Russian grappler Saygid Izagakhmaev (left) tries to submit James Nakashima in their MMA bout at ONE: HEAVY HITTERS on Jan. 14, in Singapore ( ONE Championship)
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a href=”https://thejakartapost.com/tag/one-championship” target=”_blank”>ONE Championship started the year with fireworks as global martial arts stars from various disciplines showcased incredible skillsets at ONE: HEAVY HITTERS on Jan. 14.
Of the eight bouts presented at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, six ended in jaw-dropping finishes with three knockouts and three submissions. The card also saw the emergence of new debutants who could shake up their respective divisions.
Just like the name implied, ONE: HEAVY HITTERS produced some of the most thrilling martial arts actions, and these are four takeaways from The Home Of Martial Arts’ first event of the year.
1. Xiong Jing Nan reign continues in strawweight division
Xiong Jing Nan has proven once again why she is one of the best mixed martial artists China has ever produced. In the main event of Friday's show, she dominated Japanese Ayaka Miura to earn a unanimous decision win and retain the ONE women’s strawweight gold.
“The Panda” showed maturity as she perfectly executed her gameplan to nullify the fourth-ranked contender’s intention to bring the game to ground, which fundamentally prevented her adversary from executing the trademark scarf-hold Americana submission, dubbed the “Ayaka Lock.”
With this victory, the long-time strawweight queen extended her own record to six successful world title defenses and essentially cleared the top challengers in her division.
After the bout, the Chinese star expressed her intention to go down a weight class to atomweight as she hoped to walk around with two ONE Championship’s golds around her waist.
2. Saygid Izagakhmaev, Giannis Stoforidis shine in their debuts
Before the fight, the hype surrounding Saygid Izagakhmaev could not be any higher. As a protégé of MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, he had many things to prove. The Russian, however, managed to clear any doubt and emerged victorious in his ONE debut.
The 27-year-old grappler scored the head and arm triangle choke at 2:17 of round two against James Nakashima of the United States, which earned him the $50,000 performance bonus. In the post-bout interview inside the Circle, he called out two lightweight veterans, Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki, for his opponents next.
Izagakhmaev, however, was not the only one who impressed in his debut. Greek striker Giannis Stoforidis put on an identical show-stealing performance with a 31-second knockout win over Beybulat Isaev, who was undefeated in his last two fights on the global stage.
With the highlight-reel victory, “Hercules” may have lined himself up as a contender for Roman Kryklia’s ONE light heavyweight kickboxing world title.
3. Elipitua Siregar puts on a show despite loss
Indonesian mixed martial artist Elipitua Siregar may not have snatched victory, but his performance against Senzo Ikeda proved that he has improved in the past two years.
Siregar, who was last seen defeating Egi Rozten in Jakarta in Oct. 2019, executed multiple takedowns to overwhelm Ikeda before the Japanese concluded the fight with a series of powerful body shots at the third round of their strawweight encounter.
The incredible comeback from Ikeda earned him the $50,000 performance bonus. With the finish, he also scored consecutive victories in ONE for the first time and extended his overall MMA record to 12-5-1.
4. Muay Thai bouts deliver extraordinary actions
ONE: HEAVY HITTERS featured two Muay Thai bouts, and they both delivered world class striking exchanges.
In the co-main event, friends-turned-rivals Saemapetch and Tawanchai went toe-to-toe in a 66.45-kilogram catchweight fight to produce a highlight-reel knockout in the opening round.
A few seconds before the first round ended, Saemapetch ate a jab and tried to counter, but Tawanchai was already beyond his reach. With his opponent still in the firing line, the 22-year-old Thai then dropped him with a straight left counter.
Saemapetch’s legs were shaky when he tried to stand up, which prompted referee Olivier Coste to call off the bout with five seconds remaining in the opening round.
Earlier in the night, a strawweight Muay Thai showdown between Supergirl and Ekaterina Vandaryeva lit up the Singapore Indoor Stadium with fiery striking exchanges.
Their intention to get a finish was clear throughout the rounds but the fight eventually went the distance with Supergirl coming out victorious via a split decision.
After the fight, however, ONE CEO and chairman Chatri Sityodtong told a presser that he disagreed with the judge’s decision, suggesting that Ekaterina should have won.
Sityodtong, while announcing that both strikers had agreed to have an immediate rematch, awarded a $50,000 performance bonus to Ekaterina who, despite losing, was considered to have shown grit and killer instinct to finish the game.
Watch ONE: ONLY THE BRAVE on Friday, Jan. 28, on the ONE Super App and subscribe to ONE Championship on YouTube!
This article is a collaboration with ONE Championship
