Tonon, Aung La N Sang Score Finishes At ONE Fight Night 6; Stamp, Rodtang, Sato Earn Decisions
ONE Championship kicked off its 2023 calendar with a spectacular night of martial arts at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
ONE Fight Night 6: Superbon vs. Allazov on Prime Video featured three World Title main events, but first, the opening acts thrilled fans watching live in U.S. primetime on Friday, January 13.
From a powerful knockout to a smooth submission and the return of several superstars, here’s what went down in the first five fights of the evening.
Aung La N Sang Rocks Galvao, Earns First-Round TKO
Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang made the long walk down to the Circle greeted by a rapturous and electrifying atmosphere. In return, the Myanmar icon gave the cheering fans just what they came for – a knockout.
The former ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion dominated Gilberto “Giba” Galvao from start to finish in their 215-pound catchweight MMA contest, stopping the Brazilian with a salvo of strikes in only 89 seconds.
Galvao brought the fight to the Kill Cliff FC representative, entering the pocket with power punches. However, “The Burmese Python” stayed patient and stung his foe with a quick-fire uppercut.
The Astra Fight Team athlete regained his feet and backed Aung La N Sang to the Circle Wall with a single-leg takedown. But yet again, the former two-division king gained the upper hand as he utilized his underhooks and frame to keep the battle standing.
In the clinch, the 37-year-old unleashed a couple of elbows, and the final strike sent Galvao to the canvas again.
Aung La N Sang then unloaded a barrage of punches and hammerfists to secure his 28th career finish, bumping his overall record to 29-13 and earning a US$50,000 bonus for his dominant display.
Rodtang Scores Entertaining Win Over Jiduo
Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon nudged his undefeated ONE striking record to 13-0 on Friday night, furthering his case for a ONE World Title opportunity in a second sport.
The current ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion battled 23-year-old Chinese phenom “The Eagle of Yi” Jiduo Yibu under catchweight kickboxing rules and took home the breezy unanimous decision win.
The Thai showman marched into the fray and punished Jiduo with kicks and punches, scoring an early eight-count and drawing a wild reception from his compatriots inside the Impact Arena.
Jiduo tried to stand his ground and tapped “The Iron Man” occasionally with punch and kick combos, but Rodtang stuck his arms out and shimmied his head this way and that.
So it went for the remainder of the fight – Rodtang punishing Jiduo with punches, Jiduo trying to gain Rodtang’s respect, and the crowd enjoying every moment.
When the dust settled in Bangkok, no one expected the outcome to go any other way.
The victory could very well pit the 25-year-old “Iron Man” against newly crowned ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9, who beat Daniel Puertas for the gold in the ONE Fight Night 6 co-main event.
Stamp Edges Out Supergirl In Kickboxing War
In a matchup thrown together less than 24 hours before fight night, three-sport superstar Stamp Fairtex took a razor-thin split decision win over teen phenom Anna “Supergirl” Jaroonsak in a strawweight kickboxing firefight.
“Supergirl” emerged in round one with guns blazing, charging her fellow Thai down and unloading hard combinations.
However, the former ONE Atomweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion began to use her movement to settle the pace.
The story of round two was the 19-year-old phenom’s relentless pressure, while Stamp responded with strong counter-strikes from the outside.
Then in round three, the Fairtex athlete really came alive.
Despite giving up significant height, reach, and almost 10 pounds in weight to “Supergirl,” she landed a barrage of heavy blows on her much larger opponent.
Ultimately, Stamp’s accuracy and damage were enough to earn the nod from two of the three judges.
The 25-year-old also earned an additional US$50,000 performance bonus for her efforts, courtesy of ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
Tonon Uses Kimura To Make Quick Work Of Nunez
In the second bout of the night, Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon reminded the featherweight mixed martial arts division that he’s not going anywhere soon.
After losing a World Title challenge last year – his first defeat in MMA – the American BJJ superstar took less than two minutes to secure a sensational submission victory over dangerous wrestler Johnny Nunez, kick-starting his climb back to the top in style.
“Johnny Boy” wasted no time in clinching with Tonon, pinning him to the Circle Wall and hammering his body and legs with knees.
That clinch would be Nunez’s undoing, though, as “The Lion Killer” soon wrapped up a kimura, flipped the wrestler onto his back, and finished the shoulder lock just 1:53 into the first round.
Tonon had entered as the featherweight MMA division’s #2-ranked contender, and the 31-year-old walked out of the Circle one massive step closer to another shot at 26 pounds of gold.
Sato Scores Unanimous Decision Over Kim
In the night’s opening bout, Shoko Sato earned a pivotal win over “The Fighting God” Kim Jae Woong in their 150-pound catchweight MMA contest.
After a slow first round that saw both men receive yellow cards for lack of action, the knockout artists went toe-to-toe in search of a victory.
Sato sprung forward with wild leather, throwing a couple of straights and jabs, which narrowly missed the mark. The South Korean, on the other hand, worked behind his jab. However, Sato’s explosive movements made it hard for the former top-ranked featherweight contender to hit the target.
Kim did increase his output toward the end of the second frame, but the Japanese veteran stayed sharp and countered each attack with his straight right.
In the third frame, Sato’s movement and combinations continued to push his opponent on the back foot. Meanwhile, “The Fighting God” didn’t showcase the same trademark power he usually has in his fists.
After three rounds of action, Sato was declared the winner by unanimous decision, bumping his professional record to 33-15-2 (1 NC).
