Nabati Stays Unbeaten Against Avatar, Diachkova Earns Six-Figure Contract With KO Win At ONE Friday Fights 55
Following a monumental showcase at ONE Fight Night 20 last weekend, ONE Championship returned to Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, for another thrilling event on Friday, March 15.
ONE Friday Fights 55 delivered world-class combat sports action across Muay Thai, MMA, kickboxing, and submission grappling, which featured at the weekly series for the first time.
Needless to say, each battle kept the crowd inside the iconic venue entertained from start to finish. In case you missed any of it, here’s a recap of everything that went down live in Asia primetime.
Nabati Bests Avatar To Keep His Record Perfect
Following a tremendous debut at ONE Friday Fights 35, Kiamran Nabati kept the momentum rolling against Avatar PK Saenchai in bantamweight Muay Thai action.
Nabati’s confidence was evident as he pressured Avatar from the opening bell. The Russian striker unleashed thunderous spinning kicks and heavy combinations to keep his foe in place and stay ahead on the scorecards.
He continued his blistering pace in the second stanza and began to chop at Avatar’s legs to thwart any attacks the Thai had up his sleeve.
Unrelenting and seeking a finish, Nabati stood in the center of the ring in round three and dropped his foe with a huge right hand. He followed up with spinning kicks and elbows against the ropes, but Avatar held on to the final bell.
Nonetheless, the result was a foregone conclusion. Nabati picked up the unanimous decision win to move to 20-0 in his career and 2-0 in ONE.
Rittidet Starches Tomyamkoong Inside Two Rounds
Rittidet Sor Sommai added another stunning knockout to his resume in his 133-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout against Tomyamkoong Bhumjaithai.
Tomyamkoong had a strong opening stanza, blasting his Thai compatriot with heavy left kicks from the southpaw stance. But Rittidet was never out of the fight.
The Sor Sommai man pressed forward with punches and kicks in round two, forcing a reaction from his Thai compatriot. Tomyamkoong managed to catch a left kick from Rittidet, but he was hit with a crunching counter left hook in response that connected directly with his jaw.
Tomyamkoong dropped to the canvas and couldn’t get back up, so the bout was waved off at the 1:25 mark of the second frame. Rittidet’s record moved to 86-9 with the KO win, and he has three knockouts from his three victories in ONE Championship.
Bhumjaithai’s Mean Body Shots Fold Panthep
Bhumjaithai Mor Tor 1 was in trouble when Panthep Sor Jor Thongprajin’s towering figure allowed him to pick shots and push him onto the backfoot in their 123-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle.
But the PK Saenchai Muaythaigym star reversed his fortunes late in round two, however, and he wrapped things up in the third stanza to score his first win in ONE.
After absorbing more than he gave in the first five and a half minutes, the 21-year-old forced his rival onto the ropes, where he unleashed a bucket load of body shots that crumbled Panthep just before the bell sounded.
Sensing a finish was near, Bhumjaithai stuck to the same target when the third canto kicked off, and another near-identical onslaught near the turnbuckle earned him the TKO finish at 1:00 of the round, securing him the 99th win of his career.
Denphuthai Outworks Felipe For Debut Victory
Denphuthai SitJackmuaythai opened his ONE Championship account with a strong display against Rhuam Felipe.
The 26-year-old traded strikes with the Brazilian star throughout their flyweight Muay Thai battle, relying on a bevy of knees, elbows, and punches to keep his opposition at bay.
As the match progressed, Denphuthai kept the pressure dialed, and he stayed cool even when Felipe threatened to flip the momentum with a late onslaught.
In the end, all three judges at ringside deemed the SitJackmuaythai standout worthy, and he was handed a debut win that moved his professional slate to 131-31-9 overall.
Chalamdam Smashes Singtanawat In ONE Debut
Two debutants went to war in strawweight Muay Thai when Chalamdam Sor Boonmeerit locked horns with Singtanawat Nokjeanladkrabang, and the former came out on top with a final-round knockout.
Chalamdam found success early on. His entries and exits kept Singtanawat pinned against the ropes, allowing him to unleash strikes with lethal intention.
The second round was better for Singtanawat. He managed to find a home for his combinations on multiple occasions. But as the scrap continued, Chalamdam’s deadly counterstrikes had fans on the edge of their seats.
With the stakes high and the tension rising, Chalamdam came out with a point to prove in the third round. The 23-year-old had a knockout in his mind, and he secured it with a mean left hook at 1:57 of the final frame to score a win in his ONE Championship debut and move to 66-15 overall.
Kaichon Gets Past Jompadej In Intense Three-Rounder
Kaichon Sor Yingcharoenkarnchang endured some heavy offense from Jompadej Nupranburi and showed his grit throughout the 122-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout to claim an exciting debut victory.
Jompadej started well, marching his rival down with thudding boxing combinations in round one. But Kaichon took everything his rival had to offer, then he started to turn the tide.
The 22-year-old unleashed a more varied arsenal in round two, combatting Jompadej’s aggression with forward pressure and mixing punches with push kicks and body shots.
Despite fierce opposition, Kaichon continued to wade into his compatriot in the final frame, and he earned the unanimous decision win to extend his record to 41-10.
Irvine Dominates Longern En Route To Decision Win
Stephen “El Matador” Irvine gave it his all in his 127-pound catchweight Muay Thai matchup with Longern Paesaisi, and his courageous performance was enough to help him to a third victory at ONE Friday Fights.
The Scotsman went at his foe at a furious pace, switching targets and blending weapons to prevent Longern from getting into a rhythm in the first two rounds.
This worked to Irvine’s advantage on the scorecards, and his lead was increased when he dropped his Thai foe with a perfectly timed liver shot midway through the second frame.
Longern strived to get himself back into the fight in round three, but Irvine’s heavy output was simply too much to overcome As a result, all three judges awarded “El Matador” the win to push his professional slate to an impressive 26-4.
Diachkova Obliterates Chirino In Under Two Minutes
Natalia Diachkova took her ONE Championship winning streak to four when she met Chellina Chirino in strawweight Muay Thai action, and the Russian needed less than 120 seconds to do it.
Diachkova controlled the opening moments and refused to let Chirino find her groove by controlling the center of the ring and landing jabs with her long limbs.
Chirino was clearly irritated by her foe’s strikes, and she marched into the pocket to find some payback. But as she did so, Diachkova unleashed a litany of heavy strikes. She then dropped her Dutch-Curacan foe with a huge right hook that left her unable to answer the referee’s call.
The bout was waved off at 1:44 of round one, and Diachkova moved to 4-0 in ONE, 30-4 overall, and the dominant win was good enough to secure a $100,000 contract to compete on ONE’s biggest stage.
Pereira Chokes Out Khaliev In Entertaining MMA Clash
Matheus “Guiado por Deus” Pereira dug deep to find a third-round finish in his lightweight MMA battle against Khasan Khaliev.
The Brazilian striker constantly whipped in hard left kicks on Khaliev throughout the match, along with punches, knees, and elbows. But the Russian found success with powerful punches that shook his Pereira.
By the end of round two, Khaliev looked to be the one wearing the effects of the tough battle, and this prompted “Guiado por Deus” to pump the gas in the final frame.
He heaped on the pressure with standing strikes and ground-and-pound before finally latching onto a guillotine choke to force the tap at 3:57 and extended his record to 6-2.
Naito Shines In Three-Round Duel With Kabutov
In 136.4-pound catchweight kickboxing action, Taiki Naito cruised to a unanimous decision victory over Sherzod Kabutov after a thrilling nine-minute war.
The #3-ranked flyweight kickboxing contender stuck to basic yet effective low kicks to get the action going in the first round as his dance partner hopped in with spinning attacks.
None of that fazed the man nicknamed “Silent Sniper,” though. He upped the tempo in the second stanza, and his persistence to find an opening helped him slam in a high kick for the bout’s lone knockdown.
Naito continued to shut down his Kyrgyzstani foe in the final round, and his inch-perfect strategy earned him the nod from the judges at the end, moving his slate to 36-11.
Koshimizu Stops Joker In Muay Thai Barnburner
Ryota Koshimizu was facing the sternest test of his career in his ONE debut against Joker Paesaisi, but he passed it with flying colors.
The pair came out of the blocks fast in the first round of their 137-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle, but Koshimizu pulled ahead by testing Joker with unorthodox high kicks and combinations inside the pocket.
His frenzied attacks continued in the second, but he found himself downed by a well-timed left hook from Joker. Knowing he had to respond, the 24-year-old went hell for leather and found a home for his right hand before the end of the frame.
Having regained his composure, Koshimizu put a cap on proceedings in the final stanza. He bullied his Thai foe against the ropes, crippled him with brutal body shots, then unloaded heavy combinations to force a finish at the 0:54 mark, securing the sixth win of his professional career.
Ishiguro Victorious Against Sagae in First ONE Friday Fights Grappling Bout
Shoya Ishiguro and Toshiyasu Sagae broke new ground when they took part in the first-ever submission grappling bout at a ONE Friday Fights event.
The all-Japan bantamweight battle was fought at a blistering pace, with both men seeking out leg entanglements throughout. However, neither BJJ black belt managed to convert their positions into a legitimate leg lock threat against their skilled rival.
In the end, it was Ishiguro’s top pressure – which included a pass to mount – that earned him the unanimous decision nod from the judges and a debut victory.
