Pongsiri Victorious Against Harrison, Teen Phenoms Sundell And Ghazali Continue To Impress At ONE Friday Fights 18
The legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium played host to yet another thrilling ONE Championship event that featured 24 athletes competing across three sports.
Top-level mixed martial arts, kickboxing, and Muay Thai were on full display at ONE Friday Fights 18 on May 26 in Bangkok, Thailand, and by the time the night ended, fans were begging for more.
If you missed any of the action in the Thai capital, here’s what unfolded, starting with the show’s headliner.
Pongsiri Edges Harrison in Tightly Contested Muay Thai Battle
Pongsiri PK Saenchai and Tyson Harrison’s 147.6-pound catchweight Muay Thai war capped off the organization’s Friday night with a brawl for the ages.
Both men locked themselves up in a phone booth, exchanging elbows, knees, and every other weapon imaginable in “the art of eight limbs.” Their technicality, heart, and granite chins refused to crumble under one another’s acumen throughout the nine-minute duel.
At the end of the wild clash, though, Pongsiri’s offense and aggression impressed all three judges sitting ringside, and he got the unanimous decision nod. With the victory, the two-time Lumpinee Muay Thai World Champion improved his all-striking record to 158-37-11.
Samingdam Impresses In Three-Round Thriller With Mahamongkol
Samingdam Chor Ajalaboon put on a clinic against Mahamongkol Move on Chiangmai in their 132-pound catchweight Muay Thai encounter.
The PK Saenchai representative worked well in every range. On the outside, he smashed his rival with long punches and kicks that never seemed to miss. Inside the clinch, he landed hurtful knees.
Mahamongkol’s resilience kept him in the running, and he landed some sharp elbows, but Samingdam took a clear unanimous decision after three rounds to bump his striking record to 60-31-1.
Teeyai’s Flying Knee Sleeps Saklek In The Second Round
Teeyai PK Saenchai and Saklek Kiatsongrit went to war under strawweight Muay Thai rules, but a stunning flying knee knockout from the former gave him his third consecutive win inside the Thai capital.
After an entertaining first round, both men stood inside the pocket throwing heavy artillery. However, it didn’t take long for Saklek to earn the first knockdown with a quickfire right hand.
But just seconds after the restart, Teeyai brought the roof down with a flying left knee that left his Thai counterpart dusted and done at the 58-second mark of the second frame.
The victory improved Teeyai’s all-striking resume to 57-20-12.
Rit Roars Back To Stop Sansiri In Round Two
Rit Keawsamrit once again proved himself to be Sansiri PK Saenchai‘s kryptonite when he scored a second-round KO over his rival in their bantamweight Muay Thai clash.
Sansiri was confident after a late surge in round one, but he left himself open when he tried to capitalize in the second frame. In the midst of a flurry, Rit found an opening for a crushing overhand left to earn the finish at 0:33.
Rit now leads their series 4-0 and boasts a 111-66-5 striking slate overall.
Chatanan Dazzles In ONE Debut With Second-Round Finish Of Suphachailek
Chatanan Sor Jor Joyprajin marked his ONE Friday Fights debut with an impressive victory over Suphachailek Nengsubyai in their 129-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest.
The 19-year-old phenom showcased his powerful striking arsenal, retaliating Suphachailek’s kicks with potent punches. After recovering from an early knockdown in the second round, Chatanan dominated the fight, flooring Suphachailek with a short right punch.
As the fight resumed, Chatanan’s solid left hook found its mark, compelling the referee to call off the bout at 2:41 in round two. This triumphant debut pushed Chatanan’s overall striking record to 74-25-2.
Petnumkhum Blasts Through Petkritsada In 46 Seconds
Petnumkhum Phundakrataburi needed just 46 seconds of round one to blitz his Thai compatriot Petkritsada CMA Academy in their 116.2-pound catchweight Muay Thai tilt.
The 27-year-old Phundakrataburi man backed his rival into the corner immediately after the opening bell and let rip with scorching boxing salvos.
For the finishing combination, Petnumkhum followed up on a left hook to the body with a thudding right cross, separating Petkritsada from his senses and boosting his record to 67-21.
Siasarani Scores Massive Win Over Boutasaa In Three-Round Thriller
Relax, entertain, and counter — that was Mohammed Siasarani’s tactic before he left the iconic venue with a unanimous decision win over Mohammed Boutasaa in this featherweight kickboxing showdown.
Siasarani allowed the Southpaw Gym standout to make the first move before he retaliated with solid punches and shots to the body.
In the third frame, he threw in some entertainment for the fans, too, dropping his guard as bait before firing away with more solid strikes to put the icing on the cake.
The victory was his second consecutive win at ONE Friday Fights, and it improved Siasarani’s combined striking record to 20-9.
Chanajon Kicks His Way To Razor-Close Victory Over Hugo
Chanajon PK Saenchai narrowly bested Victor Hugo in a lightweight Muay Thai clash that showcased two opposing styles.
The Thai star let rip with hard low kicks throughout three close rounds, sometimes mixing up his attacks with punches, but mostly smashing away with his lower limbs.
Brazil’s Hugo worked behind a solid jab and fired off hard right hands, but the judges favored Chanajon’s kicks in the end and awarded him the unanimous decision to extend his combined striking record to 111-30-5.
Sundell Batters Bjelogrlic In Kickboxing Debut
Smilla “The Hurricane” Sundell made the walk down the ramp looking confident as ever, and she left the ring with just as much conviction after a dominant showing in her 128-pound catchweight kickboxing contest versus Milana Bjelogrlic.
Sundell, the ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion, made the switch from her natural sport to kickboxing for the first time, and she threw the kitchen sink at the Serbian slugger from start to finish. “The Hurricane” operated behind her left jab to connect with thumping straight rights, body hooks, and knees to her foe’s midsection.
For her part, Bjelogrlic did well to hang on, but she simply couldn’t match Sundell’s output throughout the nine-minute war.
After three rounds of action, the 18-year-old Swede walked away with a clear-cut unanimous decision win. The victory pushed her record under the ONE banner to 3-0 and upped her combined Muay Thai and kickboxing slate to 34-5-1.
Teen Phenom Ghazali Picks Up Another Stunning KO Against Tai
Malaysian-American phenom Johan “Jojo” Ghazali picked up his second consecutive ONE Friday Fights knockout in a thrilling flyweight Muay Thai tussle with Tai Sor Jor Piek Uthai.
The 16-year-old prodigy stayed in the pocket throwing hands at his rival for the whole fight, enduring some hard leg kicks and absorbing damage from elbows in the process.
However, Ghazali’s efforts came good in the third round when a left-right punch combination put Tai down and out at 1:37. The victory extended his all-striking record to an impressive 21-6.
Chelbaev Strikes His Way To A Perfect Debut Against Rane
Andrey Chelbaev passed his first test under the ONE Championship spotlight with a sound performance against Manthan Rane, relying heavily on his boxing to take home the win in this flyweight MMA bout.
The undefeated Russian confidently advanced behind his combinations throughout the duel. He even clipped the Team Relentless superstar with a left hook and right hand that connected square on his jaw.
After three rounds of action, the Tiger Muay Thai athlete was declared the winner by unanimous decision, improving his mixed martial arts slate to 4-0.
Kabdulla’s Crushing Elbow Clinches Victory Over Godoy
In the show’s opener, Ali Kabdulla proved his dominance over Richard “The Wolf” Godoy in an electrifying lightweight MMA bout.
The initial rounds saw both athletes showcasing their striking prowess, with Kabdulla maintaining assertive pressure on Godoy.
However, the decisive moment arrived in round three when Kabdulla engaged his Brazilian foe in the clinch, executed a firm knee, and then landed a punishing right elbow. This powerful combination floored Godoy and, despite his resolve to fight on, the referee waved off the contest at the 1:38 mark for good measure.
This victory was Kabdulla’s second finish on ONE Friday Fights and enhanced the Kazakh’s professional MMA record to 9-1-1.
