Kyriacou Beats Wondergirl, Dedduanglek Shocks Naito At ONE Friday Fights 26
ONE Championship continued to fulfill its mission on July 21.
At ONE Friday Fights 26, many of the organization’s most exciting athletes returned to Bangkok, Thailand, to inspire, entertain, and compete for lucrative multi-fight contracts.
Before The Home of Martial Arts returns on August 4 for the double-header of ONE Friday Fights 27 and ONE Fight Night 13 on Prime Video, let’s recap what went down at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
Kulabdam-Bohic Ends In No Contest
The bantamweight Muay Thai battle featuring “Left Meteorite” Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai and Rafi Bohic was declared a no contest after just under two minutes of action.
The battle between the two decorated Muay Thai World Champions was beginning to pick up steam, but the Frenchman unintentionally poked Kulabdam in the eye while defending a low kick.
The Thai was unable to continue, but given the elite striking abilties of each man, their high-profile rematch could take place in the near future.
Apiwat Gains Redemption Against Denkriangkrai
In an closely contested 128-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle, Apiwat Sor Somnuk edged past former foe Denkriangkrai Singha Mawynn and evened their head-to-head rivalry by unanimous decision.
Having suffered a loss to the Singha Mawynn representative in May, Apiwat came prepared. He stopped his rival’s attacks with combinations and countered with more elbows and punches every time Denkriangkrai stepped into his range.
The Sor Somnuk athlete won most of the striking exchanges in the final round, and all three judges scored the contest in his favor, pushing his professional record to 99-27.
Khomutov Cuts Suakim’s Comeback Short With Big KO
Kirill Khomutov‘s concussive punches put a dampener on the highly anticipated comeback of Suakim Sor Jor Thongprajin.
Khomutov was not fazed by the three-division Lumpinee Boxing Stadium Muay Thai World Champion’s accolades and went on the hunt early in round one of their bantamweight Muay Thai clash.
Utilizing his footwork and feints, the Russian darted in and out with sharp punches that seemed to stun the Thai star, ending the opening frame in a dominant position.
He carried that confidence into round two, countering Suakim with his hands. When the Sor Jor Thongprajin athlete stepped in with a left kick, Khomutov floored him with a short left hook, earning the victory at 0:58 and improving his record to 9-2.
Puengluang Decimates Khunponnoi With First-Round Knockout
Puengluang Baanramba scored his second straight finish in ONE, this time against Khunponnoi Sor Sommai – brother of the feared Seksan Or Kwanmuang.
The 23-year-old needed under three minutes to drop his opponent twice during their 137-pound catchweight Muay Thai clash and earn the walk-off KO victory.
Puengluang scored his first eight-count when he caught Khunponnoi with a short right hand as the latter was on the back foot. The Sor Sommai representative answered the count, but moments later, Puengluang buried him in the corner with 10 unforgiving punches.
The referee intervened at 1:59 of round one, moving the Baanramba athlete’s record to a whopping 60-5.
Petchdam Crushes Sakchainoi In The Second Round
Petchdam Petchkiatpetch’s aggression and nonstop combinations earned him a knockout, but he had to overcome a tough opening round against Sakchainoi M U Den in their 134-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle.
Sakchainoi’s accuracy allowed him to dissect his oncoming rival for large parts of the first stanza. However, his defense did not stand the test of time.
Petchdam delivered a crushing right hand that knocked the wind off his sail. Although Sakchainoi’s heart saw him carry on, he was sent back to the canvas with another thumping right that forced the referee to hop in and stop the contest at 2:04 of the second round.
The 27-year-old’s debut win upped his professional slate to 61-18.
Junior Continues Winning Run With Slick Showing Against Wang
Junior Fairtex and Wang Yue went toe-to-toe from the opening bell in a blistering atomweight Muay Thai clash that went all three rounds.
Both athletes were eager to land leather early, but it was evident from round one that Junior’s punches were faster and more accurate.
Wang stepped in with hard right elbows, but the composed Fairtex representative was always waiting with a counter right hand.
Although her Chinese foe stayed in the fight until the end, Junior clearly had the upper hand. The Thai ultimately earned her second ONE Friday Fights win via unanimous decision.
Dedduanglek Outguns Top-Five Ranked Naito
Dedduanglek Tded99 bagged his biggest victory since joining ONE Championship in February of this year.
The Road to ONE: Thailand winner outpaced #4-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender Taiki “Silent Sniper” Naito in their fiery clash midway through Friday’s event.
The Tded99 athlete punished his opponent with body kicks at every chance he got. And although the ONE veteran in Naito stayed aggressive with punches, it was ultimately Dedduanglek’s kicking output that powered him to victory.
The win bumped the 20-year-old’s striking record to 53-10 but, more importantly, might have earned him a spot in ONE’s esteemed top-five flyweight Muay Thai rankings.
Siasarani Rallies Back From Knockdown To Sleep Satanfah
What looked like a calculated battle between two technical warriors, Mohammed Siasarani and Satanfah Sitsongpeenong, exploded into a dogfight in featherweight Muay Thai action.
Siasarani zeroed in on his rival with a couple of stinging kicks, but he was caught slacking by a massive straight right that dropped him face-first to the canvas.
Somehow, the Iranian regained his footing. And seconds later, he returned the favor by dropping Satanfah with a massive right hand of his own.
The Thai did well to regain his feet, but a quickfire assault from Siasarani and a final left uppercut to the face earned him the KO at 2:26 of the opening frame – his third straight win at ONE Friday Fights.
Tupiev Drops Rambo En Route To Decision Victory
Mavlud Tupiev‘s powerful punches were the decisive factor in his thrilling bantamweight Muay Thai clash with Rambo Mor Rattanabandit.
The Uzbek slugger wobbled his rival with a flurry of hooks in round one and dropped him with a thudding right in round two. However, the durable Thai star dragged himself off the canvas and threw back with intent.
Rambo tried to turn the tables when Tupiev slowed in the final stanza, but it was too little too late. After three intense rounds, the Tiger Muay Thai representative held on to take the unanimous decision, pushing his record to 43-8.
Kongchai Continues Unbeaten Streak In High-Paced Thriller
Kongchai Chanaidonmueang remains an unstoppable force in ONE Friday Fights.
The 20-year-old Sangtiennoi Gym standout moved to 4-0 in the event series after scoring a unanimous decision win over Jelte Blommaert in their 126-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout.
Kongchai used his swift swayback defensive maneuvers to avoid being tagged by the Belgium three years his elder. And to make Blommaert pay for those misses, Kongchai countered with simple yet stinging one-twos that ricocheted off the man with a granite chin.
Blommaert refused to fall, but it only forced Kongchai to rise higher, and after nine minutes of action, the judges’ decision was a mere formality.
Kyriacou Powers Her Way To MMA Victory Over Wondergirl
In strawweight MMA action, Lisa Kyriacou’s superior grappling was the difference as she cruised to a clear-cut unanimous decision victory over Thai striking star Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak.
The Australian athlete overwhelmed “Wondergirl” throughout the 15-minute duel on the canvas, unloading strikes from top mount and fending off any submission attempts, including a late armbar in the third stanza.
Kyriacou ultimately left the legendary venue with a memorable debut win, extending her overall record to 7-1 with seven consecutive triumphs.
Pastore Earns First ONE Victory In Tight Battle With Hafizoglu
Brett Pastore opened the show by edging past Emran Hafizoglu via unanimous decision in their lightweight mixed martial arts contest.
Turkey’s Hafizoglu showed glimpses of his power when he stung Pastore with his straight left, but “The American Nomad” ate those shots and continued to press forward to land low kicks.
The 28-year-old Pastore diversified his game more effectively to stay ahead. He scored well with strikes in the clinch and then closed out the third round in top position to secure his third straight win.
