Rahul Raju Claims Come-From-Behind Submission Win In Singapore
An exciting, back-and-forth contest kicked off ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON as Rahul “The Kerala Krusher” Raju claimed victory from the jaws of defeat against Richard “Notorious” Corminal.
On Friday, 17 May, the Singapore-Indian lightweight scored his first win in ONE Championship with a rear-naked choke in the first round.
The contest began inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium with both athletes happy to stand and trade in the center of the ring as each man relied on his boxing.
It was a tough call to separate these rivals at first, but by the halfway point of the opening stanza, Corminal started to wear some visible damage on his face.
Shortly after, the Juggernaut Fight Club representative rocked the Filipino with a big right hand, and then connected cleanly with another right hook moments later.
Raju continued to land hard and accurate punches, and he looked to be completely in control of the action when he struck again with a picture-perfect right uppercut and left hook.
However, the tide soon turned. The 28-year-old found himself on his back when Corminal first scored big with a Superman punch, and then hit another knockdown with a right hook.
“The Kerala Krusher” was not in trouble for long, though. He snatched a leg, got a takedown, and moved to half guard.
Raju quickly opened up the opportunity to move to mount with elbows from the top. Then he took Corminal’s back, and locked up a rear-naked choke to complete his comeback.
The tap came with 4:43 on the clock to give the Indian the victory, and improve his professional mixed martial arts record to 6-4.
