Buchecha, Moraes, Ruotolo, Miura Make Statements At ONE 169: Malykhin Vs. Reug Reug
ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug got off to a thrilling start. The undercard delivered no shortage of white-knuckle action at Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, November 8.
The blockbuster event, which broadcast live in U.S. primetime, gave fans plenty of intriguing and high-stake matchups featuring hungry contenders, established veterans, and exciting rising stars.
Here’s everything that happened in the night’s first eight MMA, Muay Thai, and kickboxing contests.
Moraes Submits Kingad Again In Rematch
As he did in their first showdown in November 2017, former ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes submitted #3-ranked contender Danny “The King” Kingad. However, it took him a little longer this time around.
Unlike their initial encounter seven years ago, which ended in the first round, Kingad initially flipped the script in the rematch. In the opening stanza, he showed his mettle by fearlessly wrestling with the Brazilian and pummeling him with hammerfists, punches, and knees.
But Moraes – also the #1-ranked flyweight MMA contender – reminded his Filipino rival why the canvas was his domain in the second frame.
“Mikinho” jumped on Kingad, grabbed ahold of his neck, and dropped back to the mat to tighten his grip on the guillotine choke, which ended the proceedings at 4:14 of round two.
Moraes moved his record to 21-5 and could have earned a crack at the vacant ONE Flyweight MMA World Championship.
Kongthoranee Dominates Khalilov From Start To Finish
Kongthoranee Sor Sommai was in peak form against “Samingpri” Tagir Khalilov in the pair’s 139.25-pound catchweight Muay Thai affair.
The Thai sensation turned in a three-round master class, employing a thunderous left kick and piercing straight left hand to punish his foe for three straight rounds.
That clean and crispy technique earned Kongthoranee the unanimous decision victory. The win improved his career slate to 70-16 overall.
Ruotolo Flashes Punching Power In Submission Win Over Mujtaba
ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo proved that he is more than just a dangerous BJJ practitioner in his second MMA contest. He’s got power in his hands, too.
Though Ruotolo submitted Ahmed “Wolverine” Mujtaba via D’arce choke in their lightweight MMA bout, it was a booming punch that set up the first-round finish.
The prodigy dropped the Pakistani veteran with a destructive overhand early in the contest, which rattled “Wolverine.” As soon as Mujtaba fell to the ground, Ruotolo swarmed him and eventually got the choke just 64 seconds into the tilt.
That victory moved the American to 2-0 in MMA and earned him the night’s third US$50,000 performance bonus.
Sam-A Cruises To Commanding Win Over Zhang
Former two-sport, two-division ONE World Champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao continued his winning ways against “Fighting Rooster” Zhang Peimian, claiming a unanimous decision victory in their strawweight kickboxing tilt.
Though it was his 21-year-old rival who brought the fight to him, the living legend maintained his composure. He fired off left knees, hooks, and jabs, which rattled the Chinese phenom throughout the three-round scrap.
More impressively, the Evolve MMA representative’s fluid movement forced Zhang to miss more than he connected, and every time “Fighting Rooster” was caught in two minds, the 41-year-old veteran made him pay with more inch-perfect shots.
Sam-A left the ring with a well-deserved unanimous decision to bump his overall resume to 375-49, and he might have just pushed himself into the World Title picture against longtime rival, reigning ONE Strawweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion Prajanchai PK Saenchai.
‘Buchecha’ Chokes Out Aliakbari
In heavyweight MMA action, 17-time BJJ World Champion Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida might have punched his ticket to a ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title shot with a sensational first-round finish of Iranian powerhouse Amir Aliakbari.
The Brazilian landed a takedown in the bout’s opening minutes, and once he had his foe’s back flat on the canvas, he turned in a clinical performance.
Almeida patiently passed the Greco-Roman Wrestling World Champion’s guard, and then he took his back and sunk in the fight-ending rear-naked choke in the blink of an eye at the 3:15 mark of the opening frame.
The victory improved “Buchecha’s” career slate to 5-1, kept his 100 percent finishing rate intact, and secured him the second US$50,000 performance bonus of the night.
Rabah Survives Abasolo In Featherweight Muay Thai War
“The Eagle” Mohamed Younes Rabah was successful in his featherweight Muay Thai debut, earning a unanimous decision win over American veteran “Silky Smooth” Eddie Abasolo. But the Algerian striker had a late scare.
Rabah scored an early knockdown in the first round, dropping the California native with a big left hand. A spinning elbow in the second frame got him another to create further separation on the scorecards.
Abasolo was down, but he wasn’t out. Needing a KO to turn things around, he floored the Algerian with a booming left in the waning seconds of the battle. Rabah recovered from the knockdown, however, and competed until the final bell.
Ultimately, all three judges awarded the contest to Rabah, who improved his record to 15-1.
Miura Taps Out Aragon With Trademark Scarf-Hold Americana
Former ONE Women’s Strawweight MMA World Title challenger Ayaka “Zombie” Miura has officially put the atomweight division on notice.
The Japanese star made quick work of Macarena Aragon, handing the promotional newcomer her first career loss with her trademark “Ayaka Lock” just minutes into the opening stanza.
Miura faced stiff opposition early from her fellow judo black belt, but once she had Aragon on the canvas, it was game over.
The Tribe Tokyo MMA product secured Aragon’s neck, locked her rival’s arm in-between her legs, and squeezed with all her might to draw the tap at 2:20 of round one.
That submission victory was Miura’s eighth scarf-hold Americana finish and second consecutive win in the atomweight division. In addition, it pushed her record to 14-5 and earned her a cool US$50,000 performance bonus.
Aliff Outworks Goncalves In Muay Thai Curtain Raiser
Aliff Sor Dechapan utilized his length and put his Muay Thai skills to good use to beat Walter “Iron Hands” Goncalves via unanimous decision in their strawweight Muay Thai bout.
The lanky 20-year-old brought out his entire Muay Thai bag, but he most notably landed thunderous knees and elbows to frustrate the Brazilian heavy hitter, who was intent on getting into range and fighting inside the pocket.
Aliff managed to avoid that by clinching and disengaging, especially in the third frame when Goncalves turned on the heat. Though “Iron Hands” punished his foe with hard leg kicks, he received a yellow card for an inadvertent knee to his grounded Thai-Malaysian counterpart.
In the end, all three judges scored the bout for Aliff, who pushed his record to 59-9.
