Ortikov Moves To 20-0 Against Pompet, Raksaensuk Finishes Thapluang In Barnburner At ONE Friday Fights 88
ONE Championship brought the hottest weekly series in combat sports to Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium once again on Friday, November 22, and another night of high-octane action ensued.
ONE Friday Fights 88 featured 11 bouts across Muay Thai, MMA, kickboxing, and submission grappling, and the talents on show were out to impress in the hopes of landing a spot on ONE’s global roster.
In case you missed any of the gripping contests, here’s a recap of what went down live in Asia primetime.
Ortikov Stays Perfect In Toughest Test Yet Against Pompet
Aslamjon Ortikov proved he was an undeniable force when he scored his 20th career win in a row and pushed his ONE Championship slate to 6-0 against Pompet PK Saenchai.
The undefeated Uzbekistani brought his signature pressure to the 130-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest early. He kicked Pompet’s legs and threw a multitude of punches and elbows at his face before dropping him with a stern right hand.
A brawl ensued in the second frame as Pompet gave chase to Ortikov. But the 21-year-old powerhouse to advantage of his foe’s eagerness to find a home for his overhand right.
Ortikov shined again in the final minutes, throwing a mixture of sharp elbows and counter right hands that caused Pompet to miss plenty and often.
The unanimous decision win was all but a certainty by the end, and Ortikov’s mind-blowing 20-0 career record pegged him as a star to watch in ONE.
Sornsueknoi Edges Past Sing In Razor-Close Battle
Sornsueknoi FA Group defeated Sing Sor Chokmeechai via split decision in their 131-pound catchweight Muay Thai firefight.
Sornsueknoi started strong in the first round, delivering stinging low kicks and heavy body shots that disrupted his Thai compatriot’s rhythm.
Sing pressed forward in the second frame and landed sharp elbows and powerful body shots, though he had to wade through a brutal barrage of strikes to do it.
The Sor Chokmeechai man remained aggressive in the final round, but Sornsueknoi managed to land a crisp left hook to halt his momentum, which proved vital in the end.
Two of three judges gave the nod to Sornsueknoi, and the split-decision victory moved his ONE Championship record to 5-1 and stood as his 46th career win.
Theptaksin Snaps Buldakov’s Undefeated Streak
Theptaksin Sor Sornsing handed Ivan “Bullet” Buldakov his first career defeat in their highly technical 126-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest.
Buldakov tried to impose his will early by initiating a gritty battle in close quarters, but Theptaksin beat him at his own game, using sharp punches to keep him at bay.
Chaos ensued in round two as both fighters swung for the fences. Theptaksin was relentless, and he forced his Russian foe on the backfoot with punishing teep kicks.
The Thai star’s elite conditioning shined in the final frame, and he tested “Bullet’s” defenses with head kicks. Though, Buldakov countered with heavy punches, his last-ditch effort came too little, too late.
The judges awarded Theptaksin the unanimous decision victory in the end, upping his career slate to 77-28-4.
Apiwat Outsmarts Yodkritsada For Second Straight Win In ONE
Apiwat Sor Somnuk put consecutive wins together for the first time in his ONE career against Yodkritsada Sor Sommai in 131-pound catchweight Muay Thai action.
Apiwat controlled the first frame of the tentative affair by remaining careful with his approach, which allowed him to land right hands and low kicks.
The 32-year-old maintained the distance well in the second round and countered his opponent with more right hands and clinical combinations.
However, Yodkritsada struck back in the final frame. He chased his fellow Thai down with aggression to land powerful punch and kick combinations. Though his output was impressive, Apiwat’s overall body of work allowed him to get the nod via majority decision in the end, and he moved to 104-29 as a result.
Kaotaem Overcomes Lamsing In Fiery Battle
Kaotaem Fairtex triumphed over Lamsing Sor Dechapan in a thrilling 128-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout.
The 19-year-old Thai phenom scored an early knockdown via a powerful one-two combination and put his stamp on the bout moments later by sending his foe down again with a high kick and left cross.
Lamsing survived the round and came back fiercely in the second, targeting Kaotaem’s left side with a punching combination and slicing elbow that opened a cut above his eye.
Kaotaem regained control by landing a vicious flying knee, and he kept the exchanges fiery until the final bell to secure a unanimous decision victory, which stood as his 35th career win.
Raksaensuk Ends Thapluang’s Night With A Vicious Knee
The 123-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle between Thai warriors Thapluang Petkiatpet and Raksaensuk Sor Tor Hiewbangsaen certainly didn’t disappoint.
Thapluang set the tone with his powerful punches and got the upper hand when he staggered Raksaensuk with a vicious elbow to close out round one.
Sensing Thapluang had emptied the tank in the opening frame, Raksaensuk responded with volume and pressure in the second frame. The 20-year-old busted up his compatriot’s nose with nasty knees from the clinch and wore him down with punishing body shots.
Thapluang continued his relentless assault on his Thai compatriot’s midsection in the final stanza, and his persistence paid off when he connected with a knee to the head off a barrage of body strikes to secure the KO just 42 seconds into round three, which stood as his 36th career victory.
Abdulmedzhidov Walks Through Duangsompong To Go 2-0 In ONE
After a prolific debut at ONE Friday Fights 74, Ibragim Abdulmedzhidov delivered the goods once again when he steamrolled Duangsompong Jitmuangnon inside two and a half minutes of their 138.6-pound catchweight Muay Thai affair.
Abdulmedzhidov took the fight to his Thai counterpart immediately, pressuring him with high kicks and body strikes. After finding his range, he then clipped Duangsompong with a left hook to send him to the canvas.
Sensing the finish was on, the Russian went back with lethal intentions and ended Duangsompong with a looping right hook at 2:23 of round one.
With the KO victory, Abdulmedzhidov moved to 14-3 overall and 2-0 in ONE Championship.
Zahidi Lands Crushing Head Kick KO Against Tun Min Aung
Abdelali “Black Diamond” Zahidi made a grand entrance to ONE Championship by finishing Tun “The Phenom” Min Aung in the second round of their 158-pound catchweight Muay Thai barnburner.
The 25-year-old debutant opened the bout with punishing left leg kicks that staggered his foe, and he followed up with a powerful right hand to set the tone.
Tun Min Aung attempted to battle back in round two, but that soon led to his demise. He shot in with an overhand right, but Zahidi unleashed a left high kick that landed flush on the chin and sent him crashing to the canvas.
The Myanmarese striker was unable to continue, so the referee waved off the fight at 2:40 of the second frame, handing Zahidi the KO win that improved his record to 25-4.
Naruo Finishes Zhang In Knockdown-Filled Firefight
Hiroki Naruo kept his composure to score a final-round TKO win over “Chinese Tiger” Zhang Jinhu in their action-packed flyweight kickboxing contest.
Naruo scored a knockdown via a swift two-piece combination less than a minute into the bout. A visibly dazed Zhang answered the referee’s count, but he was sent back to the canvas seconds later with a wild right cross.
Chaos ensued in the second frame, as “Chinese Tiger” struck back and dropped Naruo with a beautiful jab and destructive left.
However, the Japanese striker reestablished dominance in the final frame and scored a knockdown via a pinpoint body kick. He then sealed the deal with a crushing left hook at the 1:23 mark to secure his 14th career win.
Nunes Battles Back To Stop Eziyeu In ONE Debut
Harlysson Nunes took everything Ilyas Eziyeu had, but he couldn’t be denied as he came back to stop his foe in the second round of their bantamweight MMA tilt.
Eziyeu came out with a lightning-fast pace, tagging Nunes and gaining top position on the mat. But the Brazilian debutant threw elbows and submission attempts from the bottom to remain active.
The second stanza started like the first, with Nunes finding himself on his back after a short-lived slugfest.
However, he battled back and eventually turned the tables by rocking Eziyeu with a huge up-kick. A barrage of strikes sent the Russian tumbling, and Nunes the stoppage at 2:16 of round two to move his overall slate to 8-2.
Kuchmistyi Stays Dominant To Best Hutchison
Russian debutant Vladimir Kuchmistyi secured an impressive victory over British-Japanese star Craig Hutchison in a lightweight submission grappling action.
The ONE Championship debutant spun into an imanari roll and then transitioned into an inverted guard as he aggressively hunted for leg locks after the start of the bout. But Hutchison showcased a calm and effective defense to escape each attempt.
Kuchmistyi shot for a double-leg takedown to reengage and target Hutchison’s right leg. Though his opponent stood firm, the Russian’s inverted guard prevented Hutchison from mounting any significant offense.
This proved to be the difference at the end of the 10-minute contest, as the judges handed Kuchmistyi the unanimous decision victory.
