Seksan Earns Six-Figure Contract, Aminipour Stays Unbeaten At ONE Friday Fights 29
Combat sports fans have come to love ONE Championship’s Friday Fights series for its nonstop action.
ONE Friday Fights 29 reminded everyone of that once again, as 24 athletes across MMA, kickboxing, and Muay Thai fought furiously to raise their stock in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
The event took place at its usual stomping grounds – Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand – and featured a slew of stunning finishes, three-round thrillers, and one star who got the ultimate opportunity.
In case you missed any of the action, here’s a rundown of everything that went down at the iconic venue live in Asia primetime on Friday, August 18.
Seksan Sleeps Araya To Score Multi-Fight Contract
Seksan Or Kwanmuang earned a well-deserved US$100,000 multi-fight contract to compete on ONE’s global stage with a second-round knockout victory over Isaac Araya.
“The Man Who Yields To No One” used the opening frame of the 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai duel to read his Spanish foe’s movement, leading Araya to assume he could have a field day against the four-time Muay Thai World Champion.
Seksan punished the debuting star for that indulgence with a stinging right hand and then ramped up the pace in the second round.
The Or Kwanmuang superstar blended kicks and elbows with follow-up punches to floor Araya, and he sprinted at his foe with more strikes when the action resumed.
A straight right from Seksan brought an end to proceedings at the 46-second mark of the stanza, moving his slate to 198-74.
He’ll hope to build on his perfect 5-0 promotional record when he competes on ONE’s biggest stage next time out.
Duangsompong Bests Paidang In Flyweight Thriller
Duangsompong Jitmuangnon and Paidang Kiatsongrit put it all on the line in their flyweight Muay Thai scrap, but it was Duangsompong who did just enough to leave Lumpinee Stadium victorious.
The Thai standout started the bout aggressively, throwing head kicks at Paidang, who answered back in kind.
Duangsompong continued to push the pace, though, and he improved his accuracy in the second stanza. Paidang did manage to sting his compatriot on the ropes, but the Jitmuangnon athlete shook it off.
A close final round ensued, as both scrappers unleashed everything they had. But ultimately, Duangsompong’s body of work over the course of the bout was enough to see him return to winning ways, his unanimous decision win moved him to an impressive 72-11 overall.
Komawut Nabs Majority Decision Over Panrit
Elbows, kicks, punches, and knees – the 143-pound catchweight firefight between Komawut FA Group and Panrit Lukjaomaesaiwaree had everything that makes Muay Thai so captivating to watch.
In the end, Komawut did just enough to pull ahead in the eyes of the judges, and he walked away with the majority decision win.
Both stocky Thai stars stood neck-to-neck and contently attacked each other from within the pocket. Blows were traded. Chins were tested. But neither man wilted under the pressure. In fact, even after three rounds of action, the referee had to peel them apart.
Two of the three judges gave the nod to Komawut when the action wrapped, though, and he improved his Muay Thai record to 49-13.
Pethuahin Debuts With A Cracking Display Against Pongsiri
Pethuahin Jitmuangnon’s pace and aggression pushed him to overcome Pongsiri Sor Jor Wichitpadriew in their 128-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest, but his Thai compatriot showed out right to the end.
The debuting star controlled proceedings throughout the first round, disassembling Pongsiri with low kicks and punches. And though that one-way traffic continued at the start of the second stanza, Pongsiri soon began to find gaps when he unloaded.
The scorecard was tight heading into the final frame, so both men dropped their guard and threw down to try and snatch a late win. The Jitmuangnon standout found more success, however, and he connected with a thumping right that floored his rival.
Pethuahin was awarded his 45th career win by all three judges as a result, announcing himself to ONE Friday Fights in style.
Singdomthong Dominates Surachai To Earn Decision Win
Singdomthong Nokjeanladkrabang went 2-0 at ONE Friday Fights in his 126-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle with Surachai Sor Sommai.
Surachai came out swinging against his fellow Thai, but Singdomthong’s precise strikes began to find a home soon after.
Midway through the first round, a short counter elbow from the Nokjeanladkrabang product put Surachai on the mat, leaving him chasing the contest from then on.
Singdomthong continued to land the cleaner combinations across the remainder of the action, despite a mighty effort from his opponent.
The final frame saw the pair stand toe-to-toe as they both hunted for the finish, but Singdomthong continued to land hard, and he was handed the unanimous decision win for his efforts, pushing his overall slate to 77-18.
Face Ekes Out Petrapha In Three-Round Firefight
Face Erawan dragged old foe Petrapha Sor Sopit through the trenches to score a majority decision win in his ONE debut.
The two men bounced 4-ounce leather off each other’s heads for nine hard minutes of their 122-pound catchweight Muay Thai clash, but it was a single high kick in the first round that sealed the deal for Face.
Just as Petrapha pivoted into a left hook, Face launched a left kick that careened into his Thai compatriot’s head. The Sor Sorpit standout answered the eight-count, but he failed to pull ahead thereafter.
Face bagged the razor-close victory when the action came to an end, nudging his all-striking record to 75-14.
Aminipour’s Fists Earn Him Decision Win Over Pongsiri
Fariyar Aminipour’s slick boxing and counters proved to be the deciding factor against Pongsiri PK Saenchai in their high-octane bantamweight Muay Thai clash.
The undefeated striker halted his Thai foe’s forward pressure with his punching power, and he caught Pongsiri on the jaw and body on multiple occasions.
The PK Saenchai Muaythaigym fighter refused to back down, though, and he continued to swarm into enemy territory – even after being wobbled by a pair of hooks from Aminipour.
Unfortunately for the two-time Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai World Champion, that only yielded more attacks from the Iranian star, who continued his work upstairs to earn the unanimous decision from the judges.
Aminipour’s record now stands at 15-0, including four perfect showings at ONE Friday Fights.
Osmanov Outshines Karroumi In Three-Round Clinic
Elbrus Osmanov delivered his best performance in ONE yet when he cruised to a unanimous decision victory over Wail Karroumi in their bantamweight kickboxing tilt.
The striking pair felt each other out in close quarters in the first round, but it was Osmanov’s flashier strikes that made the difference.
With the distance calculated, “The Samurai’s” confidence grew in the second stanza, and he wobbled Karroumi with a dangerous left hook.
The third frame saw more of the same from Osmanov, who stormed in and dropped his Dutch-Moroccan opposition with a highlight-reel spinning backfist.
The undefeated Russian’s relentless pressure earned him the judges’ nod in the end, putting him 3-0 in ONE and 9-0 overall.
Rambong Blitzes Silva To Score TKO Victory
In 128-pound catchweight Muay Thai action, local star Rambong Sor Therapat impressed with a strong showing against dangerous Brazilian scrapper Noelisson Silva.
Fighting out of the southpaw stance, Rambong consistently found a home for his thunderous straight left, and he mixed in punishing kicks that he aimed at his foe’s body.
That relentless aggression quickly added up, and after two rounds of furious action, Silva found himself unable to answer the bell for the third round.
Rambong was handed the TKO victory as a result, earning him his second finish at ONE Friday Fights.
Yu Dominates Hansen En Route To Unanimous Decision Win
Yu Yau Pui didn’t take her foot off the gas for a second in her atomweight Muay Thai contest with Celest Hansen, and her dominant showing earned her a fourth successive win at ONE Friday Fights.
The 30-year-old worked behind her push kicks to break down the Australian star’s tight defense, and she followed that up with high and low strikes to keep Hansen backpedaling throughout the tie.
When she had successfully drained the Fairtex Training Center and Phuket Singha athlete’s gas tank with kicks, Yu went upstairs and continued to make life more difficult for her up to the final bell.
The Hong Kong, China star’s output earned her the nod from the judges, and she improved her overall record to 26-2.
Thani Turns Back Time In Second-Round Submission Of Khasaev
Agilan Thani put together back-to-back wins for the first time in five years when he submitted Magomedmurad Khasaev in the second round of their welterweight MMA showdown.
“Alligator” engaged with his Russian foe right from the start, and he had to overcome Khasaev’s ruthless wrestling pedigree in the opening frame.
Thani came out in the second round ready to make a statement, though, and he managed to take Khasaev down immediately.
From there, the Malaysian veteran waited patiently for his opening. When he found it, Thani sank in a rear-naked choke to force the tap at 3:14 of round two.
The impressive submission finish earned him his 13th professional MMA win.
Oorzhak’s Dynamic Striking Stops Chelbaev After Two Rounds
Chayan Oorzhak and Andrey Chelbaev kicked off the evening with a high-paced flyweight MMA battle, and it was the former that walked away with the win.
Oorzhak wasted no time piecing together flashy combinations after the opening bell sounded in his second ONE Friday Fights appearance.
The Mongolian-Russian star stalked his foe around the ring, and he continuously pounced and connected with venom.
Chelbaev fired back, utilizing his dangerous boxing, but Oorzhak’s pace and power eventually proved too much for the Russian, and he was unable to answer the bell at the start of the third frame.
The dominant TKO victory is Oorzhak’s second in ONE, and it pushed his professional record to 7-2.
