Samy Sana Upsets Yodsanklai In Kickboxing World Grand Prix War

Samy “AK47” Sana shocked the world at ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON on Friday, 17 May.

He delivered the performance of his career as he stunned “The Boxing Computer” Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex and eliminated one of the pre-tournament favorites from the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix.

The pair faced off in a quarterfinal match-up at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and produced a thrilling spectacle of striking. Ultimately, Sana’s accurate power shots proved decisive as he earned a thrilling unanimous decision victory.

The shock was on after an incredible opening round, which saw Sana drop the Thai legend with a short left hand late in the frame. This was only seconds after the 30-year-old Frenchman connected with a right high kick.

That knockdown put “AK47″ firmly in the driver’s seat.

Sana’s confidence was on display for all to see in the second round. He waved on the Thai legend and exchanged in the pocket, where he unloaded fast combinations and connected with knees to the body.

Yodsanklai came storming back with combinations of his own as the fans inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium roared their approval.

Despite connecting with a pair of crushing uppercuts late in the second period, “The Boxing Computer” was unable to find an equalizing knockdown.

In an action-packed third and final round, both men traded powerful punches and knee strikes with one another, which brought the capacity crowd to their collective feet.

The three judges at ringside did not take long to render a unanimous decision in Sana’s favor.

With this victory, the Frenchman pushed his combined Muay Thai and kickboxing record to 134-9-1 and snapped Yodsanklai’s seven-year unbeaten streak.

Also, he advanced to the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix semifinals, where he will face Russia’s Dzhabar Askerov and try to move closer to the US$1 million dollar prize.