Nico Carrillo Highlights ONE Friday Fights 46 Supporting Card With Dramatic Knockout Of Nong-O
A historic evening of Muay Thai began with plenty of fireworks and produced some truly memorable moments at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
ONE Friday Fights 46: Tawanchai vs. Superbon took place on December 22, and before the three World Title main events, fans were treated to eight explosive supporting card matchups in Asia primetime.
Familiar legends prevailed, while others fell at the hands of the next generation of Muay Thai superstars. Even Thailand’s Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, was on hand to enjoy the action.
Here, we recap the first eight showdowns from ONE’s blockbuster final event of 2023.
Carrillo Shocks Nong-O With Second-Round KO
Scottish phenom Nico “King of the North” Carrillo continued his rampage through ONE’s bantamweight Muay Thai division with a second-round knockout of former longtime divisional king Nong-O Hama.
The #5-ranked contender came on strong from the start. Using his reach, Carrillo stayed on the outside and ricocheted his fists off the Thai legend’s face.
In response, Nong-O ruthlessly attacked his foe’s legs with low kicks, and it seemed to work, as Carrillo hobbled to the corner after round one.
The tide completely turned in round two, however. “King of the North” blasted Nong-O with a series of punches that left the Thai dazed against the ropes. Finally, a powerful step-in left elbow sent the 37-year-old down and out at 1:28 of the round.
The massive upset victory bumped Carrillo’s record to 26-3-1.
And by defeating the division’s #1-ranked contender, the 25-year-old might have earned himself a date with reigning ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Jonathan Haggerty.
Seksan Caps Flawless Year With Electrifying Win Over River Daz
The Bangkok crowd was treated to an instant classic when River Daz and Seksan “The Man Who Yields To No One” Or Kwanmuang collided in a 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle.
Widely regarded as one of the most entertaining athletes in the sport, the Thai star weathered an early blitz from Daz to storm back in the second and third rounds.
While the Australian showed no fear in marching forward into a wild brawl, it was Seksan who did the most damage with his ultra-aggressive clinch work and massive punching combinations.
After nine minutes of white-knuckle action, “The Man Who Yields To No One” was awarded the tight split-decision win to finish his 2023 campaign at a perfect 8-0 and push his career slate to 201-74-8.
Anane Cruises To Unanimous Decision Win Over Muangthai
In 136-pound catchweight Muay Thai action, 6-foot-4 Nabil Anane used every inch of his height advantage to keep Muangthai PK Saenchai at bay en route to a comfortable unanimous decision win.
For three rounds, the 19-year-old phenom tagged his 5-foot-8 rival with a blend of straight lefts, roundhouse kicks, knees, and elbows, even getting a knockdown early in the third stanza.
Despite being forced on the receiving end of a nonstop onslaught, “Elbow Zombie” marched forward with intent on every occasion. However, his output was only second best on this occasion.
With the impressive performance, Anane moved his slate to 35-5-1, making it back-to-back victories at ONE Friday Fights.
Kulabdam’s ‘Left Meteorite’ Stops Aminipour In One Round
Fireworks were expected when “Left Meteorite” Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai met Fariyar Aminipour in bantamweight Muay Thai, and they weren’t disappointed when the contest erupted into a one-round firefight.
Aminipour brought the pressure to Kulabdam, who came out relatively stoic. But the Thai read those combinations well to counter and score a knockdown with his trademark left fist.
The dynamic changed from there, and the Iranian soon walked into a left body shot from Kulabdam that officially stopped the action at 2:51 of round one.
With his convincing victory, the two-time Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai World Champion moved to 69-18-5 in his career. Meanwhile, Aminipour suffered his first defeat in 16 professional fights.
Jaosuayai Tops Petsukumvit Again In Three-Round Thriller
Jaosuayai Sor Dechapan proved that his June knockout victory over Petsukumvit Boi Bangna was no fluke, as he picked up a hard-fought decision win in the pair’s electrifying flyweight Muay Thai showdown.
The 22-year-old showcased his explosive brand of striking throughout the bout, mixing in flying attacks and exchanging strikes at a furious pace.
In the second frame, a huge left hand sent Petsukumvit to the canvas. And while the 25-year-old would return to his feet and brawl for much of the third round, that knockdown was enough to earn Jaosuayai the majority decision and improve his career record to 55-20-2.
Suablack Blitzes Coakley, Earns Six-Figure Contract
Suablack Tor Pran49 closed out his 2023 campaign with another statement finish, as he sent Craig Coakley packing inside the opening stanza of their bantamweight Muay Thai war.
The Thai hero found a route past the Irishman’s piercing teeps and massive reach advantage by deploying a routine catch-and-counter strategy, which eventually led to the match-winning sequence.
Just as Coakley let rip with another kick to the midsection, the Tor Pran49 representative got a grip of his foot and landed a solid left to the solar plexus that folded “Coco” in half.
With his fourth finish in as many ONE Championship appearances, the 27-year-old rising star improved his slate to 58-18 overall – and more importantly, earned himself a six-figure contract with ONE Championship.
Chorfah Stops Ogasawara With Massive Right Hand
In 132-pound catchweight Muay Thai action, local hero Chorfah Tor Sangtiennoi scored a spectacular second-round knockout over Japanese sensation Eisaku “Speed Actor” Ogasawara.
Ogasawara showed little fear early, as he forced the Thai on the defensive throughout much of the first frame with a heavy kicking game, blasting him with massive blows to the legs and body.
But late in the first round, Chorfah seemed to find his range. And just 57 seconds into the second stanza, he landed a picture-perfect right hand that sent Ogasawara melting to the canvas and brought an end to the contest.
The victory was the 30-year-old’s third straight in ONE and improved his career record to 104-45-8.
Suriyanlek Sleeps Yodkritsada Early In Round Two
Suriyanlek Por Yenying bagged his fourth victory in ONE Championship with another trademark knockout against Yodkritsada Sor Sommai in their 132-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest, which kicked off ONE Friday Fights 46 in style.
The Thai striker slammed in kicks to slow down his compatriot and followed up with heavy punches at every chance for much of the opening round, giving him the upper hand as the second stanza got underway.
But while the 27-year-old seemed ready to throw down for another long three minutes, he needed only 15 seconds.
As Yodkritsada decided to get creative in attack, Suriyanlek beat him to the punch and snuck in a right hand down the middle, finishing the fight and upping his career slate to 79-26.
