Thrilling TKO Caps Off Action-Packed Singapore Prelims

On Friday, 18 May, the preliminary card for ONE: UNSTOPPABLE DREAMS perfectly set the pace for a historic night of martial arts action in the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The four bouts were capped off by the inspirational return of Muay Thai legend Singtongnoi Por Telakun, who defeated Stage three cancer just a year and a half earlier.

Here is what unfolded during the prelims.

An Inspirational Return From Singtongnoi Por Telakun

Singtongnoi Por Telakun already won the biggest battle of his life when he defeated cancer, but he also returned to competition on Friday to add another victory to his legendary Muay Thai career at ONE: UNSTOPPABLE DREAMS.

He faced Italy’s Joseph “Hurricane” Lasiri in a ONE Super Series Muay Thai flyweight bout, and looked as sharp as ever.

With a raucous crowd on his side, the Evolve MMA representative came out like a ball of fire against Lasiri, who had no answer for the Singapore-based Thai’s barrage of kicks and elbows.

Singtongnoi followed up two knockdowns in the first round by dishing out even more punishment in the second frame.

While the Italian striker showed a ton of heart, the offensive attack from the multi-time Lumpinee Stadium World Champion was just too much. The referee waved off the action at the 2:36 mark of round two.

The living legend elevates his astonishing record to 221-80, and from the looks of it, he is only getting started in ONE Super Series.

Xie Chao Continues His Rise Up The Ranks

Chinese featherweight Xie Chao showed off a diverse ground attack to stop Cambodia Top Team’s Meas Meul in the third round.

While it was a battle on the mat from the opening seconds of the first round, Xie ultimately displayed his superiority by constantly taking Meul’s back and looking for the rear-naked choke submission.

When the finish did not come from that position, Xie made an adjustment in the third round to take the Cambodian down, before opening up with a rapid-fire succession of punches.

This time, Meul could not escape. The bout was stopped at the 1:10 mark of round three. In victory, Xie moves his record to 8-3, and will continue his ascension up the ranks.

Xie Bin Gets Hard-Earned TKO

“The Stalker” Xie Bin put on a striking clinic while giving local favorite “Boogeyman” Huang Shi Hao a rude welcome in his promotional debut.

Xie had to defend some early grappling wizardry from the Singaporean submission specialist, but once the action moved back to the feet, he maintained complete control.

The end came midway through the second round, as the 20-year-old Chinese athlete found an opening in Hao’s defense and pressured forward with a flurry of punches and knees. Huang’s corner threw in the towel, and the referee no choice but to stop the contest before any further damage was inflicted to “Boogeyman.”

With the victory, Xie now finds himself on a three-bout win streak.

Sunoto Grapples His Way To A Four-Bout Win Streak

“The Terminator” Sunoto earned his fourth win in a row with a dominant performance over the Philippines’ Roel “Akiyama” Rosauro in the kickoff bout of ONE: UNSTOPPABLE DREAMS.

The Indonesian bantamweight relied on his grappling prowess, taking Rosauro to the mat numerous times over the course of three rounds.

While “The Terminator” was unable to get the finish, he constantly applied pressure to the Filipino on the mat with a barrage of strikes. He also attempted several submissions from his arsenal, but could not get the tap.

Sunoto was able to stave off every attempt from Rosauro on the feet, as he suffocated his opponent on the ground for all three rounds. When it was over, the judges agreed that the Indonesian had done more than enough to earn the unanimous decision victory.