Xie Wei Breaks Kantharaj Agasa’s Spirit En Route To TKO Win
“The Hunter” Xie Wei added another impressive victory to his resume with a dominant showing against debuting Indian grappling ace Kantharaj Agasa “Kannadiga” at ONE: FULL BLAST.
Xie scored his seventh stoppage win in his last seven victories when Agasa did not answer the bell for round three of their flyweight mixed martial arts clash that aired on Friday, 28 May, from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
It’s always a tale of two styles when a striker meets a grappler inside the Circle, and Agasa made his intentions clear from the start. Xie barely had time to take aim with his first shots before the Indian launched toward him with a double-leg takedown attempt. However, “The Hunter” set his own precedent by stuffing it to stay on his feet.
That didn’t stop the relentless wrestler, who kept looking for his chance to take the match to the canvas. Following a failed single-leg attempt from Agasa, Xie pushed the Bangalore native to the Circle Wall, where the judo black belt executed a beautiful outside trip to land on top, but he could not keep the “The Hunter” pinned.
Every time “Kannadiga” looked set to drag his man down, Xie sprawled or quickly found his feet and then paid the Indian back with hurtful punches, knees, and kicks. Agasa’s attempts became more labored as the round wore on, and the Qingdao native capitalized with heavy hands – and even a flying knee as the round came to a close.
“The Hunter’s” confidence was sky-high coming out for round two, and he immediately walked his opponent down and threw heavy leather in his direction. Agasa swung back with a looping right hand that didn’t worry the Chinese slugger, who continued to press with punches and low kicks.
The Indian Combat Sports Academy athlete’s takedown attempts seemed less committed than in the first stanza — which wasn’t a surprise given how often he’d been punished for them — but this let Xie take the lead even more. The Chinese athlete took Agasa off his feet with a hard low kick and then dialed up the pressure.
“The Hunter” took the wind out of the Indian’s sails with a straight left to the body and some grazing elbows, and he easily maneuvered away from every incoming shot at his legs. Agasa found a brief respite when he managed to push the Chinese star to the Circle Wall, but when they were separated, Xie took to the air with a flying knee that caused visual damage to his foe.
When the bell sounded, it was clear Agasa was out of ideas, while Xie was keen to get back to business. However, the 24-year-old didn’t get his wish, as “Kannadiga” retired on his stool to hand Xie the TKO victory.
The Indian likely saved himself from an inevitable shellacking in the final frame, while the ONE Warrior Series and ONE Hero Series graduate showed that he has the skills to be a top contender on the global stage, with his impressive record now standing at 13-3.
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