Top 9 KOs From The Stars Of ONE: DAWN OF HEROES

ONE: DAWN OF HEROES is bursting at the seams with exciting knockouts artists ready to display their powerful striking to the fans in Manila, Philippines.

The event at the Mall Of Asia Arena on Friday, 2 August has two World Title encounters at the top of the bill featuring two pairs of heavy hitters, and a supporting card of striking aficionados with backgrounds in striking disciplines including Muay Thai, wushu and karate.

Take a look at nine of the best knockouts from the athletes set for action in Manila.

#1 Nguyen Flies High

Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen delivered one of the greatest finishes ever seen in The Home Of Martial Arts when he returned after nine months away at ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR in April. 

His challenger, Narantungalag “Tungaa” Jadambaa, is as tough as athletes come, but he was broken down when the defending ONE Featherweight World Champion damaged his lead leg with hard low kicks.

That paid off in the second round as Jadambaa reeled from a kick to the calf. The Vietnamese-Australian saw his opportunity and went airborne with a flying switch knee that landed square on the jaw for an instant KO.

#2 Matsushima’s Perfect Right Hand

Koyomi “Moushigo” Matsushima entered the world’s largest martial arts organization at the very top of the featherweight division, as he took out former World Champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES.

Despite the scale of the task, the Japanese debutant was composed as he deftly stepped back to avoid an inside low kick, and then landed a stunning right hand on the button to drop the Russian. He did not go out straight away, but “Moushigo” swarmed with more heavy blows to finish the job.

Following another win over “Pretty Boy” Kwon Won Il, Matsushima will now face Nguyen for the belt in Manila.

#3 Rodtang’s Relentless Assault

Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon’s second-round stoppage of Sok Thy epitomized the exciting come-forward style that has earned him a legion of fans on the global stage.

At ONE: WARRIORS OF LIGHT, the Thai warrior walked his man down and unleashed heavy left hooks to the head and body, along with destructive low kicks to the lead thigh.

Sok Thy first went down at the end of round one, and then “The Iron Man” dialed up the pressure in round two. His lead hand set up hard low kicks time after time until the Cambodian could no longer stand and the referee waved off the bout.

That win earned Rodtang his shot at ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Jonathan “The General” Haggerty on 2 August.

#4 Folayang’s Historic World Title TKO

https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship/videos/2198533637075885/?t=0

Eduard “Landslide” Folayang caused one of the biggest shocks in mixed martial arts history when he knocked out Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki to become the ONE Lightweight World Champion at ONE: DEFENDING HONOR.

His finish came when the Team Lakay star fended off Aoki’s takedown attempt at the start of the third round, and used a strong underhook to turn his rival to his back. From there, “Landslide” landed a barrage of knees and right hands to claim the biggest win of his career and his first World Title.

The Filipino hero will face four-time mixed martial arts World Champion Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez in a ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix semifinal bout in front of his countrymen in Manila.

#5 Eustaquio’s Perfect Counter Hook

One of the best knockouts of 2016 came when Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio dispatched Saiful “The Vampire” Merican at ONE: CLASH OF HEROES with a perfectly-timed left hook.

Merican stepped in to land a left hook-right low kick combination on the Team Lakay athlete, but as “The Vampire” turned in with his punch, he was met by an expertly-placed counter punch. The force of the blow, combined with the Malaysian’s momentum, caused an immediate end to the contest after just 81 seconds.

Eustaquio will be back in the Circle in the Mall Of Asia Arena against powerful Japanese puncher Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu.

#6 Cerilli Drops “The Hammer”

At ONE: REIGN OF VALOR, fans learned exactly why you do not want to get trapped underneath Mauro “The Hammer” Cerilli.

The Italian heavyweight gave his rival no room to recover as he drilled hard knees into the head from a front-headlock position. He did not stop until his opponent’s resistance was broken, and he earned his first victory in The Home Of Martial Arts.  

“The Hammer” will welcome Indian star Arjan “Singh” Bhullar to ONE on 2 August. 

#7 Kelly Unleashes His “Ferocious” Fists

When Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly and Vincent Latoel went back-and-forth in a battle of two potent strikers, the match was always likely to end with a highlight-reel finish.

Sure enough, when Latoel stepped forward and looked to land with hard knees and punches, he left himself wide open. Kelly threw a crunching left hook and followed it with a right that separated the Dutchman from his senses.

“The Ferocious” will aim to please his compatriots in the Philippines with another KO against submission specialist “The Stalker” Xie Bin.

#8 Mitsatit’s Knees Cause Catalan To Crumble

Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit made it clear from the start of his bout with Robin Catalan at ONE: WARRIORS OF LIGHT that he wanted to go after his opponent’s body with knees.

At first, he aimed a little low to cause a break for injury time, but when the action restarted, “The Smiling Assassin’s” aim was true.

He pushed Catalan against the fence and drove in a hard left knee to the solar plexus that dropped the Filipino and ended the contest at 3:05 of the opening round.

#9 Miao Starches Dejdamrong

When 2019 comes to a close, Miao Li Tao‘s sensational finish at ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON is sure to be in the running for the awards for knockout and shock of the year.

He was not scared to exchange strikes with Dejdamrong “Kru Rong” Sor Amnuaysirichoke, and found his mark in round one when his rival stepped in with a right elbow. The Muay Thai legend did not retract his strike fast enough, and the Chinese athlete immediately threw a left hook at his defenseless chin to knock him out cold.

Miao will aim to build on that defeat of a former ONE Strawweight World Champion against Mitsatit in a battle between two of the division’s most exciting rising stars.