a pair of concussive left elbows, both of which were good for knockdowns.
Chalamkhao showed incredible heart in fighting on in the second frame, but his foe didn’t slow his attack one bit, and he scored the fight-ending knockout 48 seconds into the round.
The highlight-reel debut win improved the 19-year-old’s career record to 61-20 overall.
Otop Drops Shibata Three Times In 60 Seconds In Perfect Debut
Otop Or Kwanmuang showed why he’s highly rated among his peers when he finished Shingo Shibata with three knockdowns within 59 seconds of their 143-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest.
The first came just after the action kicked off, as the 17-year-old star landed a counter overhand right off Shingo’s kick. He then connected with another flurry of shots as soon as the match resumed, dropping his foe for a second count.
At that point, the Japanese athlete was in no man’s land, and Otop put the final nail in the coffin with another mix of punches and elbows to grab the TKO win just a second shy of the one-minute mark.
With victory on his promotional bow, the Thai phenom upped his resume to 64-15-2.
Yamin Ends Zhang With Slicing Elbow In Final Frame
Yamin PK Saenchai took time to adjust to 4-ounce gloves in his ONE debut. But once he found his footing, the 27-year-old blasted through Zhang Jinhu in flyweight Muay Thai action.
Yamin endured multiple barrages from his Chinese foe throughout the first round but remained fluid and aware of every strike.
This allowed the Thai star to serve a better offering in the second round, as he found his range with head and body kicks.
Yamin’s confidence was sky-high going into the third stanza, and he picked his moment perfectly to slice a short elbow through Zhang’s defenses and connect with his head to score the knockout at 0:23 of the frame.
The Thai striker improved his slate to 83-26-2 with the debut win.
Teeyai Earns Decision Win Over Albadr In Muay Thai Thriller
Thai sensation Teeyai PK Saenchai remained undefeated in ONE Friday Fights with a thrilling victory over Iraqi standout Ayad Albadr in their strawweight Muay Thai showdown.
Albadr looked to have the advantage in the opening round, as he blasted his foe with straight punches and speedy kicks.
But Teeyai roared back in the second and third stanzas and implemented dynamic, high-paced attacks that forced Albadr onto the defensive and brought the raucous Thai crowd to its feet.
After nine minutes of blistering action, the PK Saenchai man earned the hard-fought decision victory to go 4-0 in ONE and 59-20-12 overall.
Junior Rallies To Finish Dogan With Body Shots
In an atomweight Muay Thai war of two halves, Junior Fairtex extended her winning streak at ONE Friday Fights to three with a wicked TKO against Zehra Dogan.
Dogan broke down the Thai’s defense with punching combinations and push kicks that repeatedly found a home in the early going, but Junior withstood it all and returned with fire.
An inch-perfect straight right sent the Turkish athlete down when the second round got underway, and a barrage of shots to her midsection from Junior capped off the come-from-behind victory at 2:36 of the frame.
With a 23rd career win, the Fairtex Training Center representative will, no doubt, have her eyes on securing a life-changing contract to compete on the grandest stage of martial arts next.
Khan Chokes Out Cho To Score Debut Win
Ismail Khan and Cho Joon Gun relied on their bread and butter when they squared off in flyweight MMA action, but it was the grappling prowess of Khan that won out over his foe’s striking skills in the end.
“The Volcano” knew he had to take control before Cho brought in his dangerous hands, and he subdued the 17-year-old’s offense every chance he got in the first and second rounds.
Khan was then relentless in trying to suffocate the South Korean in the final frame, and his aggression paid off at the 1:10 mark when he sunk in a rear-naked choke to get the tap.
Along with the debut win, the Pakistani star improved his slate to 6-0 overall.
Dhant Punishes Dongak En Route To Third-Round Stoppage
The show kicked off in style with a flyweight MMA contest between promotional newcomer Rabindra Dhant and Russian competitor Torepchi Dongak.
In what played out as a classic grappler-versus-striker matchup, it was the Nepalese standout who imposed his game from the opening bell, using slick takedowns to continuously bring the fight to the canvas, where he punished Dongak with relentless ground-and-pound.
Those devastating strikes eventually added up, and Dhant forced the stoppage at 1:55 of the final stanza.
With the win, the 24-year-old moved to 6-0 overall and announced himself as one to watch in the flyweight MMA division.
