ONE
Championship’s Shamil
Gasanov rebounded from his first career loss and put himself
back on track to a 155-pound mixed martial arts title shot with a
unanimous decision win over Ho Taek Oh in
the
ONE on Prime Video 18 main event Friday night at Lumpinee
Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.
Gasanov (10-1) was stunned to be kneebared by Garry
Tonon last July, but that wouldn’t deter the former world
grappling champion. Gasanov attacked Ho’s legs early. Ho, who is
also a skilled grappler, struggled to keep the Dagenstani wrestler
off his back but was disciplined enough to defend against the
submissions. In the few moments the fight stood, Oh was too tired
to keep Gasanov from him. Oh pushed through the final bell, but
Gasanov was the clear winner. Postfight, Gasanov shared that he
went into the bout feeling sick from food posioning. He didn’t call
out ONE 155-pound MMA champion Tang Kai; he was simply concerned
with getting some much-needed rest.
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Tigers are said to be at their most dangerous when hurt, which
couldn’t be more true for “The Black Tiger” Suablack
Tor Pran49. After being flattened to the canvas by a dynamite
right hand from newcomer Stefan
Korodi, Suablack responded with pure, unfiltered violence.
Suablck brought the fans out of their bodies after picking himself
up off the canvas and charging at Korodi midway through the second
round. Korodi, looking for the biggest win of his career, charged
back but was beaten onto his heels by Suablack’s fury. The rising
Thai star dropped Korodi twice and nearly ended his night in the
same round before Korodi’s toughness took the fight into the third
round. Korodi pre-fight boasted about his chin and lived up to the
hype, taking Suablack’s best for another round before falling
valiantly on the scorecards.
#ONEFightNight18 highlight video: Kwon Won Il
demolishes Shinechagtga
Zoltsetseg pic.twitter.com/p6otRzcbYv— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom)
January 13, 2024
They may call Kwon Won Il “Pretty Boy,” but there was nothing pretty about his two-round
destruction of Shinechagtga
Zoltsetseg. Il put the breaks on Zoltsegseg, piecing him up on
the feet before ending his nice with a flurry of elbows on the
ground.
After winning an extra $50,000 for his troubles, Il explicitly
called out 145-pound titlist Fabricio
Andrade
#ONEFightNight18 highlight video: Rungrawee
Sitsongpeenong wrecks Shakir
Al-Tekreeti pic.twitter.com/sf63gTCsOH— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom)
January 13, 2024
Rungrawee
Sitsongpeenong left the ring $50,000 richer after bulldozing
Shakir
Al-Tekreeti within two rounds. Sitsongpeenong opened up the
fight with a vicious body attack and targeted Al-Tekreeti’s ribs
with body kicks out of a southpaw stance.
Once Al-Tekreeti felt the power difference, he was forced to get on
his bike. Sitsongpeenong effortlessly closed off the ring before
dropping him in the corner for the first of four times. Al-Tekreeti
made it to the second, but after getting dropped 15 seconds into
the next round, it was clear Rungrawee sensed blood was in the
water. Two more knockdowns later, Al-Tekreeti was put out of his
misery with 1:15 remaining.
#ONEFightNight18HighlightVideo: Artem
Belakh unloads on Enkh-Orgil
Baatarkhuu pic.twitter.com/c8IM3wHPoB— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom)
January 13, 2024
No. 4 ranked bantamweight Artem
Belakh (10-2) looked like he was headed toward a second
straight loss before violently turning the tables on Enkh-Orgil
Baatarkhuu.
Belakh didn’t look like he had shaken off the cobwebs from his TKO
loss to Kwon Won Il
last June but put those claims to rest in a thunderous flash. With
10 seconds remaining in the second round, Belakh landed a crushing
switch knee that threw Baatarkhuu’s helpless body into the ropes.
Baartakhuu wouldn’t fall but would take several more crisp shots
before Herb
Dean eventually stopped the bout at 4:55 into the second
stanza.
Liam
Nolan hopes to become the second fighter from the Knowlesy
Academy to claim a ONE Championship in 2024, but if he plans to
follow the footsteps of stablemate Jonathan
Haggerty, he’ll have to beat some tough opposition. Former
Russian muay thai champion Ali Aliev
gave Nolan a tough outing throughout their lightweight matchup, but
Nolan proved late why he could be the man to upset Regian
Eersel.
Nolan spent most of the first two rounds trying to figure out
Aliev. Both men opted to stay on the outside and use their length,
but Aliev’s approach was less subtle. Aliev used his length to stay
at kicking range but attacked in bursts. Nolan was tripped several
times to the canvas before finding a home for his right hand late
in the second.
The third round was Nolan’s best, claiming the Brit’s
second-straight win. As Aliev fazed, Nolan pushed forward and
landed combinations at will. Despite the close outing, Nolan never
seemed panicked or anxious about the scorecards. The fight was a
fast-paced chess match, and Nolan took it by landing the cleaner
shots.
#ONEFightNight18 highlight video: Ji Won Kang
tees off on Mikhail
Jamal Abdul-Latif pic.twitter.com/F6BdyMLzGP— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom)
January 13, 2024
When you’re 265 pounds, it doesn’t take long to flip a fight on its
head. That was the case in Ji Won
Kang’s two-round brouhaha against American-born Mikhail
Jamal Abdul-Latif. The 40-year-old Abdul-Latif leaned heavily
on his wrestling to trip, twist and toss Kang throughout the
opening round, but it wasn’t clear if his stamina would hold
up.
As Abdul-Latif slowed toward the end of the second round, Ji Won Kang
finally found an opportunity to take the fight back to the feet.
While still grounded on his knees, Abdul-Latif could do nothing as
Kang charged at him and landed a running knee that put him on his
back. Wong took advantage and reigned down haymakers before the
fight was eventually stopped with 51 seconds left in the
second.
Light heavyweight kickboxers Beybulat
Isaev and Yuri Farcas
tried to take each other’s heads off before the bell stopped
ringing. The opening round was a war that saw both men take the
other’s best shot before Isaev gave the Romanian a boxing lesson
over the next two rounds.
Isaev shifted from brawler to out-fighter in Round 2, which paid
off considerably. Farcas spent much of his energy loading up,
hoping to land a big shot while Isaev picked him apart with jabs,
straights and roundhouses to the body. Potentially going into the
final round tied, Isaev left little doubt as he moved forward and
hit his exhausted opponent with any shot he wanted. Farcas’
toughness carried him to the final bell, but Isaev’s skills carried
the Russian to his 23rd career victory.
ONE on Prime 18 kicked off with a bantamweight MMA clash between
the heavy-handed Mark
Abelardo (22-11) and promotional newcomer Ibragim
Dauev (9-1). Despite Abelardo’s experience, Dauev’s constant
pressure was too much to handle en route to his first loss since
Nov. 2022.
Dauev was wise to shoot against Abelardo early. Coming in with 14
knockouts, there is a reason why the 32-year-old New Zealander is
called “Tyson.” Dauev had little problems taking his back and
sinking in a standing body lock, before closing out the round with
a knee that cut Abelardo above his left eye.
Dauev’s pressure over the next two rounds forced Abelardo to
grapple more than he would’ve liked. He succeeded in the clinch but
spent most of the bout sprawling and defending his neck from
potential chokes. With the win, Dauev tasted victory in his ONE
debut while snapping Abelardo’s two-fight win streak in the
process.