Kantharaj Agasa, Tommy Langaker Pick Up Impressive Victories To Kick Off ONE 160
A pair of MMA fighters and submission grapplers kicked off ONE Championship’s historic martial arts doubleheader at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in style.
On Friday, August 26, the promotion aired ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II live in Asia primetime, and the show opened with a highlight-reel knockout and a thrilling 10-minute grappling match with several near-finishes.
Here’s what happened in the first two battles of the night.
Tommy Langaker Dominant In Rematch With Renato Canuto
Tommy Langaker and Renato Canuto went the distance in a rematch between two of the best BJJ black belts in the world – with Langaker up 1-0 courtesy of a 2018 submission victory over the Brazilian.
The first half of the 10-minute lightweight submission grappling contest was back and forth. Canuto did most of the pressing, while the Norwegian used his slick guard to fend off any attempts to pass.
However, after taking his foe’s back in a scramble, Langaker dominated the rest of the match.
“The Viking of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,” as Michael Schiavello called him, tried everything to submit Canuto and came close with an arm-triangle from mount in the final 30 seconds. But in the end, he had to settle for a decision win to push his slate to 2-0 against the two-time BJJ World Champion.
Kantharaj Agasa Shines With First-Round TKO
Kantharaj “Kannadiga” Agasa was the shorter man, but he held his guard high and utilized his boxing to knock out Brazilian debutant Thales “The Lion Dog” Nakassu in the night’s opening contest.
The Indian athlete tested his rival’s stand-up arsenal from the get-go, connecting with powerful strikes and a teasing low kick just seconds into the bantamweight MMA fight.
Nakassu tried to sway the bout in his favor with a single-leg takedown, but Agasa refused to participate in a scramble on the canvas.
When the action resumed on the feet, “The Lion Dog” decided to fight fire with fire. Unfortunately, that led to his downfall.
Agasa pivoted away from Nakassu’s right hand, connected with a left hook to the body, and followed up with a right that landed smack on his rival’s chin. The referee stopped the bout at the 2:55 mark, giving the victory to “Kannadiga” and pushing his record to 12-3.
