One Championship returned with its first live
event in months, and its main MMA fight did not disappoint.
The
“One: Battleground” headliner pitted strawweight muay Thai
champ Sam-A Gaiyanghadao against Prajanchai PK.Saenchai
Muaythaigym. While many expected a surgical performance from the
titleholder, his young opponent surprised with his audacity and
recklessness. The defending champion did not fare well in the early
going, getting dropped right at the end of the round with a big
right hand. Sam-A composed himself in the second stanza, but
Prajanchai carried his momentum into quick attacks and flashy
combinations in the second and third rounds.
As the fight advanced in the championship rounds, the challenger
seemed to slow down, with inexperience possibly playing a factor as
he fatigued. Sam-A tried to keep his opponent’s aggression at bay
with body kicks, and his strategy paid dividends as the clash
continued. The defending champion hunted for a knockout, hoping
that Prajanchai would drop his guard as he grew tired, and he
connected with a stiff left hand in the fourth round. The
challenger, possibly in danger, made the most out of a break from
an unintentional low blow to catch his breath. Sam-A came out
strong in the fifth frame, but it was not enough to sway the
judges. The scores were not read, but enough judges sided with
Prajanchai – and at least one had it a draw – who captured the belt
with a majority decision victory.
“The Burmese Python” is BACK Aung La N Sang
KOs Leandro Ataides in the very first round! @AungLANsang
#ONEBattleground
#WeAreONE
#ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/dX9ONKQ4Gd— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship)
July 30, 2021
The co-headliner brought the MMA main attraction on the card, with
a catchweight contest at 210.8 pounds. Former two-division king
Aung
La N Sang (27-12, 12-3 One) bounced back from back-to-back
defeats to Reinier
de Ridder by smashing Leandro
Ataides (11-5, 5-5 One) in the opening stanza. Even though he
missed weight by over six pounds, Aung La put on a smart
performance where he effectively controlled his opponent’s
aggression. After a few boxing exchanges with body kicks mixed in,
“Leo” shot in for a successful takedown. With a fresh memory of two
bouts where he was soundly outgrappled, “The Burmese Python” showed
that he did his homework with his back on the mat. The ex-champ
defended a back take attempt from Ataides, and promptly returned to
his feet.
Aung La waited for the referee to separate the two after an
uneventful grappling phase against the fence, and then went on the
attack. The Brazilian fighter looked comfortable defending his
opponent’s strikes at first, but Aung La kept advancing and forcing
Ataides to back himself into a corner. “The Burmese Python” seized
the moment to grab hold of a body lock and push his opponent
against the wire. In a split second, Aung La bailed on the clinch to
drill Ataides in the liver with a knee, and begun to hammer his foe
with a barrage of blistering blows. One particularly loaded right
hand sent “Leo” crashing to the canvas, forcing the referee to
stop the contest after 3:45 in Round 1.
Elsewhere, 2012 Olympics vet Gustavo
Balart (9-4, 1-3 One) scored his first promotional victory by
capturing a unanimous decision over Ryuto
Sawada (14-7-1, 3-3 One) in One’s strawweight division;
commonwealth wrestling gold medalist Ritu Phogat
(5-1, 5-1 One) bounced back from her first career defeat by
upending fellow One atomweight Heqin Lin
(14-3-1, 1-1 One) via unanimous decision; Jeremy
Pacatiw (10-4, 1-0 One) laid claim to a unanimous decision
victory over Rui Chen (9-3,
5-3 One) in the first foray of “The Juggernaut” in One’s
bantamweight category.
The card opened with 17-year-old prospect Victoria
Lee (2-0), who easily tapped out One newcomer Luping Wang
(3-3, 0-1) with a slick triangle armbar at 3:22 of Round 1.