Ilya Freymanov, Halil Amir Score Upset Knockouts At ONE On Prime Video 2
Two ONE Championship newcomers stunned a pair of highly established contenders to kick off the main card of ONE on Prime Video 2: Xiong vs. Lee III.
The shocking results took place on September 30 in U.S. primetime, as fans at the Singapore Indoor Stadium were treated to fast-paced action and emphatic finishes.
Here, we recap the two MMA showdowns that dropped jaws around the world and introduced two rising stars to the global fan base.
Ilya Freymanov Stuns Martin Nguyen With First-Round KO
Ilya Freymanov scored a statement win in his first promotional appearance, defeating former two-division ONE World Champion and current #3 featherweight MMA contender Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen with an impressive first-round TKO.
After some fiery exchanges, Freymanov dazed Nguyen with a step-in knee as the latter dipped to throw a wild overhand. The Russian followed up with a crushing right punch, and upon impact, “The Situ-Asian” stumbled backward.
Sensing the end was near, Freymanov quickly pounced, trying to finish the Vietnamese-Australian from within his guard with a barrage of punches.
With no place to go, Nguyen shimmied himself toward the Circle Wall, but by doing so, he trapped himself between the fence and a series of punches and knees from his opponent.
Referee Olivier Coste watched closely, and once “The Situ-Asian” rolled onto his stomach and into a shell, he’d seen enough.
Freymanov was awarded the victory at 3:33 of the first round, along with a well-deserved US$50,000 performance bonus. In the process, he announced himself as a serious threat in ONE’s featherweight mixed martial arts division.
Halil Amir Obliterates Timofey Nastyukhin In Round Two
In his ONE Championship debut, Halil Amir put the entire lightweight MMA division on notice with an explosive knockout of #3-ranked contender and longtime star Timofey Nastyukhin.
Nastyukhin started in typical fashion, finding a home for his right hand throughout the first round, but to his credit, Amir answered with effective kicks of his own.
Fireworks arrived in the opening seconds of the second frame. As Nastyukhin blitzed forward, Amir landed a pair of flush right hands that put the Russian on wobbly legs – signaling the beginning of the end.
Sensing blood in the water, the Turkish sensation flurried with a bevy of furious strikes.
A game Nastyukhin held on as long as possible, but ultimately, referee Herb Dean was forced to end the beating 58 seconds into the round.
With the sensational victory, Amir now owns a pristine 8-0 record with a 100 percent finishing rate.
And after beating a highly ranked and well-established veteran, the sky is the limit for the 28-year-old upstart, who could face another top contender in his next bout.
