Petjeeja Locks In US$100K Contract, Yodphupa Continues Dominant Form At ONE Friday Fights 16
After a historic weekend in the United States, ONE Championship returned to Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on May 12 for another round of Friday Fights action.
This time, ONE Friday Fights 16 took over the ultra-iconic combat sports arena in Bangkok, Thailand, and delivered a dozen MMA, kickboxing, and Muay Thai battles that left the promotion’s global fan base thirsting for more.
Below, we recap the highlights of each bout, starting with the headliner.
Kongthoranee Edges ET After Three-Round War
In the main event, Kongthoranee Sor Sommai and ET TDed99 engaged in a tightly contested three-round 132-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle, and it showed on the judges’ scorecards.
Kongthoranee breached past his rival’s tight guard with powerful leg kicks, trying to force his opposite number to drop his hands as he attempted to land haymakers. ET caved in, getting caught with a pair of straight left punches. However, the 28-year-old fought off those attacks with spinning elbows and flying knees.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for ET, as the two-time Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai World Champion pieced together more combinations that ultimately earned him the majority decision win.
The victory, Kongthoranee’s second inside the ONE ring, upped his slate to 62-15-1.
Yodduangjai Nabs Victory Over Dentungtong With Textbook Muay Thai
In a flyweight Muay Thai clash between two of Thailand’s most promising young talents, Yodduangjai Sor Jor Montree secured a hard-fought unanimous decision over Dentungtong Singha Mawynn.
Fighting out of the southpaw stance, Yodduangjai consistently found a home for his straight left hand, showcasing phenomenal skill on both the offensive and defensive side of the equation. And while Dentungtong enjoyed his moments of success, he didn’t do enough to overcome his foe’s crafty movement and venomous counter-strikes.
At just 18-years-old, the young Thai sensation improved his career record to 91-20-3.
Petjeeja Earns US$100K Contract With First-Round Finish Of Pilutti
When Petjeeja Lukjaoporongtom made her way to the ring for an atomweight Muay Thai clash with Ines Pilutti, she sported a shirt that read “The Queen is Back” — and indeed she was.
The 21-year-old attacked at will, using every weapon in “the art of eight limbs” to push her French rival into reverse gear. A final salvo of body shots and a crushing right punch to the temple sealed the deal for Petjeeja at the 2:50 mark of round one.
The Thai star’s second straight promotional victory, which improved her striking slate to 204-12, was made even sweeter by the US$100,000 contract she earned to compete on ONE Championship’s global stage of martial arts.
Paruehatnoi Wins Insane Firefight With Sonrak
Paruehatnoi TBM Gym and Sonrak Sit Por Jor put on an unforgettable show in their 139-pound catchweight Muay Thai affair, and after three rounds of absurdly paced action, Paruehatnoi walked away with a unanimous decision victory.
Both men were more than happy to bite down on their mouthpieces and trade heavy blows throughout the bout, bringing Thai fans in attendance at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium to their feet on numerous occasions.
Ultimately, it was the Thai athlete’s fearless aggression and big punching power that made the difference, earning him the decision after an absolute barnburner.
The spectacular performance improved the 22-year-old’s career record to an impressive 61-10 overall.
Samurai Seals The Deal With First-Round KO Of Petkuntung
Samurai Seeopal and Petkuntung Yaicheyseafood renewed their ever-growing rivalry in a 133-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle. But what began as a back-and-forth war between the two stars ended with a straight right punch from Samurai at 1:34 of the opening round.
Both ONE debutants stood in the pocket trading shots as soon as their tetralogy match kicked off. However, Samurai beat his rival to the punch, sneaking in a right hand that connected on the money.
With the highlight-reel finish, Samurai improved his record to 59-10-2.
Sulaiman Smothers Petake, Scores Walk-Off Second-Round Finish
In flyweight Muay Thai action, 20-year-old phenom Sulaiman Looksuan showed furious aggression from the opening bell in his bout against Petake Sor Thepparat, scoring a spectacular second-round TKO.
The fighter from Myanmar showed off his thunderous power and relentless pacing through the first round, overwhelming his foe with a seemingly endless flurry of combinations. And after scoring a knockdown in the opening frame, Sulaiman finished the job in the second as Petake crumbled under the pressure of his suffocating assault.
One of the most exciting rising stars in Muay Thai, the Looksuan Muaythai Camp striker now owns a 15-3 career record and is 2-0 in ONE Friday Fight bouts.
Yodphupa Dominates Khromov With Second-Round TKO
Yodphupa Wimanair broke down Andrey Khromov piece by piece en route to a TKO and his third successive win at ONE Friday Fights.
The 19-year-old Thai controlled the opening frame of their 147-pound catchweight Muay Thai duel with thunderous punching power and snappy leg kicks. And he continued his onslaught in the second round with body shots and chopping lead leg kicks.
When he was done there, the Road to ONE Thailand champion went head hunting again. A left hook and final barrage of strikes sent his opponent to the ground at the 1:30 mark of round two.
With the victory, Yodphupa improved his overall striking record to an impressive 63-9-1.
Huo Stops Serik In 64 Seconds With Blistering Body Kick
Strawweight kickboxing standout Huo Xiaolong couldn’t have asked for a better performance against Kazakhstani prodigy Ali Serik.
The Chinese star hardly broke a sweat. In fact, he needed just 64 seconds to land a stinging body kick directly to his foe’s liver. The shot sent Serik crashing to the canvas, clearly unable to continue.
With the highlight-reel knockout, the 27-year-old striker improved his career record to 32-7. Now 2-0 in ONE Friday Fights, Huo has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the talent-rich strawweight kickboxing division.
Numpangna Scores Late Finish Against Ergeshov
Numpangna Eaglemuaythai had to fend off a tricky Ali-Khan Ergeshov in this 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest, but his intense pressure eventually opened the doors to a third-round TKO victory.
The ONE debutants went at each other from bell to bell, with Numpangna staying the aggressor and hunting with kicks and combinations against Ergeshov’s bag of spinning attacks. All that changed in the third round, though.
The Thai athlete dropped his foe to the canvas with an inside leg kick. The Tiger Muay Thai standout barely answered the eight-count, and he soon found himself on the ground again courtesy of more damaging leg kicks.
The TKO win at 1:23 of the third frame improved Numpangna’s striking resume to 40-15-2.
Bekmurzaev Finishes Luong In Kickboxing War
Russian striker Temirlan Bekmurzaev shined in his second ONE Friday Fights appearance, taking out dangerous Vietnamese standout Luong Thanh Phuc with a second-round TKO.
The flyweight kickboxing bout started at a high pace and continued that way for as long as it lasted, as Bekmurzaev found success with thunderous hooks and an explosive, dynamic kicking game.
The finish came at 2:25 of the second frame after Luong was sent to the canvas thanks to a stabbing push-kick from the Russian.
With the victory, the 25-year-old pushed his career striking record to 7-1.
Khasaev Crushes Mardani With Head Kick
Magomedmurad Khasaev’s whipping head kick earned him a first-round finish in his middleweight MMA matchup against Arash Mardani inside the Thai capital.
The Russian superstar went to work with his fists after fending off a couple of Mardani’s takedown attempts. He wobbled his foe with a stinging overhand right before unloading a mix of hooks and uppercuts.
He continued stalking his rival, who retreated to the ropes. But then a right head kick from Khasaev brought an end to their bout at 4:25 of round one. The victory upped his unbeaten resume to 6-0.
Boleyan Taps Out BJJ Black Belt Silva In First Round
The show kicked off with a beautiful display of grappling, as undefeated sensation Moris Boleyan submitted third-degree BJJ black belt Felipe Silva in their flyweight MMA battle.
The fight hit the canvas early, with both men happy to trade submission attempts at a furious pace. After four minutes of grappling in tight quarters, the Armenian star took the Brazilian’s back in a scramble and sunk in a picture-perfect rear-naked choke, bringing an end to the contest at 4:25 of the first frame.
The 24-year-old rising star now sports an impressive 7-0 record, and all of those wins have come via submission.
