Reug Reug, Teo, Izagakhmaev Kick Off ONE 161 Main Card With Dominant Wins
A trio of MMA fights jumpstarted the main card of ONE 161: Petchmorakot vs. Tawanchai in explosive fashion on Thursday, September 29.
The global fan base witnessed a massive TKO, a commanding first-round submission, and a three-round demolition.
Here’s what happened in the MMA fights on the ONE 161 main card.
Saygid Izagakhmaev’s Wrestling Powers Him To Victory
Fifth-ranked contender Saygid Izagakhmaev dominated “The Warrior” Zhang Lipeng in their lightweight MMA clash to earn his fourth consecutive victory.
In the opening moments of the fight, the Dagestani stood in the pocket and went shot-for-shot with Zhang. But when he found his chance to shoot for a takedown, Izagakhmaev dragged the Chinese athlete to the canvas and smothered him.
From that moment forward, Izagakhmaev worked from within Zhang’s guard and rained down punches and elbows when the openings presented themselves. All “The Warrior” could do was squirm helplessly with his back against the mat.
After 15 minutes of action, all three judges awarded Izagakhmaev with the win, which pushed his professional record to 21-2.
In his post-fight interview with Mitch Chilson, the Dagestani called out Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki.
However, after such a one-sided performance, fans shouldn’t be surprised to see Izagakhmaev enter the Circle against another top-ranked contender or perhaps the division’s reigning king, ONE Lightweight World Champion Christian Lee.
Tiffany Teo Impresses In Atomweight Debut, Finishes Ritu Phogat
Tiffany “No Chill” Teo‘s run in the stacked atomweight division got off to a flawless start, as she submitted Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat with just seconds remaining in the opening frame.
The two-time ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title challenger imposed her height and reach advantage from the start. She controlled the distance with her jab, stayed out of Phogat’s range, and whenever the Indian wrestling sensation decided to trade from close quarters, Teo made her pay with stinging strikes.
That prompted “The Indian Tigress” to switch levels and shoot for a takedown. She initially got the upper hand, but the Singaporean reversed the position, cleverly transitioned to her rival’s back, and immediately went in search of a match-winning submission.
“No Chill’s” initial rear-naked choke attempt proved futile, as the Commonwealth Wrestling Gold Medalist refused to give up her neck. But Teo wasn’t deterred, and she momentarily switched positions and unleashed heavy knees to distract Phogat.
As “The Indian Tigress” tried to scramble her way out, Teo took her back once again. She trapped Phogat’s arm in a body lock to diminish any chance of an escape and sunk in a rear-naked choke, which forced a tap from the Evolve MMA star at the 4:52 mark of round one.
It was the hometown hero’s second consecutive rear-naked choke win on the global stage, and her solid performance earned her a US$50,000 bonus.
‘Reug Reug’ Returns To Form, Stops Batradz Gazzaev
“Reug Reug” Oumar Kane returned to the Circle with a point to prove, taking out dangerous newcomer Batradz Gazzaev in the second round of their heavyweight MMA showdown.
The Senegalese bruiser said that he was going to showcase the improvements he had made since being handed his first career defeat in April 2021 – and he made good on that promise.
After fending off the Russian powerhouse’s relentless takedown attempts from the opening bell, “Reug Reug” waded in with heavy strikes to display a clear evolution in his stand-up game.
Kane maintained that aggression in the second round, and he scored with heavy kicks and punches that forced a panicked takedown attempt from Gazzaev, which was stuffed.
“Reug Reug” proceeded to throw hammer fists from the turtle position, and then he worked his way to mount and secured the finish with a barrage of ground-and-pound at the 2:15 mark.
Now back on the winning track, Kane is ready to go after the heavyweight elite with his flawless finishing rate of four TKOs from four victories.
