McLaren, Wakamatsu, Mahmoudi, Kongthoranee, And Di Bella Earn Crucial Wins At ONE Fight Night 26
ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov on Prime Video featured a pair of World Title showdowns, but first, 18 fierce martial artists lit up the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.
Top-five contenders threw down in pivotal matchups, two Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stars made impressive debuts, and a slew of other talent put on instant classics live in U.S. primetime on Friday, December 6.
Here’s what went down at the iconic arena in Thailand’s capital city.
Kongthoranee Topples Nakrob In Three-Round Barnburner
Kongthoranee Sor Sommai broke Nakrob Fairtex’s five-fight winning streak and possibly took his Thai compatriot’s #4 spot in the flyweight Muay Thai rankings with a spectacularly tactical performance.
The 28-year-old rising star used his straight left punch with sniper-like precision to rattle Nakrob three times in the first round, scoring significant damage in the process.
Nakrob had his moments in the second frame, but Kongthoranee stayed on the back foot and picked off his advancing foe with punches and elbows. He even scored an eight-count on Nakrob, taking a bigger lead with the judges.
By the third round, Nakrob could barely see out of his right eye, but it was clear to everyone else who had control over the fight – Kongthoranee.
The judges’ unanimous decision only confirmed it, and the Sor Sommai representative improved his record to 71-16 in a thrilling Fight of the Year candidate.
McLaren Gives Brooks A Rude Welcome To Flyweight MMA
Reece “Lightning” McLaren strengthened his case for a shot at gold and shut down the two-division dreams of ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks with a gutsy performance in their three-round flyweight MMA clash.
The #4-ranked flyweight MMA contender contender survived Brooks’ expected onslaught in the first round, defending the American’s back take before unloading on a combination and a flying knee.
That gave the Australian veteran plenty of confidence moving forward, as he once again denied “The Monkey God’s” advancements on the ground and frustrated him by connecting with hooks.
By the third round, Brooks was playing McLaren’s game, and it largely turned into a striking contest. “Lightning” connected on more big right hooks – which opened up cuts on Brooks’ face – and he came close to a D’Arce choke finish before the final bell.
After three rounds, McLaren took the impressive split decision win, putting himself in a good position to vie for the vacant ONE Flyweight MMA World Title.
Mahmoudi Knocks Out Puric With Buzzer-Beating Flurry
Chaos ensued when #5-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender Elias “The Sniper” Mahmoudi met #3-ranked Denis “The Bosnian Menace” Puric in a 138.75-pound catchweight contest.
In round one, Puric penetrated the Algerian’s guard and punished him with low kicks and punches. But as the fight wore on, he began to tire. This allowed the 26-year-old Mahmoudi to clinch up and slam knees and elbows into his foe for much of round two.
In a moment of frustration late in the second round, Puric turned away and took an elbow to the back of the head, causing a halt to the action. Referee Olivier Coste warned the Bosnian-Canadian to stop turning away during exchanges but eventually issued a yellow card when that continued in the third frame.
The fight was still up for grabs in the final round, with powerful shots being landed from both men. Then, with just seconds remaining, Mahmoudi lunged back into the clinch and battered Puric using his knees and fists.
“The Bosnian Menace” eventually went down from a thudding body shot, and Coste waved off the bout with just two seconds on the clock.
With his pivotal win over a fellow contender, the Mahmoudi Gym standout improved his pro record to 34-7, scored his third straight knockout victory, and made his case for a shot at the vacant divisional crown.
Wakamatsu Continues Winning Streak In War With Nakatani
Japanese star and #2-ranked flyweight MMA contender Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu extended his winning streak to three with a gritty, hard-fought decision win over highly touted American debutant Gilbert Nakatani.
The pair engaged in a furiously paced striking battle throughout much of the bout’s opening two rounds.
Wakamatsu employed his dynamic counter-striking and explosive combinations to win the majority of the exchanges, but Nakatani displayed a granite chin and found moments of success with his powerhouse boxing.
In the final frame, “Little Piranha” sealed the unanimous decision in his favor with a takedown and more solid striking, nudging his career record to 18-6 and staking his claim to challenge for the vacant flyweight MMA throne.
Gasanov Overwhelms Amir To Continue Featherweight Rise
Fourth-ranked featherweight MMA contender Shamil “The Cobra” Gasanov showcased his world-class grappling as he shut down Turkish sensation Halil “No Mercy” Amir and took a clear-cut unanimous decision win in their three-round clash.
The Russian was a step ahead of Amir from the onset, quickly getting a takedown and hunting for a rear-naked choke from the back for the duration of the first round – a trend that continued in the second.
Amir had his moments early in the third when he landed a few knees, but Gasanov was quick to counter-attack, landing a double-leg takedown and attempting a bevy of submissions, from rear-naked chokes to kneebars.
Knowing he was trailing on the scorecards, Amir had one last Hail Mary late in the fight – a guillotine attempt that he turned into a D’Arce choke – but Gasanov was too experienced to get caught.
The 29-year-old survived the late attempts, earned his third consecutive win, and improved to 16-1 in his MMA career.
Abate Taps Out Aoki In Sensational Debut
In lightweight submission grappling action, 20-year-old BJJ phenom “Ice” Cole Abate shined in his much-anticipated ONE debut, submitting Japanese martial arts legend Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki.
The American prodigy pulled guard early and quickly attacked with a triangle choke. “Tobikan Judan” defended the choke, but Abate deftly transitioned into a leg entanglement before finding a picture-perfect, knee-destroying outside heel hook to finish the bout after 2:25 of action.
The highlight-reel victory pushed Abate’s professional record to 32-3 with 20 submissions and netted him a US$50,000 performance bonus.
Di Bella Dominates Botelho In Key Bounce-Back Win
Former ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Di Bella proved that he’s still a force to be reckoned with in the division by putting on a striking masterclass against Rui Botelho.
The Italian-Canadian superstar controlled the fight from the get-go, dropping inside leg kicks to set up his punches, forcing Botelho to fight on his back foot.
While the Portuguese striker had his moments in the first round with timely one-two counters, the fight only became more lopsided as it went on. Di Bella masterfully controlled the distance – forcing Botelho to swing and miss – while continuing to land leg kicks and combinations.
The judges’ decision was a formality after three rounds of action, as Di Bella improved to 13-1 overall and made a case to rematch the man who took his belt last time out – reigning ONE Strawweight Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion Prajanchai PK Saenchai.
Leon Makes Quick Work Of Pucci In ONE Debut
Promotional newcomer Dante Leon hardly broke a sweat in his lightweight submission grappling tilt against ONE veteran Bruno “Puccibull” Pucci.
The Canadian powerhouse defended an early takedown before moving to his foe’s back in the bout’s opening few seconds.
From there, Leon turned in a clinical performance, attacking the rear-naked choke before transitioning to the match-ending armbar from the triangle choke at 2:01 into the contest.
With his statement victory, the 29-year-old BJJ black belt improved his career slate to 144-48 with 92 submissions and took home a well-deserved US$50,000 bonus.
Thongpoon Bags Second-Round TKO Victory Over Williams
Thongpoon PK Saenchai shot himself out of a cannon to announce his arrival back in the win column in the opening matchup of ONE Fight Night 26.
The 27-year-old Thai fan favorite took on former ONE World Title challenger “Mini T” Danial Williams in strawweight Muay Thai action and was forced to soak up damage in the first round. But that only ignited Thongpoon’s short fuse – and what followed in round two was pure destruction.
Thongpoon stood in front of the Thai-Australian and sent punch combinations careening off his chin. He would drop Williams three times with a series of lefts and rights, which resulted in an automatic TKO victory at the 1:10 mark of the second frame.
With the win, the pride of PK Saenchai Muaythaigym moved his professional record to 80-25 and bagged the first US$50,000 performance bonus of the night.
