Saemapetch, Adiwang, Tetsuka Shine With Dominant Performances At ONE Fight Night 19
After captivating the global fan base earlier with ONE Friday Fights 52 in Asia primetime, the world’s largest martial arts organization returned to Bangkok’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium with the second part of its February 2024 doubleheader, ONE Fight Night 19: Haggerty vs. Lobo.
Fans were treated to eight thrilling Muay Thai and MMA battles in U.S. primetime on February 16, and there were a plethora of highlight-reel stoppages and back-and-forth bangers.
In case you missed it, here’s everything that went down on the ONE Fight Night 19: Haggerty vs. Lobo undercard.
Saemapetch Gets Payback, Finishes Rabah In 93 Seconds
Fourth-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Saemapetch Fairtex promised to get redemption against Mohamed Younes Rabah, and he did just that.
Just two months removed from their controversial December 2023 battle, the Thai veteran handed the Algerian striker his first career loss in devastating fashion.
Saemapetch bludgeoned Rabah with crisp punches, scoring the first knockdown mere seconds into the fight. The Fairtex product didn’t lift his foot off the gas, as he dropped the Algerian two more times in quick succession to close the show after just 93 seconds of action.
The scintillating knockout moved the 29-year-old Thai’s career record to 127-20-1, earned him a US$50,000 performance bonus, and evened the score in his series with Rabah 1-1.
Adiwang Gets Hard-Earned Win Over Ultra-Tough Williams
Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang is on fire. The Filipino secured his third consecutive victory since returning from a torn ACL injury, defeating former two-time ONE World Title challenger Danial “Mini T” Williams.
The two unleashed flashy moves in the opening stages of the strawweight MMA contest, but Adiwang rocked the Thai-Aussie fighter with a couple of haymakers. Then, he brought the action to the canvas and methodically attacked his rival from the top position.
In the second frame, “Thunder Kid” brilliantly jumped forward with explosive punches and escaped the pocket before Williams had any chance to connect with his own damaging counter shots.
Adiwang continued to overwhelm “Mini T” in the third and final stanza, eventually bringing him to the ground and controlling the action on the mat. Williams managed to return to his feet in the last minute of the match and even landed a knee that briefly rattled the Filipino rising star.
But it was too little, too late. In the end, Adiwang earned the nod from all three judges to improve his record to 16-5.
Trujillo Shows Big Power In Decision Victory Over Nolan
Spanish striker Nauzet Trujillo picked up his first promotional victory, but he had to go three hard rounds with British sensation “Lethal” Liam Nolan in their lightweight Muay Thai showdown.
After struggling to find his timing in the first stanza, the 34-year-old Spaniard turned up the aggression in the second period and scored a clean knockdown with a beautiful step-in elbow.
Though Nolan regained his composure and applied more pressure in the third frame, it wasn’t enough to sway the judges. Trujillo left the ring with a unanimous decision, improving his career slate to 49-10-1.
Tetsuka Stuns BJJ Black Belt Amorim With Slick Armbar
Hiroyuki “Japanese Beast” Tetsuka flipped the script on two-time BJJ World Champion Abraao Amorim, as he submitted the Brazilian with a shocking armbar at the tail end of the first round.
The welterweight MMA standouts exchanged strikes early, but soon, Tetsuka dragged the third-degree BJJ black belt to the mat.
It appeared that a stalemate would ensue as “Japanese Beast” held top position, but then he stunned Amorim with a slick transition to the fight-ending armbar with just seconds remaining in the opening frame.
The submission victory put Tetsuka on a four-bout winning streak and lifted his professional record to 13-4.
Lessei Edges Out Abasolo In All-American Muay Thai Clash
In a spectacular battle of American featherweight Muay Thai practitioners, #5-ranked contender Luke “The Chef” Lessei edged out his compatriot Eddie “Silky Smooth” Abasolo to take a split-decision victory.
Lessei used his length to great effect, utilizing his legs to attack and throwing hands when Abasolo got too close. “Silky Smooth” tried to counter by catching his opponent’s kicks, but “The Chef” proved to be too quick.
A huge right cross from Lessei knocked down his countryman early in the second round, but “Silky Smooth” returned to his feet and quickly shook it off. Later in the stanza, Abasolo evened the score by cracking Lessei with a straight left to the chin, scoring a knockdown of his own.
Both men battled through fight-ending shots in the third and final frame, knowing that the match was hanging in the balance. Ultimately, Lessei got the split-decision nod and improved his record to 7-1.
Kierczynska Overwhelms Wondergirl In Stunning ONE Debut
Promotional newcomer Martyna Kierczynska showcased her high-volume, high-paced attack en route to a dominant second-round stoppage of Thai star Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak in their strawweight Muay Thai showdown.
The 21-year-old Polish phenom put her foot on the gas from the opening bell and didn’t stop until she overwhelmed “Wondergirl” with a ferocious combination to bring a merciful end to the contest at the 1:24 mark of round two.
Kierczynska’s TKO victory improved her career record to a pristine 5-0 and secured her a US$50,000 performance bonus.
Malachiev Grinds Out Close Decision Over Saruta
Fifth-ranked strawweight MMA contender Mansur Malachiev got his World Title hopes back on track with a unanimous decision win over former ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Yosuke “The Ninja” Saruta.
It didn’t take Malachiev long to impose his trademark wrestling skills, but it was the Russian’s much improved boxing that was the story of the bout.
A thunderous left hook put Saruta on the canvas and Malachiev then locked in a D’Arce choke in the dying seconds of the opening stanza. Though the Japanese veteran threatened with a guillotine choke in the second round, the Russian escaped and leaned on his grappling to cause problems for his rival for the rest of the three-round encounter.
The unanimous decision victory elevated Malachiev’s record to 12-1 and solidified his standing in the division’s top-five rankings.
Thongpoon Earns Quick TKO Victory Over Chuikov
Thongpoon PK Saenchai returned to the win column, as he made quick work of Kyrgyz debutant Timur Chuikov in their strawweight Muay Thai clash to open the night’s festivities.
After briefly testing out the waters, both men started throwing heavy shots at each other. Thongpoon, however, quickly dropped his rival with a huge right hand for the first knockdown of the contest.
Chuikov returned to his feet, but the Thai star unleashed another massive right to put his foe on the canvas for the second time.
Smelling blood in the water, Thongpoon continued to push the pace and bombard the Kyrgyz warrior with a flurry of punches. The Thai’s right hand touched Chuikov’s chin once more and knocked him down for the third and final time, forcing the stoppage at the 1:37 mark of the first round.
The TKO victory moved the PK Saenchai Muaythaigym representative’s record to 79-23 and earned him the first US$50,000 bonus of the night.
