Kompet Continues Red-Hot Form, Petnakian, Usubyan, and Nuapet Bag Knockouts At ONE Friday Fights 75
ONE Friday Fights 75 illuminated the legendary Lumpinee Stadium like a guiding star on August 16, delivering a memorable night of high-octane Muay Thai and MMA action in Bangkok, Thailand.
Each of the 12 contests hit like a freight train, leaving the watching world breathless and fans inside the sold-out arena eagerly wanting more.
In case you missed any of the electrifying battles, here’s a rundown of what went down live in Asia primetime inside the Mecca of Muay Thai this week.
Kompet Dominates El Halabi To Make It Five In A Row
Kompet Fairtex executed his game plan to perfection to see off a game Omar “Ironside” El Halabi and secure his fifth consecutive victory in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
The Thai star started strong in this 127-pound catchweight Muay Thai tilt, unleashing punishing leg kicks in the first round that softened his Lebanese foe before landing devastating right hooks.
Kompet maintained the pressure in the second round, continuing to land powerful kicks and precise right hands while skilfully evading El Halabi’s counters.
Though “Ironside” showed tremendous toughness, the relentless assault from Kompet was too much, leading the judges to render a unanimous decision. The win improved Kompet’s slate to 88-19.
Buakhiao Defeats Petgarfield In Three-Round Blazer
After an entertaining 141-pound catchweight Muay Thai, Buakhiao Por Paoin overcame Petgarfield Jitmuangnon – but it wasn’t all one-way traffic.
Buakhiao led from the first bell, letting his longer arms land at will on Petgarfield. After finding his range, the 22-year-old dropped his man with a sharp right elbow against the ropes.
Bloodied and battered, Petgarfield made it to the second frame as Buakhiao began to tee off on his compatriot. But for every blow he took, Petgarfield gave another one right back in return.
The latter then attempted to turn the fight on its head in the third frame, throwing caution to the wind in chasing down his opposite number.
But Buakhiao stayed elusive to force his opponent to miss as he gained the approval of all three judges at ringside to go 3-1 in ONE and 79-22 overall.
Nuapet Debuts With KO Finish Of Petphupa
Nuapet Tded99 had a promotional debut to remember after knocking out Petphupa Aekpujean in his 128-pound catchweight Muay Thai match.
It was an action-packed showdown from the onset as Petphupa aggressively stalked Nuapet, who replied with stinging kicks.
The action further picked up as the fight went on, with the Superbon Training Camp star letting his hands fly as Nuapet drilled the 18-year-old with elbows on the counters each time he overcommitted.
With the fight up for grabs in the third, both fighters opened fire from the onset, and it was Nuapet who was standing as the dust settled. Nuapet timed Petphupa’s body kick with a short left hook to get the knockout finish at 2:31 of the third round.
Pansak Settles Trilogy With Dieselnoi
Pansak Wor Wantawee and Dieselnoi Liamthanawat entered the grandest stage with the scores tied one apiece after two previous meetings, and it was Pansak who was able to settle the trilogy after three rounds of 127-pound catchweight Muay Thai action.
The 24-year-old came out the aggressor, landing big knees to the abdomen of his foe. He remained in the pocket to follow up with big punches to wobble his familiar foe.
Pansak picked up where he left off in the second frame, continuing to drive at pace, all while throwing wild shots, which somehow failed to crack Dieselnoi’s armor.
While Dieselnoi countered more successively in the final three minutes, he was a day later and a dollar short as Pansak picked up his 44th career triumph with the unanimous decision.
Petnakian Demolishes Magnum In Round Two
Petnakian Phuyaiyunan dropped Magnum Sor Sommai twice in their 130-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest to keep his undefeated record in ONE Friday Fights intact.
The Sor Seksan representative had to endure punishing leg kicks and one-two combinations from his Thai compatriot, and that onslaught only intensified in round two.
A barrage of strikes with a powerful left uppercut earned Petnakian the first knockdown of the tie. Refusing to spare a second, the striker unloaded a two-piece combination that sent his rival back where he came from.
This time, though, Magnum failed to recover, thus forcing the referee to wave off the contest 53 seconds into the stanza. With his second consecutive victory in ONE, Petnakian extended his overall resume to 73-15.
Payakmekin Outworks Promrob To Get First ONE Win
Payakmekin Sit LuangpeeNamfon had to work for his first victory in ONE, and he did so in impressive fashion by outlasting Promrob Looksuan in their 133-pound catchweight Muay Thai duel.
The 17-year-old showed his ability in fighting off the back foot in the first two rounds. He made Promrob miss and then pay for it by alternating between precise one-twos or a body knee on the exit.
Showing experience beyond his years, Payakmekin continued to outwork his more senior adversary as the next three minutes unfolded. Though Promrob cruised into rhythm in the third, firing with his fists and outmuscling his younger foe in the clinch, it proved to be a little too late.
Payakmekin’s early output did enough in the eyes of the two judges to earn a split-decision win, and improve to 99-29.
Usubyan’s Straight Left Flattens Khunsuek
Mamuka Usubyan successfully carried his momentum over into the evening’s featherweight Muay Thai contest, where he slayed Khunsuek Superbon Training Camp in the second round.
The Russian star came forward with aggressive intentions from the floodgates, shutting down Khunsuek’s high kicks with powerful punches.
His hard-hitting tools further punished his Thai adversary into the second frame, who began to grow further into the fixture.
Sensing a finish, the Archangel Michael man hopped in with a huge left straight hand to sink Khunsuek at 2:16 of the round. With the win, the knockout artist moved to 2-0 in ONE and 21-2 overall.
Burmatov Shines In Three-Round Firefight With Chanajon
Denis Burmatov displayed relentless aggression to overcome the technical prowess of Chanajon PK Saenchai in his lightweight Muay Thai showdown.
The debuting Russian launched body punches and mixed in low kicks to pressure Chanajon early, but the Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai Champion retaliated with powerful high kicks of his own.
In the second round, the 27-year-old carried on his assault on the Thai’s legs with kicks and combined them with powerful hooks, just as Chanajon began finding success with elbows in the clinch.
With the fight still up for grabs in the final frame, Burmatov ramped up his intensity in pursuit of a finish. Ultimately, the Sibir upstart settled for a unanimous decision victory and upped his resume to 13-3.
Brazil Outlasts Ota In Muay Thai Thriller
Brazil M Eakchat rode the energy of the red-hot Lumpinee crowd to eke out a tough split-decision triumph over Takuma Ota in their 126-pound catchweight Muay Thai affair.
The 18-year-old opened by throwing massive kicks, targeting both the Japanese’s legs and body in the first half of the bout.
Brazil faced adversity halfway through the second round as Ota connected on a jab-straight combo, but he shifted back into gear off a flurry of punches to end the round and take momentum entering the homestretch.
That huge finish in the second turned out to be for naught as Brazil fed on the energy of the partisan crowd, responding to their ardor by raising his aggression while adding variety to his attacks with elbows and knees.
It came close in the end, but Brazil did enough in the eyes of the two judges as he got the win and improved to 44-11.
Cohen Bests Vera In One-Sided Muay Thai Tilt
After debuting in highlight-reel fashion, Shir Cohen returned to the ONE Championship ring with similar aggression and firepower as she bested Francisca Vera across three rounds of atomweight Muay Thai.
The Fairtex striker stepped on the gas immediately as she threw low kicks and punches to Vera’s body that quickly began to zap her adversary’s energy, allowing her to control the pace.
Vera began to fight back in the second round, sticking her jabs at Cohen. But the 23-year-old was far too elusive to get caught as she slammed Vera with a multitude of strikes.
The final frame saw Cohen rack up more ferocious punches as she steered to a deserving unanimous decision victory to up her slate to 9-1.
De Oliveira Taps Baghirov In Two Rounds
In strawweight MMA action, Robson “The Monkey King” de Oliveira delivered a grappling masterclass to submit fellow debutant Rahil Baghirov and kick things off in style on the global stage.
Baghirov showcased his wrestling prowess early with a successful double-leg takedown before slamming his Brazilian foe. From there, however, De Oliveira made headway.
“The Monkey King” caught his opponent’s leg and went from a kneebar to a heel hook. Though Baghirov survived by the skin of his teeth at the end of the round, it wasn’t meant to be for the Azerbaijani-Turkish star moments later.
De Oliveira closed the distance, took his opponent down, and transitioned into an armbar that forced Baghirov to tap at 1:18 of the second round.
The debut win at ONE Friday Fights pushed his overall record to 6-1.
Dongak Dominates Honda On The Feet In Feisty Win
Torepchi Dongak‘s stand-up weaponry massively helped him overcome Ryosuke Honda in his three-round strawweight MMA bout.
The Russian athlete overcame a slow start as he spent most of the first round trying to get Honda off his back, with the Japanese determined to take the fight to the ground to gain advantage.
Sensing a same strategy, Dongak turned the tide in the second and went to work with his hands and feet. While Honda had his moments again, he never maximized his time on the canvas.
Dongak continued blitzing his foe with hooks, body shots, and knees in the third canto. At the same time, the 24-year-old foiled every takedown attempt from Honda to walk away with a well-deserved nod from all three judges and secure a third-career victory.
