Leandro Issa TKOs Toni Tauru In Triumphant ONE Return
Leandro “Brodinho” Issa was definitely happy to be back in ONE Championship on Saturday, 5 August, after four years away from the premier organization.
The veteran Brazilian earned a lopsided TKO finish over Toni “Dynamite” Tauru in one of his best performances to date, as he picked up a second-round victory on the preliminary card of ONE: KINGS OF CONQUERORS from the Cotai Arena in Macao.
It took less than 30 seconds for Issa to press forward with strikes before latching onto Tauru with a powerful takedown against the cage. The 33-year-old Brazilian was methodical inside Tauru’s guard, as he looked to advance his position while also landing some hard, thudding shots. He did so all while sitting directly in front of his corner to receive instructions as his attack continued.
The “Dynamite” Finn attempted to use his length to lock-up Issa on the ground. He wrapped his legs around the Brazilian, but still ended up absorbing a lot of punishment while being stuck underneath his veteran opponent. “Brodinho” was in absolute control.
Tauru must have been happy to see the opening round come to an end just so he could get back to his feet, but things did not get much better for him. Issa rattled him immediately in the second with a stinging punch right on the nose.
The Brazilian powered forward before getting underneath his opponent’s legs, lifting him into the air, and planting Tauru down on the mat.
While he is best known for his huge submission arsenal, “Brodinho” absolutely peppered Tauru with ground strikes, dominating the former ONE Bantamweight World Title contender with a series of punches to bring an end to the fight. The contest was stopped at just 1:36 into the second round.
Issa made quite an impression with a triumphant return to the ONE cage, and the smile on his face after the bout told the whole story about his exuberance to be back home again.
“It’s amazing to be back in the ONE Championship cage,” he said. “I’m very happy to be back.”
With the win, Issa improved to 14-6 overall while notching his fourth victory in ONE. Tauru’s struggles continue, however, as he moves to 11-6-1, and suffers his fifth loss in his past six fights.
