Nabati Bests Nong-O To Remain Undefeated, Sam-A Returns With Ruthless KO Win At ONE Friday Fights 81
ONE Friday Fights 81: Superbon vs. Nattawut delivered from top to bottom when it went down inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, September 27.
The tentpole event featured a dozen Muay Thai and kickboxing bouts, and each provided fireworks live in Asia Primetime.
Before we recap the heated featherweight Muay Thai headliner between Superbon and “Smokin” Jo Nattawut, let’s take a look at all the thrilling action from the first 11 fights on the jaw-dropping card.
Nabati Edges Out Nong-O To Extend Unbeaten Streak
Kiamran Nabati added to his perfect professional slate when he scored a hard-fought victory over former longtime ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama.
Nong-O started strong in the bantamweight Muay Thai showdown, scoring with dangerous left kicks to the body. But Nabati shifted momentum in the final seconds of the opening round and wobbled the Thai legend with a sharp left jab.
In the second frame, the surging Russian landed spinning kicks and body shots while countering his foe’s aggression. Despite the onslaught, Nong-O responded with powerful body kicks to keep the pressure high.
The final round saw the pair exchange knees in the clinch and unload respective combinations. The battle was intense, but Nabati’s accurate one-two counters were more on point.
He was handed the unanimous decision win as a result, moving him to 4-0 in ONE Championship and 22-0 overall.
Anane Dominates Soe Lin Oo For Fifth Straight Win
Nabil Anane used his massive frame to dictate the action in his bantamweight Muay Thai battle with “Man of Steel” Soe Lin Oo, and he made it five wins in a row in the end.
With no chance of beating the 6-foot-4 phenom on the outside, Soe Lin Oo was forced to step into his foe’s range in round one – and he was punished for every incursion with heavy knees and punches.
The bout continued this way, with “Man of Steel” attempting to get into striking distance and Anane drilling him with an array of strikes.
The towering Thai-Algerian added more high kicks to his output in the final frame to cement his dominance, and he earned a clear-cut unanimous decision at the final bell to push his record to 38-5.
Kulabdam Starches Suablack In Third Round
“Left Meteorite” Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai put on a striking clinic in his bantamweight Muay Thai clash with Suablack Tor Pran49 to score the win and snap his two-fight skid.
The two Thai fan-favorites traded shots through much of the first two frames as Kulabdam found success with his crippling leg kick and Suablack scored with big counter-punches.
“Left Meteorite’s” firey strikes added up quickly to put him ahead, and he then decided to let his trademark left hand fly in the third and final frame.
That proved pivotal, as just under a minute into the round, he connected with it and crumbled Suablack to the canvas to bring an end to the contest at the 0:57 mark.
The knockout win pushed Kulabdam’s career slate to 71-20 and put him back in the hunt for bantamweight Muay Thai gold.
Sam-A Knocks Out Hamidi With Devastating Left Cross
Age is just a number, and Sam-A Gaiyanghadao showed it when he knocked out Akram “La Pepite” Hamidi less than 90 seconds into their strawweight Muay Thai contest.
The 40-year-old former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai, Strawweight Muay Thai, and Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion dropped his French-Algerian opponent twice in the first round.
First, he evaded a wild attack and countered with a powerful looping left punch that sent Hamidi to the canvas.
“La Pepite” regained his footing, but Sam-A immediately followed up with a perfectly placed left cross to turn his lights out for good.
The bout was waved off at 1:22 of the opening round, and the Evolve MMA star moved his legendary record to 374-49 with the KO win.
Hurtful Body Shots Earn Shadow Win Over Siasarani
Shadow Singha Mawynn ran away with the decision following a close start to his featherweight Muay Thai clash with Mohammad Siasarani.
The Iranian caught and countered the Thai’s kicks well in a tight opening frame, but Shadow put his foot on the gas in round two.
The Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai World Champion found a home for his punches, stringing them together with elbows and kicks before putting Siasarani down with a left hook to the liver.
Shadow piled on the pressure in a one-sided third round, and it took all of the Team Mehdi Zatout man’s heart just to hang on.
The unanimous decision was a formality at the final bell as Shadow extended his record to 78-13.
Suakim Ends Waghorn’s Perfect Run In Frantic Brawl
Suakim Sor Jor Thongprajin traded huge blows with Otis Waghorn in their 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai tilt, and he handed his British foe the first loss of his career in the end.
After trading kicks at long range for much of the first round, Suakim scored a knockdown late in the frame with a picture-perfect counter left hook.
Waghorn stormed back in the second, though, and he sent his Thai opponent to the canvas with a massive right hand. But Suakim maintained his composure, withstood his foe’s aggressive boxing attack, and scored another late-round knockdown – this time via a counter elbow.
The pair exchanged blows at a wild pace throughout the final frame, but ultimately the judges awarded the majority decision to Suakim, who improved his overall record to 151-59 with the win.
Jaosuayai Drops Suriyanlek En Route To Decision Win
Jaosuayai Mor Krungthepthonburi’s superior timing and counter-attacks earned him a well-deserved victory over Suriyanlek Por Yenying in their 133-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout.
Suriyanlek started the tie aggressively, but he found himself on the canvas when Jaosuayai landed a perfectly timed overhand right in the opening round.
The Por Yenying/Bravery Gym man beat the count and pressed forward in round two. However, Jaosuayai held firm and shot back with sharp combinations before wobbling Suriyanlek with a left jab.
In round three, Suriyanlek increased his intensity further, and he landed a punch that damaged his Thai compatriot’s eye.
Jaosuayai bit down on his mouthguard from there and weathered the storm with heavy counters to secure the unanimous decision victory and push his record to 57-22.
Takeru Comes Back From Knockdown To Finish Thant Zin
Takeru “The Natural Born Crusher” Segawa pulled himself off the canvas to win his flyweight kickboxing clash with Thant Zin.
Thant Zin did not shy away from attacking the 7-time, 3-division K-1 Champion and lunged in with heavy punches in round one. Takeru found his rhythm behind his jab and low kicks, but the Myanmar athlete floored him with a thudding left hook.
Despite the setback, “The Natural Born Crusher” kept his composure in round two. He picked Thant Zin off with sharp boxing before dropping him with a stabbing front kick to the body.
The 19-year-old regained his feet, but Takeru finished the job with a relentless barrage of punches and knees to earn the finish at 2:47.
After extending his record to 44-4, Takeru faced off with Rodtang Jitmuangnon inside the ring, and the pair all but promised a super-fight in the near future.
Ennahachi Returns With Prolific Performance Against Akimoto
Former ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Ilias Ennahachi didn’t miss a beat throughout his bantamweight kickboxing showdown against former divisional king Hiroki Akimoto.
The pace was relentless from the 28-year-old as he remained elusive to land counter-strikes on his Japanese counterpart, and his confidence was on full display when he dropped Akimoto with a beautiful counter-left hook in round one.
Ennahachi was in full swing in the second round. And though Akimoto landed some dangerous combinations, the Dutch-Morroccan striker managed to avoid many of the blasts coming his way.
More of the same output was on show from Ennahachi in the final frame, and he cruised to a unanimous decision win in the end to kickstart his run in the division and move to 40-3 overall.
Rittidet Outstrikes Ogasawara In Muay Thai Thriller
Rittidet Sor Sommai relied on his devastating kicks to secure victory over Eisaku “Speed Actor” Ogasawara in their 132-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout.
The 27-year-old Thai delivered punishing kicks to the body and legs of his foe, and mixed in sharp elbows to fire up the Lumpinee Stadium crowd in round one.
“Speed Actor” responded in the second round with counter-punching combinations, but Rittidet’s right kicks and teeps maintained control. He also dropped Ogasawara with a perfectly timed head kick to stay ahead.
In the third round, Ogasawara pressed forward with relentless punches, including a spinning backfist. However, Rittidet’s resilience and footwork kept him safe and pushed him to a decision victory at the end of the three rounds, improving his record to 87-10.
Hyu Stays Undefeated With Debut Win Over Saad
Hyu opened the show in style with an impressive win over Youcef Saad in his ONE Championship debut.
The Japanese karate stylist went in from the opening bell of the flyweight kickboxing clash. He backed his rival into the corner and unloaded with right hooks and heavy straight lefts to the head and body.
Several low blows from both sides were the only thing that slowed down the pace as Hyu relentlessly attacked with heavy punches and the Algerian replied with counter right hands.
Hyu added snapping front kicks and spinning kicks into his offense in rounds two and three, and this earned him the unanimous decision victory in the end, extending his record to a perfect 9-0.
