5 Major Takeaways From ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks Vs. Balart
Lumpinee Stadium was built for events like ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart, a 12-bout card that served a buffet of martial arts action to fans around the globe on Friday, August 2, live in U.S. primetime.
Golden confetti may have reigned down after the main event, but leading up to that moment, many of the athletes competing on that night left glittering memories that will last a lifetime.
With nothing left but to turn the calendar over to the next page, it’s time to look at what we learned from another night in Bangkok, Thailand.
Brooks Remains On Course For Pacio Trilogy
After defeating Gustavo Balart by first-round rear-naked choke and capturing the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Title, Jarred Brooks sent a message to divisional king Joshua Pacio that he is coming for his lineal crown.
While both men will have to wait for Pacio to heal up following the Filipino’s ACL tear, fans can expect these two strawweight greats to collide soon for a third time. After all, their series is even at 1-1, and the division needs closure before it can move forward.
That said, after Friday night, one of the best and most engaging rivalries for the biggest prize in the sport has a clear and defined path laid out.
Bastos Secures Indelible Legacy
Mayssa Bastos is as decorated of an athlete as they come, and at ONE Fight Night 24 she continued to add to her golden legacy with a never-say-die attitude.
Her opponent Danielle Kelly entered the battle as the ONE Women’s Atomweight Submission Grappling World Champion and scored an early catch against the Brazilian with a heel hook. But Bastos returned more aggressively, looking to even the score.
As time ticked, Bastos finally got her own catch with a belly-down heel hook. Although Kelly did not tap, the nine-time IBJJF World Champion was awarded a unanimous decision win for her constant search to end the match via submission.
Adorning the golden title over her shoulder after a 10-minute war with Kelly signified the culmination of a career’s worth of work, and it finally made her the undisputed best women’s atomweight submission grappler on the planet.
Anane Emerges As World Title Threat
If anyone wrote off Nabil Anane after his ONE debut loss to Superlek Kiatmoo9, the Thai-Algerian forced them to grab a pen and scribble his name among the elite of the bantamweight Muay Thai division on Friday night.
He battled #3-ranked contender Felipe Lobo — himself trying to get back into title contention — but Anane used his 6-foot-4 frame and every tool in his arsenal to take home a unanimous decision over the former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai Word Champion challenger.
The victory pushed the Thai-Algerian’s winning streak to four and proved that he belongs on the global stage after recently securing a US$100,000 contract to ONE Championship.
More importantly, soundly defeating a top contender may have moved him into position as a legitimate title contender for the winner of the match between Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek at ONE 168: Denver in September.
Number Five Was ONE Fight Night 24’s Number One
New champions may have been crowned, but earlier down the card other top contenders caught the eye of their respective division’s champions.
First, fifth-ranked bantamweight MMA contender Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu continued defeating Team Lakay members as if it were his sole mission. His third-round arm-triangle choke put Carlo Bumina-ang away and allowed the Mongolian to continue marauding through the division.
Then, #5-ranked flyweight kickboxing contender Elias Mahmoudi floored #3-ranked Taiki Naito with a spinning back-fist in the third round to inch closer to a meeting with Superlek — although he also has eyes on Muay Thai.
And it didn’t stop there.
In the featherweight MMA division, #5-ranked Shamil Gasanov’s suffocating pressure allowed him to dominate Aaron Canarte for their three-round affair, with the Russian maintaining his place in the congested division.
Pirnie May Have Thrust Herself Into World Title Picture
Before the atomweight Muay Thai contest between debutant Amy Pirnie and Yu Yau Pui, ONE’s global fan base knew how much power Pirnie packed — and she proved it by turning off Yu’s lights in under a minute.
At the 47-second mark of the first round, Pirnie threw a left hook that rocked Yu’s chin and sent her crashing to the canvas. Pirnie’s work was done, and her celebrations began. The 31-year-old Scot crashed the atomweight party. That devastating KO could’ve made her an instant title contender after ending Yu’s impressive 6-0 promotional streak.
The sound of Yu hitting the canvas was also the sound of Pirnie becoming one of the top contenders for Allycia Hellen Rodrigues and her ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Title.
