When Jonathan
Haggerty gets you hurt there’s only a matter of time before
you’re out. Just ask Fabricio
Andrade.
The ONE
Championship 145-pound muay thai champion added another belt
around his slender waist after dismantling the ONE 145-pound mixed
martial arts champion in the second round of their kickboxing
chlash in the ONE Fight Night 16 main event at Lumpinee
Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.
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“The General” entered the bout on a five-fight win streak fresh off
his first-round annihilation over Nong-O Hama
in his last fight. The confidence to take out another champion
early was evident in Haggerty’s approach.
Throughout Round 1 Haggerty exposed Andrade’s heavy feet by
circling and cracking the MMA champion with hard shots. Despite
Andrade’s background in kickboxing, Haggerty’s feints and
explosiveness kept the Brazilian in constant danger.
The beginning of the end came in Round 2 after Haggerty converted a
switch knee into a roundhouse kick over Andrade’s guard. The crack
of Haggerty’s shin sent Andrade across the ring. The Englishmen
hunted down Andrade with powerful heavy shots before dropping him
for good with a flush right hand at 1:57 of the second round.
Andrade was unable to continue as Haggerty celebrated around the
ring. The buildup to the fight was heated between the two champions
and although Haggerty’s win was dominant, The General says he’s not
yet done with Wonderboy. Haggerty not only dashed Andrade’s hopes
of being a two-sport champion but would welcome the opportunity to
take Andrade’s MMA belt in a rematch.
Tye
Ruotolo joined his twin brother and ONE lightweight submission
grappling champion Kade
Ruotolo as the promotion’s inaugural welterweight champion
after dominating Magomed
Abdulkadirov throughout their 10-minute match in the ONE Fight
Night 16 co-main event.
Ruotolo looked to finish Abdulkadirov and aggressively chased his
submissions. Ruotolo almost closed the show with a heel hook at the
five-minute mark and nearly ended the match with a near triangle
choke. Ultimately the decision went to the judges but Ruotolo’s
threatening plays clearly stole the show.
Ruotolo said post-fight that he sees himself as the best 185-pound
jiu-jitsu artist in the world but he wants to conquer even more.
Ruotolo alluded to he and his brother’s desire to eventually
compete in mixed martial arts.
Most fighters couldn’t fathom winning 200 fights but Seksan
Or Kwanmuang isn’t like most fighters. The Thai boxing legend
etched another chapter of his storied career Friday after
dominating Karim
Bennoui en route to his 200th career win.
“The Man Who Yields to No One” is a four-time world champion and
had no trouble with the promotional newcomer. Despite Bennoui’s
strength, Kwanmuang bullied the former ISKA champion in the clinch,
while the crowd roared with every shot. At 34 years old, Kwanmuang
fought with the fever of a man half his age and looked just as
fresh.
Halil
Amir mercilessly put a stamp on his third straight win after
stopping Ahmed
Mujtaba after the first round of their lightweight MMA
bout.
Mujtaba is a tricky grappler and showcased his skills off his back
after nearly catching Amir with a kimura midway through the first
round. Amir was in serious trouble but managed to scramble out and
retake the top position.
Unwilling to take any more chances, Amir refused to let Mujataba
off the hook and bartered his man until the bell rang. Mujataba
looked finished heading back to the corner despite being saved by
the bell and the fight was called in between rounds by referee
Herb
Dean.
Sinsamut
Klinmee may have spoiled Mouchine
Chafi’s ONE Championship debut by unanimous decision but the
26-year-old Moroccan left fans eager for his next appearance.
Chafi’s high-octane, swarming style gave Klinmee’s difficulties.
Chafi often caught Klinmee on the end of his combos despite being
countered in between shots. But Chafi’s experience fell short
against the former title challenger. Klinmee secured his second
straight win after landing the crisper shots and badly cutting the
younger man early in the fight. Despite the close fight, all three
judges scored the bout for Klinmee.
After four straight decision losses, Portuguese kickboxer Rui Botelho
finally got a break from the judges after getting a split decision
nod over Zhang
Peimian in their strawweight barnburner.
Bothelo pushed the pace early and routinely backed up Peimain but
caught hard counters for his troubles. While Bothelo was the busier
fighter, Peimian landed cleaner. The fight could’ve gone either way
but Bothelo’s pace won over two of the three judges and led the vet
to his first win since March 2019.
Ayaka
Miura came into her strawweight showdown with Meng Bo on the
sour end of a three-fight losing streak. She desperately needed a
win and was willing to put herself in any position to get it.
Miura’s fearlessness nearly cost her early as Bo reversed Miura’s
failed single-leg attempt and reigned down punches. Miura weathered
the storm and worked to turn the tide with a headlock. As Bo
furiously struggled, Miura’s true attack unfolded. The former Judo
standout caught Bo with a scarf-hold armbar and held it until the
fight was stopped 2:09 into the first round.
Walking to the ring in a tuxedo shirt, Ben Tynan
planned to leave a lasting impression in his ONE Championship debut
and succeeded with a third-round arm-triangle finish over Ji Won Kang
in their heavyweight MMA showdown.
Kang has three first-round knockouts in ONE but his striking was
neutralized in the first minute. Tynan had his way on the ground
and pounded “The Mighty Warrior” into the canvas. By the end of the
second round, Kang was on the edge of being stopped by the ringside
doctor but was allowed to come back out for more punishment. Tynan
would once again took the slugger to the ground before finishing
him off 1:22 into the third.
Cristina
Morales’ two-year hiatus proved worth the wait after the former
ISKA champion destroyed Thai star Anna
Jaroonsak 2:54 into the first round of their atomweight
clash.
Morales stormed out seconds into the fight and cracked Jaroonsak
with hard rights over a lazy jab. “Supergirl” struggled with
Morales’ counters and failed to establish distance.
Unable to circle away from Morales’ heavy right hand, Supergirl ate
several hard shots before being knocked back into the ropes.
Morales continued to pour it on before the fight was mercifully
stopped midway through the first round.
Lito
Adiwang ended his last fight in 23 seconds and nearly closed
the show quickly yet again. Adiwang blitzed Jeremy
Miado in the first round of their strawweight MMA rematch and
dropped his Filipino countryman with a hard flurry of shots.
Miado knocked out Adiwang in March of last year but Adiwang made
the necessary adjustments. “Thunder Kid” chopped Miado’s lead leg
with Bunyan-like efficiency. Severely limited and down on the
scorecards, Miado stormed back in the third round and staggered
Adiwang with a hard right hand of his own. Both fighters were left
bloodied and battered in a bout that set off night. Ultimately
Adiwang’s fast start and dominance through the first two rounds
proved vital in the unanimous decision win.