Sovannahry Em Wins ONE Debut In Double-Quick Time
Cambodia may have found a new mixed martial arts hero after Sovannahry Em kick-started her ONE Championship career with an impressive win on Friday, 7 December.
The 26-year-old defeated Iryna “Delsa” Kyselova in the first round of their 63.5-kilogram catch weight bout at ONE: DESTINY OF CHAMPIONS, which emanated from the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The promotional debutant wasted no time when the opening bell sounded. She pressed forward, pushed her Ukrainian opponent back with a superman punch, and then grabbed a body lock.
As the athlete moved towards the cage, Em switched to a double-leg takedown to plant her rival on the canvas and moved straight into side control.
From that position, she started firing away with heavy punches and knees to the head.
Kyselova desperately held onto a headlock to stop the damage, but that just allowed the Cambodian-American to take her back.
The Ukrainian could not improve her position, and the Fight Science MMA product unloaded with punches once again, which forced referee Kemp Cheng to step in and stop the contest at the 1:21 mark.
“I’m so happy to be here… it feels great to be working for ONE,” Em told ONE commentator Mitch “The Dragon” Chilson after the official verdict was announced.
“We had the feeling she was going to try to grab my head, so I worked that position a lot – pulling my head out of there. It was just exactly what we were working on, so it worked out perfectly.
“I thank Iryna for giving me this opportunity – I really appreciate everything.”
In victory, Em improved her record to 3-0. All three of her wins have come via first-round stoppage.
