The One
Championship bantamweight throne sits vacant—for now.
Fabricio
Andrade connected with an accidental knee strike to the groin
that resulted in a no contest against John
Lineker in the third round of their
ONE on Prime Video 3 headliner on Friday at Axiata Arena in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Lineker (35-9, 4-0 ONE), who was stripped
of the 145-pound title prior to the match due to his failure to
make weight, was unable to continue 2:44 into Round 3.
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Andrade (8-2, 5-0 ONE) appeared to be nearing a career-defining
victory at the time of the foul. The Marrok Force export operated
behind a punishing jab, incorporated clean one-twos and zeroed in
on the body with knees. Lineker gained the occasional foothold with
winging hooks and well-timed takedowns but absorbed significant
damage for his trouble. He rose from his corner for the start of
Round 3 with a massive hematoma beneath his left eye, his vision
almost certainly compromised. Andrade continued to pop his jab,
doubled over his countryman with a brutal knee to the solar plexus
and fired another behind it. The strike landed below the belt and
dropped Lineker to the canvas in agony, the impact of the blow
having cracked his protective cup. It soon became clear that “Hands
of Stone” was done for the night.
In the co-main event, Regian
Eersel leaned on a potent jab and power punching combinations
to claim the ONE muay thai lightweight championship with a
five-round split decision over Sinsamut Klinmee. Already in
possession of the company’s kickboxing belt at 170 pounds, the
narrow win made the Sityodtong Amsterdam rep a simultaneous
two-discipline titleholder. Klinmee (80-17-3) focused on his adversary’s lead leg with a
sustained barrage of kicks, occasionally mixing in shots to the
body and head. Those efforts paid visible dividends, but Eersel
(59-4) managed to withstand the damage and pile up points of his
own. The Surinamese star was at his best when it mattered most. He
tore into Klinmee with repeated jabs and paired them with mean
right crosses in the fifth round, pushing the 26-year-old Thai
backward while bloodying his nose and mouth.
Meanwhile, 2022 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World
Championships gold medalist Kade Ruotolo tapped Uali Kurzhev with
a heel hook to capture the inaugural ONE submission grappling
lightweight crown. The 33-year-old Kurzhev checked out
4:26 into the match.
Ruotolo slipped out of an attempted throw during one of their
initial exchanges, moved to the back and threatened the neck with
multiple chokes. Kurzhev proved to be a tough out and managed to
extricate himself from danger. However, the Russian’s grit only
prolonged the inevitable. Ruotolo, 19, slipped underneath his
counterpart, passed guard effortlessly and rolled into the heel
hook.
Finally, unbeaten Peresvet Fight Team prospect Shamil
Gasanov dazzled in his promotional debut, as he submitted
Jae
Woong Kim with
a rear-naked choke in the first round of their featherweight
showcase. Kim (12-7, 3-3 ONE) raised the white flag
2:09 into Round 1, suffering his second setback in as many
outings.
Gasanov (9-0, 1-0 ONE) put out feelers with front kicks, leg kicks
and stomps in what amounted to little more than a smokescreen. He
eventually closed the distance, executed a takedown and climbed to
the back with cold calculation. Soon after, the fight-ending choke
was in place and a new threat had emerged at 155 pounds.
The 27-year-old Gasanov has delivered seven of his nine career
victories via submission, all of them inside one round.
In other action, Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong (127-33-5) laid claim to
a unanimous decision over Mohammed Boutasaa (15-1) in a three-round
featherweight kickboxing confrontation; Jeremy
Miado (12-4, 6-4 ONE) dispatched Danial
Williams (6-2, 3-1 ONE) with
punches 31 seconds into the third round of their strawweight battle
at 127 pounds; Taiki Neto (35-9) took a unanimous
decision from Amir Naseri (29-7-1) in a three-round flyweight muay
thai pairing; Mehdi Zatout (79-40-1) forced Asa Ten Pow
(12-3) to
quit on his stool due to an eye injury in between the first and
second rounds of their bantamweight muay thai
encounter; and Noelle
Grandjean (4-0, 1-0 ONE) put away Lea Bivins
(0-1, 0-1 ONE) with
punches 4:01 into he first round of their catchweight clash at 117
pounds.