Rising Stars Spring Surprises On ONE: MARK OF GREATNESS Prelims

Martial arts fans who tuned in early to ONE: MARK OF GREATNESS on Friday, 6 December, were treated to six action-packed bouts on the prelims.

Young stars continued their rise, veterans added marquee wins to their records, and the crowd in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was treated to a few shocking results.

Just in case you missed anything from the Axiata Arena, check out the highlights right here.

“The Sniper” Snaps Lerdsila’s Streak

Elias “The Sniper” Mahmoudi was undaunted by the skill and experience of Muay Thai legend Lerdsila Phuket Top Team as he put pressure on the man from Bangkok from the first bell and aimed to take a famous win.

The French-Algerian landed damaging high kicks and knees in the first round, but Lerdsila showed his trademark skills to slip attacks and counter with stinging body kicks.

At the start of round two, the Phuket Top Team representative stayed elusive and picked up the pace and scored with knees and sweeps. However, Mahmoudi began to connect with leg kicks and step-in knees to regain the advantage.

The bout was still up for grabs in the final frame, and it was “The Sniper” who took the initiative by marching forward with a high guard before he flung a variety of blows to the head and body that found their mark and caused noticeable damage to the Thai icon.

That was enough to earn the three-time Muay Thai World Champion the unanimous decision and elevate his record to 32-4, and snap Lerdsila’s four-year winning run.

Chen’s Early Storm Key To Decision Victory

“The Ghost” Chen Rui’s dominant opening round was the clincher in his bantamweight mixed martial arts tilt with “Jungle Cat” Muhammad Aiman.

The Chinese athlete’s power was devastating when he got on the inside and twice dropped “Jungle Cat” to the canvas with his right hand.

Though he swarmed with follow-up strikes both times, the durable Bali MMA man somehow found a way to survive, clear his head, and bring himself back into the contest in the second and third rounds.

He landed some hard low kicks and overhand rights, but he could not stop “The Ghost” from charging in with heavy punches, which built on his early lead and helped him to sweep the judges’ scorecards. The 23-year-old from Chongqing is now 8-1 with four victories on the global stage.

Tial Thang’s Rise Continues With Impressive Performance

”The Dragon Leg” Tial Thang took the center of the Circle from the first minute as he put pressure on ”The Kid“ Kim Woon Kyoum for the duration of their bantamweight match-up.

A huge late takedown and elbows from the guard put him in the driving seat after the first round, and he continued to put his stamp on the contest in the second as he set a high pace.

Though Kim was active with his right kick to the head and body, the Myanmar hero landed the harder, cleaner strikes. The South Korean was almost knocked down when he buckled from the power of a low kick and left hook, and then Tial Thang continued to damage him with boxing combinations.

“The Dragon Leg” continued his dominance in the final stanza. He continued to march forward with punches in bunches, scored with knees in the clinch, and controlled the action on the mat after he planted Kim with a huge slam. His reward was a unanimous decision that took his pro record to 2-0.

Yoon Stays Perfect With Powerful Submission

“The Big Heart” Yoon Chang Min cruised his fourth victory in ONE this year by submitting Rodian “The Redeemer” Menchavez in their 72-kilogram catch weight clash.

The South Korean was dominant in round one as he caught his rival’s low kick to take the contest to the canvas. From there, he took command of the bout in side control and unleashed elbows and punches.

Yoon changed things up in round two as he stalked Menchavez around the Circle, buckled his legs with kicks, and snapped his head back with punches. As he grew in confidence, he went for a jumping knee, and then grabbed a front headlock on the Filipino.

“The Redeemer” tried to counter with a double-leg takedown, but “The Big Heart” locked up a power guillotine to get the tap at 1:45 of round two and bump his mixed martial arts record to 4-0.

Naito Excels To Outscore Botelho

Taiki “Silent Sniper” Naito looked phenomenal as he used his range and speed to take a unanimous decision victory over Rui Botelho in their flyweight Muay Thai battle.

The Portuguese athlete set his stall out in the opening frame as he charged forward with punches, but Naito was light on his feet and kept his rival away with jabs and low kicks.

“Silent Sniper” continued to work on the outside in round two, as he stuck his lead hand repeatedly into Botelho’s face, and landed with front kicks to the body and head.

Botelho kept on swinging in the final stanza, but he struggled to find the mark against the Japanese athlete, who remained composed, stuck to his game plan, and scored with more jabs and low kicks to cruise to victory and improve to 31-8 in his career.

Bastos Gets A Quick Tap In Evening’s Opener

Brazil’s Rayane Bastos enjoyed a dream debut in The Home Of Martial Arts as she submitted Sovannahry “The Sweet Savage” Em in the first round of their flyweight match-up.

The Cambodian-American started with an aggressive grappling game plan, but a takedown attempt against the fence proved to be her undoing.

As she went for a double-leg, she left her neck exposed, and the 20-year-old BJJ state champion from Para latched onto a tight guillotine choke. Both athletes crashed onto the mat, where Bastos took top position and coaxed the tap from her rival from half guard with 2:40 on the clock.

The Equipe JB representative is now 4-0-1 as a professional.

Read more: MARK OF GREATNESS: Live Updates