3 Biggest Takeaways From ONE Friday Fights 5
ONE Friday Fights 5 provided the global fan base with another epic night of action at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on February 17.
The 12-bout card showcased everything that is great about martial arts, including skill, courage, and determination, and fans were left in awe of each and every performance.
With knockouts, submissions, and fiercely contested decisions all part of the night’s proceedings, there wasn’t a single lull in the action, and all 24 athletes on the bill gave it their all inside the ring.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from the fifth installment of ONE Championship’s riveting weekly offering in Bangkok, Thailand.
#1 The Global Muay Thai Rule Set Is The Best For Action
Five shows in at Lumpinee Stadium, and it’s quite clear that the Global Muay Thai Rule Set is a massive hit with fans in the sport’s spiritual homeland of Bangkok, as well as the worldwide audience.
ONE Friday Fights 5 displayed this with nine thrilling Muay Thai bouts, which included six finishes and three exciting decisions.
Contested over the course of three rounds, the athletes are forced to push a more intense pace, and with the 4-ounce gloves on their hands, the knockouts come thick and fast. Every fighter knows the onus is on them to be aggressive to get the win, and coasting is not an option.
The elite Thai circuit certainly showcases the best technicians in stand-up martial arts, but ONE Friday Fights has elevated the level of action to even greater heights.
#2 Superball Tded99 Is A Threat To The Top Flyweights
Superball Tded99 took the nod in a spectacular 138-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest against Kongklai Annymuaythai, showing that he has what it takes to go up against the best on the global stage.
Likely to drop to flyweight in the long term, the 26-year-old will join a stacked division, but he’s spent years preparing for this kind of opportunity.
Superball has been in phenomenal form since 2020, defeating no less than four Muay Thai World Champions in that time and dropping his only defeat to ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9.
He proved that his chin can stand up to the ferocity of 4-ounce gloves – with Kongklai throwing everything at his compatriot in their three-round main event showdown – and now, he can put his name among the sport’s biggest dogs.
With strong punches and piercing knees, Superball brings a different style to many of his peers in the flyweight division, and it’ll be interesting to see how he fares against the top-ranked athletes.
#3 The Ladies Are Bringing The Heat To Lumpinee
There were four bouts in the women’s divisions on February 17, and every one of them delivered an impressive finish.
In the two MMA contests, both Chihiro Sawada and Aleksandra Savicheva remained unbeaten with wins over Sanaz “Eagle” Fayazmanesh and Zeba “Fighting Queen” Bano, respectively.
Japan’s Sawada submitted her Iranian foe with an Americana in the second round, while Savicheva finished India’s Bano via ground-and-pound in the first.
Also, a pair of British strikers finished their respective Muay Thai contests with first-round knockouts.
Iony “Iron Fist” Lawrence used her signature powerful punches to dispatch Ploymuangjan Smile Muaythai, while Hannah Brady stopped Claire “Chun-Li” Rankine with a flurry of elbows and punches.
At this rate, it may be only a matter of time before one of these ladies makes history and becomes the first woman warrior to challenge for a ONE World Title at Lumpinee Stadium.
