Kelly, Haggerty, Nolan, Emilbek Uulu Earn Victories On ONE On Prime Video 4 Lead Card
On Friday, November 18, ONE Championship kicked off another martial arts doubleheader with ONE on Prime Video 4: Abbasov vs. Lee.
The evening began with an intriguing lead card, which featured three different sports, a former ONE World Champion, established veterans, and a collection of rising stars.
Here, we recap all the Muay Thai, MMA, and submission grappling action from the lead card of ONE on Prime Video 4.
Haggerty Edges Kuzmin In Three-Round Thriller
It was refreshing to see Jonathan Haggerty back in the Circle after he was forced to withdraw from his past two fights. Fans felt it. He felt it. And unfortunately for Vladimir Kuzmin, he felt it as well.
The English star scored a tightly contested majority decision win in his catchweight Muay Thai clash with the Russian. It was a result that even Haggerty admitted could have gone either way during his post-fight interview. But in the end, he used his kicks and evasive movement to steal the victory.
The former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion troubled Kuzmin over nine minutes by circling away from his foe’s power shots and firing off high kicks. He connected with the instep of his foot on Kuzmin’s chin numerous times to take the slight lead on the scorecards.
With the victory, Haggerty improved his record to 19-4. And since this bout was initially scheduled at bantamweight, the former flyweight Muay Thai king could soon find himself battling a top-ranked contender in the higher weight class.
Emilbek Uulu Finds Late Rhythm To Hand Fitikefu First Loss
It took a little while for Ruslan “Snow Leopard” Emilbek Uulu to get going in his welterweight MMA battle with Isi “Doxz” Fitikefu, but he rallied to overcome the quick and aggressive Tongan-Kiwi.
The Kyrgyz star utilized his complete skill set to frustrate the debuting Fitikefu, landing beautiful combinations and scoring a couple of crucial takedowns late in the bout to take a hard-earned split-decision victory.
Fitikefu started strong by utilizing his speed and boxing prowess, and his forward pressure seemed to throw off Emilbek Uulu. However, “Snow Leopard” eventually began to rely on his jab, and he countered his foe’s aggression with effective leg kicks.
Emilbek Uulu continued that successful formula for the rest of the match, keeping his opponent within a safe distance and connecting with two pivotal takedowns in the third round. The last of those came when he countered a Fitikefu leg kick to land a double-leg, which ultimately sealed the deal.
The win improved Emilbek Uulu to 3-1 in ONE Championship and 20-3 overall, while Fitikefu lost for the first time in his burgeoning mixed martial arts career.
Kelly’s BJJ Makes Quick Work Of Molchanova’s Sambo
Danielle Kelly barely broke a sweat while scoring another victory for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the ongoing rivalry between BJJ and sambo.
The Philadelphia-born athlete was supremely dominant from start to finish in her atomweight submission grappling clash with four-time Sambo World Champion Mariia Molchanova, winning via rear-naked choke just over two minutes into the match.
Kelly wasted no time bringing the fight to the canvas, immediately sitting to guard and then pulling her opponent into her vaunted closed guard. From there, the BJJ black belt worked her way to the Russian’s back and began to threaten with a choke – all within the first 30 seconds.
Molchanova was game, though, and she held off the rear-naked choke as long as she could. At one point, she even returned to her feet with Kelly still attached to her back.
But seconds later, the American slammed her foe to the ground, and her squeeze quickly forced the tap. The stunning submission earned Kelly her first win inside the Circle – along with a US$50,000 performance bonus.
Nolan Scores Dominant Decision Win Over Abasolo
Liam Nolan kicked off the lead card in style by scoring a unanimous decision win over ONE Championship newcomer Eddie Abasolo in their lightweight Muay Thai battle.
The British star was active from the opening bell, landing blows on his American foe while closing the clinch to avoid retaliation.
Abasolo attempted to utilize the footwork and movement that helped him earn the moniker “Silky Smooth,” but he struggled to find his footing against Nolan’s size and power – and he found himself on the canvas on several occasions.
The debuting striker picked up the pace halfway through the fight, as he attempted to dodge and weave through Nolan’s blows. But “Lethal” proved too fast and served up vicious head kicks and heavy jabs whenever his foe stood still.
The final stanza featured an all-out war, as both men threw damaging elbows at each other. This brutal action continued until the closing bell, but Nolan’s overall performance meant the decision was never in doubt.
The 25-year-old earned his third win in ONE, improved his overall record to 21-7-1, and continued to show why he’s a former WBC Muay Thai World Champion.
