ONE 158 Lead Card: Buchecha, Delaney Stay Unbeaten In MMA With Dominant Finishes
Seven exciting fights kicked off ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen in style on Friday, 3 June.
Although there were only two stoppages on the lead card, there was no shortage of action, as every athlete brought their best in hard-fought battles at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Here’s the rundown of every MMA and kickboxing contest that opened the show in “The Lion City.”
Mangat Survives Late Rally To Earn Split Decision Over ‘Y2K’
Explosive strikers Gurdarshan “Saint Lion” Mangat and Yodkaikaew “Y2K” Fairtex battled hard for 15 minutes in hopes of boosting their status in the stacked flyweight MMA ranks.
Mangat wisely utilized more of his wrestling against the Muay Thai specialist and dominated long stretches of the first two rounds with takedowns and back control, but the durable Fairtex athlete fended off submission attempts and bounced back with a strong final frame.
Yodkaikaew wobbled “Saint Lion” with a pair of damaging straight lefts that swung the momentum in his favor, but two of the judges sided with Mangat’s overall body of work to grant him a split-decision victory.
Rusu Outstrikes Toutouh To Score Debut Victory
In a closely contested lightweight kickboxing clash between ONE Championship newcomers, Constantin “Lioncrusher” Rusu defeated Marouan Toutouh by unanimous decision – however, it didn’t come easily.
Rusu rushed into the foray and controlled much of the first round with his unorthodox strikes, only to hit a hurdle in the last two rounds.
Toutouh struck back in the latter stages, turning it into a more challenging battle. But the adversity only bettered Rusu, as he landed rapid strikes from all angles.
After nine minutes of action, the Moldovan rising star claimed the victory, improved to 23-4 (1 NC) overall, and made his mark on one of the deepest striking divisions on the planet.
Buchecha Continues MMA Rampage With First-Round TKO
Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida stayed perfect in mixed martial arts with a scintillating display at the expense of Australian heavyweight Simon Carson.
The 17-time BJJ World Champion needed only 2:24 of the opening round to earn the finish – his fastest triumph yet in the all-encompassing sport.
After a brief exchange of kicks, the American Top Team and Evolve MMA standout shot for a massive double-leg takedown and went to work on the canvas. Carson tried his best to hang with the grappling legend, but he couldn’t find an exit.
“Buchecha” then delivered a barrage of huge right hands to score his first TKO win, pushing his MMA slate to 3-0 after submission victories in his first two appearances.
Delaney Stays Unbeaten With Second-Round Submission
Odie “The Witness” Delaney and Mehdi Barghi duked it out in a battle of elite heavyweight wrestlers, but it was the former NCAA Division 1 All-American who earned the impressive MMA victory at ONE 158.
In the opening round, Delaney showcased his developing stand-up arsenal with some sharp long-range striking. He stabbed away at Barghi’s body with kicks, while the shorter man loaded up with looping punches that couldn’t find the mark.
Then in round two, the American dragged his foe to the canvas and advanced to side control, where he quickly secured a straight armlock submission at the 2:22 mark.
With the win, Delaney pushed his flawless mixed martial arts record to 4-0 with two consecutive victories in ONE Championship.
Mirzamukhamedov Edges Didier In Classic Grappler-Striker Showdown
Jasur “White Tiger” Mirzamukhamedov survived 10 grueling minutes on the canvas with Duke Didier and then fought back late to score a split-decision victory in their heavyweight MMA battle.
“The Duke of Canberra” dashed at Mirzamukhamedov in the opening stages of the bout, dragged him down, and for two rounds, smothered the 6-foot-6 Uzbek giant while unloading ground-and-pound attacks.
However, by round three, Didier had spent so much time controlling Mirzamukhamedov from the top that he could barely stand upright. “White Tiger” realized this and activated his striking skills, stuffing each takedown and hurting his opponent with knees to the head.
After the smoke cleared, two of the three judges awarded the decision to Mirzamukhamedov, who nudged his record to 6-0 with a gutsy win in his ONE debut.
Olsim Outlasts Mezabarba In Crucial Atomweight Bout
Jenelyn “The Graceful” Olsim dug deep in her growing bag of tricks as she outpointed Julie Mezabarba via split decision in a razor-close atomweight MMA bout.
The 25-year-old Filipina mixed up her deadly striking with well-timed takedowns, frustrating the Brazilian, who failed to find her rhythm on the feet with OIsim changing levels at every opportunity.
It was a huge win for the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix semifinalist, as she rebounded from that loss to Ritu Phogat while claiming her third win in four ONE Championship contests.
Marques Claims Decision In Striking-Heavy Thriller With Kim
Edson “Panico” Marques used his Muay Thai striking to score a unanimous decision win over wushu stylist Kim Kyung Lock in their action-packed lightweight mixed martial arts matchup.
The bout opened with both strikers seeking to pressure one another around the Circle, but the Brazilian survived Kim’s alternating attacks between his legs and his head.
As the fight progressed, each man sought a takedown, but neither was successful. And it was Marques who broke down the South Korean with a barrage of punches as the battle largely stayed upright.
It was apparent that Kim was losing energy, as he was unable to slip effectively. He tried to fight back in the final moments, but that effort was no match for “Panico’s” consistent output throughout the battle.
With the win, Marques bounced back from a tough stretch and improved his MMA record to 10-2.
Read more: ONE 158: Tawanchai Vs. Larsen – Results And Highlights For Every Fight
