Peacock Stuns In Debut, Asahi Upsets Seksan, Kongthoranee Earns Six-Figure Contract At ONE Friday Fights 58
ONE Championship kicked off a stacked doubleheader on April 5 with ONE Friday Fights 58: Superbon vs. Grigorian II in Asia primetime at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The supporting card featured incredible action across Muay Thai and kickboxing, with several memorable debuts, a wild upset, the triumphant return of a legend, and much more.
Here, we recap every fight that went down before the ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Title main event between Superbon and Marat Grigorian.
Nong-O Outstrikes Kulabdam In Return To Winning Ways
Former longtime ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama has had his back against the wall after a pair of recent defeats, but the legendary Thai turned back the clock to defeat Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai by unanimous decision in their bantamweight Muay Thai duel.
Nong-O was the aggressor from the get-go, trying to find an opening for a signature blow. However, Kulabdam remained patient throughout the first frame as he locked up with his idol.
The 37-year-old continued to counter “Left Meteorite” in the second frame, landing better strikes and showing more of his iconic arsenal. It was more of the same in the final round, as Nong-O outstruck Kulabdam in the pocket and got the better of exchanges.
With his key victory, the current #3-ranked contender remained in the World Title picture, improved to 266-56-10 overall, and snapped his opponent’s impressive winning streak.
Asahi Halts Seksan’s Eight-Fight Run With Shocking Debut
Yutaro Asahi shocked the world by ending Seksan Or Kwanmuang‘s incredible eight-fight winning streak in ONE Championship.
The Japanese rising star didn’t get drawn into a brawl in this 142-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout, instead using his footwork and shot selection to get the best of the Thai fan favorite.
It was clear in round one that Asahi wasn’t going to stand in front of Seksan, as he picked angles to score with punches and kicks.
The Phoenix Gym representative looked even more confident in round two and floored “The Man Who Yields To No One” with a lead uppercut followed by a hard left hand.
Seksan tried to make something happen in the final frame, but Asahi stayed a step ahead to earn a memorable debut win by unanimous decision and announce his arrival in the organization.
Nakrob Nabs Narrow Win Over Muangthai In Instant Classic
The only thing better than meeting one of your Muay Thai idols is beating one of your Muay Thai idols – just ask Nakrob Fairtex.
The 25-year-old Thai scored a razor-thin split-decision win over the legendary “Elbow Zombie” Muangthai PK Saenchai in what turned out to be a three-round classic.
For nine intense minutes, Nakrob stood chin-to-chin with his compatriot and traded elbows and knees in their flyweight Muay Thai fight, taking just as much as he was giving.
Muangthai had his moments, marching forward and driving knees into Nakrob’s sternum, but the latter pulled ahead when it counted most.
With the all-action victory, Nakrob upped his professional striking record to 65-21.
Kongthoranee Wins Seventh Straight Fight, Earns Six-Figure Contract
Kongthoranee Sor Sommai extended his ONE Championship winning streak to seven with a life-changing victory over Jaosuayai Mor Krungthepthonbur in their 134-pound catchweight Muay Thai barnburner.
The scrappy Thai took control of the first round, dominating Jaosuayai with teep kicks and heavy combinations. Then all hell broke loose in the second frame.
As the round began, Jaosuayai dropped his compatriot with a well-timed left hand, shocking the two-time Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai World Champion before following with a flurry of strikes as a frantic war ensued.
In the face of all that pressure, the 27-year-old managed to return the favor and put Jaosuayai down with a strong left elbow of his own.
As the final frame began, both men were weary of the other’s power, but Kongthoranee controlled the remaining minutes and ultimately picked up the hard-fought unanimous decision win.
In the process, he improved to 68-15-1 overall and earned a lucrative six-figure contract to join ONE’s global roster.
Shadow Finishes Hehir In Exciting Three-Round Scrap
Former Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai World Champion Shadow Singha Mawynn had to throw everything at Swedish striker Erik Hehir to score the TKO victory in their featherweight Muay Thai battle.
Hehir worked behind an assertive jab in round one, but the Thai made the biggest impression when he dropped his foe with a counter right elbow.
For his part, Shadow briefly touched the canvas from a punch at the start of round two, but he came back with a vengeance and put the Swede down with a huge right hand.
In the final round, Hehir had barely recovered his wobbly legs from a hard left hook when Shadow uncorked a pair of right high kicks to finish the fight at 0:53, improving his professional slate to 76-13.
Kompet Edges Past Kongchai In Fiery Rematch
Kompet Fairtex and Kongchai Chanaidonmueang ran it back in a 126-pound catchweight Muay Thai fight, and the chaos that ensued strongly resembled their September 2023 encounter.
The result, fortunately for Kompet, was also the same.
The athlete from Fairtex Training Center walked away with another unanimous decision win after three rounds of adrenaline-fueled, head-knocking action.
Both Thai strikers stood in the middle of the ring and slung 4-ounce leather, and both refused to slow down under the intensity. Kongchai rallied hard in the last round with body shots, but Kompet had done enough in the first six minutes with his blistering combos and body kicks to keep the momentum.
With the victory, the 23-year-old improved to 87-19 overall.
Peacock Wows Lumpinee In Debut Win Over Shinjo
Jake “The One” Peacock has been the talk of the town since earning his ONE Championship contract, and he lived up to the hype by tearing through Kohei Shinjo to win his bantamweight Muay Thai debut by unanimous decision.
The Road to ONE: Canada winner – who competes despite missing part of his right arm – used his size and stature to control the distance against Shinjo, keeping the Japanese brawler on the back foot as he let his unique arsenal loose.
The English-Canadian striker then brutalized and slowed Shinjo with accurate body kicks across the second round, allowing him to maintain the pressure and hunt for a finish.
As the third round began, Peacock immediately busted Shinjo’s nose open with a huge left counter. And as the blood began to pour, the limb-different combatant stepped his foot on the gas and continued to dominate with heavy strikes.
With his impressive debut, Peacock moved to 13-1 overall and 1-0 in ONE.
Zhang Dominates Aliff With Relentless Boxing
“Fighting Rooster” Zhang Peimian halted Aliff Sor Dechapan‘s hot streak to get back in the winner’s column.
The Chinese phenom needed some time to figure out Aliff’s kicks and knees in the opening frame of their strawweight kickboxing battle, but about halfway through the round, “Fighting Rooster” put his foot on the gas and waded in with ferocious boxing combinations.
He kept this up in rounds two and three, relentlessly walking his foe down and blasting him with heavy hooks to the body and head. Aliff absorbed the damage and somehow managed to stay on his feet, but Zhang took the one-sided unanimous decision, improving to 18-3-1 overall.
With the statement victory, “Fighting Rooster” made his case for another shot at the ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title.
Ishii Outlasts Katashima In Three-Round Tussle
A back-and-forth war kicked off the proceedings when debuting Japanese compatriots Jurai Ishii and Satoshi Katashima met in a 122-pound catchweight Muay Thai action.
It wasn’t so much a battle of technique – as the fighters were evenly matched in that department – but rather a battle of wills.
Over the course of nine minutes, Ishii showed just a little more grit and determination as he kept the lead on the scorecards with zinging punches and thudding kicks to get the nod from all three judges.
With the unanimous decision win, the 18-year-old earned the 14th win of his professional career and his first in ONE Championship.
