5 Takeaways From ONE Fight Night 32: Nakrob Vs. Jaosuayai
ONE Fight 32: Nakrob vs. Jaosuayai on Prime Video rocked the walls of Lumpinee Stadium in U.S. primetime last Friday, June 6.
The Bangkok faithful witnessed a pair of home heroes in the main event as Thai fan favorites Nakrob Fairtex and Jaosuayai Mor Krungthepthonburi stood opposite each other in a pivotal matchup.
Seven additional high-octane contests set the tone for the headliner, giving the worldwide audience a feast of martial arts action to kick-start their weekends.
Once all was settled, these were five of the biggest takeaways from ONE Fight Night 32.
Jaosuayai Is The Fastest-Rising Flyweight In Muay Thai
Making his U.S. primetime debut, Jaosuayai seized the moment against #5-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender Nakrob. With a remarkable 52-second head kick knockout, the 23-year-old cemented himself as the division’s most exciting young talent.
The Sor Dechapan-trained athlete began his ONE tenure with mixed results. But ever since a hard-fought unanimous decision loss to Kongthoranee Sor Sommai in April 2024, he has been impeccable and now owns an impressive five-bout winning streak.
In his last two outings against Nakrob and former #2-ranked contender Denis Puric, Jaosuayai has produced highlight-reel KOs, catapulting himself into the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title picture.
And with the division’s throne currently sitting vacant, the blazing-hot striker has emerged as a prime candidate to challenge for 26 pounds of gold.
Aliff Sets Up Epic Showdown With Prajanchai
After a clean sweep of the scorecards against Elmehdi El Jamari, there is virtually no doubt as to what lies next for Aliff Sor Dechapan – a shot at Prajanchai PK Saenchai‘s ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship.
That was evident after the match when the two went nose-to-nose inside the ring, with Aliff laying his hand on the coveted belt in front of the reigning king.
The latest dazzling performance from the Thai-Malaysian was simply the finishing touches on the picture he has been painting to make himself the division’s top contender. The 21-year-old’s four-fight winning streak has now put him on the precipice of gold.
This potential collision for the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title is certainly tantalizing, as two-sport king Prajanchai’s growing aura of invincibility would meet a rising star with a formidable and versatile skill set.
Young Phenoms Learn Crucial Lessons
Johan Ghazali and Johan Esuptinan are students of Muay Thai and appear to be future superstars in the sport. But at ONE Fight Night 32, a pair of veterans played the roles of professors and sent the young Johans back to the chalkboard with pivotal lessons to be learned.
Longtime Japanese star Taiki “Silent Sniper” Naito became the first man to defeat Estupinan, snapping the latter’s 27-bout professional winning streak. Naito’s patient counter-attacks stifled the 22-year-old Colombian phenom, as he scored an emphatic left-hook knockdown in the second round before taking the majority decision win.
For his part, 18-year-old Ghazali was in yet another firefight, this time against Colombian-American Diego Paez, who avoided “Jojo’s” stinging attacks, countering with the cleaner strikes to take a unanimous decision win.
Undoubtedly, Ghazali and Estupinan will review the tape and learn from these experiences. There is no question they will return with more vigor and more skill than ever before. Martial arts is a journey, not a destination.
For Naito and Paez, they concluded their teachings by returning to the win column and putting the division’s elite on notice. Enjoying their primes, both men showed the might of their minds just as much as their well-rounded offensive arsenals.
Dzhabrailov Continues To Look Terrifying
Dzhabir Dzhabrailov is not simply an unbeaten prodigy making waves in the lightweight MMA division. He is a dominant force who is quickly establishing himself as a serious threat to anyone in his way.
Dzhabrailov moved to 6-0 in his career and 3-0 in ONE with a dominant first-round TKO over Nicolas Vigna, maintaining his 100 percent finishing rate in the process.
At just 20 years of age, Dzhabrailov is competing at a level that would make someone think he is a 10-year veteran of the sport.
The Turkish upstart may have quietly made his way to the global stage, but he used the spotlight of U.S. primetime to break out as a much-watch name in a highly competitive division.
The Youth Movement In ONE Is Strong
Perhaps the overriding theme of ONE Fight Night 32 was that a youth movement is in full effect.
Jaosuayai is 23, Aliff is 21, and Dzhabrailov is merely 20. Other victors on the night, such as 22-year-old Arian Esparza and 24-year-old Ibragim Dauev, only strengthened the trend with wins over the older Ricardo Bravo and Magomed Akaev, respectively.
Even those who came up short showed themselves well. Ghazali and Estupinan have already emerged as top talents, while 19-year-old Chinese striker Liao Shixu battled tooth and nail with Tagir Khalilov in his debut.
These are not just young athletes getting their feet wet. The best and brightest under-25 martial artists are already challenging the old guard in an effort to take their spots. There is no rest for the wicked, and that’s because the youthful revolution is here.
