Delaney Makes History; Joynson, Lin Win On ONE: BAD BLOOD Lead Card
ONE: BAD BLOOD began with a lead card that offered up some impressive performances.
The four mixed martial arts bouts showcased every element of combat on Friday, 11 February, with slick striking, wrestling, and grappling on display inside the Circle.
Here’s how the matchups played out inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Delaney Debuts With Record-Setting Submission
Odie “The Witness” Delaney’s ONE debut couldn’t have gone any better, as he dispatched Thomas “The Last Viking” Narmo in just 66 seconds.
It was the fastest submission in the history of ONE Championship’s heavyweight mixed martial arts division, and it pushed the American rising star‘s professional slate to 3-0.
Narmo’s first real offense was a kick to the body, but the American wrestler caught the strike, barreled his man down to the canvas, and stuffed him against the Circle Wall.
After tying up the Norwegian’s right arm and landing punches and elbows, Delaney switched his focus to the left arm, where he secured a wince-inducing hammerlock that forced a hurried tap from “The Last Viking.”
Joynson Edges Past Cunha With Solid Striking
Dustin Joynson outlasted Hugo “Silverback” Cunha to hand the Brazilian his first career defeat in their three-round heavyweight mixed martial arts showdown.
Though Cunha started well with his wrestling and top game in round one, the Canadian battled back to his feet and then took over, utilizing high-volume striking to pepper “Silverback” with punches.
Joynson continued to stab at his rival with long jabs and straights as the bout wore on. He stayed clear of his fading rival’s looping punches to rack up a lead on the scorecards, ultimately earning his first win in ONE Championship via split decision.
Lin Bounces Back Against Nguyen
After snapping her 11-fight winning streak against Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat, Chinese star “MMA Sister” Lin Heqin rebounded by outstriking ONE veteran Bi “Killer Bee” Nguyen.
With the convincing unanimous decision victory, Lin proved she’s still a formidable contender in the women’s atomweight mixed martial arts division.
Across three rounds, “MMA Sister” used her boxing and wiry frame to put it on Nguyen from the outside. She shot jabs and straight lefts down the middle to rack up damage on “Killer Bee,” one of the organization’s fan favorites.
Always the entertainer, Nguyen tried valiantly to strike back, but her shorter reach kept many of her punches from reaching the taller Chinese fighter. The defining moment came in the second round, when the Vietnamese-American rushed in for a series of strikes, but Lin swayed and swung back with punishing blows.
Sunoto vs. Tial Thang Ruled No Contest
ONE: BAD BLOOD kicked off with a bantamweight mixed martial arts bout between “The Terminator” Sunoto and “The Dragon Leg” Tial Thang, the protege of superstar Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang. Unfortunately for both men, the fight was declared a no contest in the first round.
While it lasted, both men traded strikes on the feet, and Sunoto shot for failed takedowns. Inside the clinch, Tial Thang drove knees into his opponent’s midsection, but two of them came in unintentionally low.
With the first low knee, “The Dragon Leg” earned himself a warning from referee Olivier Coste. Following the second knee, however, Sunoto went down and was unable to continue – even after the allotted five-minute recovery time.
