Nakrob Shines In Three-Round War, Teen Phenoms Debut With Knockouts At ONE Friday Fights 49
On January 26, the world’s largest martial arts organization once again touched down at the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, for a fight card packed with intriguing matchups and top talent.
Broadcasting live in Asia primetime, ONE Friday Fights 49 delivered 12 world-class martial arts contests, with knockouts scattered all across the bill.
Before the world turns its attention to ONE Championship’s return to Japan for ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru this Sunday, January 28, here’s how the organization’s weekly event at the Mecca of Muay Thai went down on Friday night.
Nakrob Dazzles In Come-From-Behind Win Over Pettonglor
Nakrob Fairtex and Pettonglor Sitluangpeenumfon ended the show with a scrap for the ages in a high-octane duel, with the former pulling off an inspiring come-from-behind victory to leave the iconic venue with his hand raised.
Once the opening bell rang, the pair sprung into action, but Pettonglor was the sharper of the two in the early going. His ability to beat his rival to the punch saw him drop the Fairtex Training Center product just two minutes into the duel.
Down but not out, Nakrob was determined to battle back, and he found a route to take things into his own hands by battering the legs of Pettonglor throughout the second frame.
With many eyeing the contest one round apiece, it was clear the third stanza would ultimately decide the outcome of the flyweight Muay Thai affair.
On a night that delivered a plethora of superb fights, Nakrob’s consecutive knockdowns of Pettonglor in the final minute of the war were enough to earn him a clear-cut unanimous decision victory. The 25-year-old’s record now stands at 64-21.
Kongchai’s Power Overwhelms Gonzalez Once More
In a 127-pound catchweight Muay Thai rematch, local hero Kongchai Chanaidonmueang and Xavier Gonzalez left the fans at the sold-out stadium wanting for more after three rounds of high-paced action.
Throughout the bout, the Spaniard bit down on his mouthpiece and waded forward into the fire behind looping punches. His knack for finding the right weapon of choice helped him come out on top in some key back-and-forth exchanges.
Kongchai wasn’t willing to just stand there and let his opponent have a field day, though. The Thai superstar consistently found a home for venomous counter-punches and thunderous left kicks to rack up points and minimize traffic that came his way.
Ultimately, the judges awarded the unanimous decision to Kongchai, who now owns a pair of wins over Gonzalez and improved his career slate to an impressive 72-11.
Ondash Folds Parnpet Early In Round One
Abdallah Ondash was full of confidence when he met Parnpet Sor Jor Lekmuangnon in their rematch, and he wasted no time going 2-0 over his Thai adversary in strawweight Muay Thai action.
After seeing off the Thai dynamo with only one second to spare at ONE Friday Fights 27, the Lebanese scrapper put the pressure on his lanky counterpart from the get-go, finding success behind some missile-like body shots.
Ondash stuck to the same tactics as the finishing sequence unfolded, and he mixed things up with a right square on the jaw and a left to the midsection that had his rival staring at the stadium’s ceiling at 1:12 of round one.
With the win, Ondash moves to 19-1 in his career and 3-0 in ONE.
Khunponnoi’s Left Hand Starches Shahmarzade
Khunponnoi Sor Sommai impressed with a second-round stoppage of promotional newcomer Amil Shahmarzade in their 136-pound catchweight Muay Thai firefight.
The Azerbaijani star came out strong, landing a rib-crunching knee that forced the Thai on the defensive for much of the first frame.
But in the second stanza, Khunponnoi found his range with his thunderous left kick. He backed his foe into the corner where he uncorked a concussive straight left hand to secure a clean knockout finish at the 1:44 mark of the frame.
The Sor Sommai representative is now riding a two-fight knockout streak and has improved his career record to 119-32.
Yodnumchai Discards Chokdee With Second-Round KO
Yodnumchai Fairtex has set the precedent since arriving in atomweight Muay Thai, and he earned his third successive knockout under the ONE spotlight after dismantling Chokdee Maxjandee.
The 19-year-old was locked in from the first bell, making Chokdee miss and making him pay as a result. Yodnumchai utilized his exceptional footwork to keep his rival guessing, landing speedy strikes in turn.
Yodnumchai knew he had total control of the outing. After toying with Chokdee, he decided to end the night early and dropped his compatriot with a straight right.
He then followed up with a crushing left elbow to split Chokdee open and pick up the win at 2:39 of round two. The Fairtex Training Center standout moved to 63-20 in his career and 3-0 in ONE.
Kaimookkhao Finishes Sitthichai In Knockdowns Galore
In 123-pound catchweight Muay Thai action, Kaimookkhao Wor Jakawut avenged a previous loss against Sitthichai Sor Dechapan in an electrifying bout that saw seven total knockdowns.
Kaimookkhao scored a pair of quick knockdowns to open the fight, only for Sitthichai to roar back with two of his own later in the first round.
The torrid pace didn’t slow in the second frame. Kaimookkhao got things going with massive punches to flatten his opposite number. But yet again, the Sor Dechapan man returned the favor with his dizzying fists.
Undeterred, Kaimookkhao pressed forward to put his opponent down once more, this time with a flying knee for the TKO victory at 2:09 of round two.
With the sensational finish, the 18-year-old phenom pushes his career record to 31-10.
Yod-IQ Sees Off Bohic In Three-Round Thriller
In his biggest test on the global stage, Yod-IQ Or Pimolsri offered his best showing against veteran striker Rafi Bohic, as he walked away with the unanimous decision intact over three hard-fought rounds of bantamweight Muay Thai.
The opening frame saw both men remain tentative as Bohic began firing jabs while Yod-IQ tested the waters with piercing teeps to find an opening.
But with the feeling-out process behind them, Yod-IQ put the pedal to the metal to drop Bohic with a left body hook early in the round before repeating the act moments after. Somehow, some way, the veteran instincts of Bohic saw him survive the stanza.
The pair continued to let it all go in the third round, and the PK Saenchai Muay Thai Gym athlete’s confidence saw him go from strength to strength with relentless strikes to secure the unanimous decision and move to 119-36 overall.
Haggerty Debuts In Style, Puts Dangkalong To Sleep
English striking ace Freddie Haggerty put on a show in his strawweight Muay Thai clash with Dankalong Sor Dechapan, immediately announcing himself as one to watch at The Home of Martial Arts in 2024.
The 19-year-old came out guns blazing, working his way into the clinch where he unloaded a bevy of punishing strikes. Despite some brilliant work on the offense, the Thai countered with offense of his own and floored his dance partner late in the first frame.
Knowing he needed something big to open the second stanza, Haggerty – the younger brother to two-sport ONE World Champion Jonathan Haggerty – bit on his mouthguard and shifted into gear. Soon, the finish came.
Haggerty walked down his Thai rival behind more handiwork and unloaded with a brutal punch combination to seal the deal at just 14 seconds of the second canto, improving his impressive record to 21-4.
Dayakaev Slices Cerkez To Make It Two In A Row
Abdulla Dayakaev made it two on the trot after a successful debut at ONE Friday Fights 39, as he stormed through Sevket Cerkez with a second-round knockout in his bantamweight Muay Thai duel.
Cerkez began the affair with wild strikes, looking to catch the youngster off guard. But the 21-year-old couldn’t be shaken as he landed strikes from afar.
Dayakaev’s confidence began to ooze in the second frame, and it wasn’t long until he dropped the “Turkish Assassin” with a counter right elbow.
From there, armed with confidence, the Russian striker poured on the pressure to put Cerkez down for good with an inch-perfect short left hook at 1:39 of the round and upped his slate to 9-1 overall.
Ondash Pulverizes Yangdam With Body Punches
Teenage phenom Ramadan Ondash couldn’t have asked for a better promotional debut in his 123.6-pound catchweight Muay Thai clash against Yangdam Jitmuangnon.
“The Scorpion’s” boxing looked clean, crispy, and powerful from the get-go. And, before long, Ondash had put his foe down with a crushing left hook to the liver.
Seconds later, he landed another thunderous body shot to score the fight-ending knockout at 1:20 into the bout. With the win, the 17-year-old from Tiger Muay Thai pushes his career record to 9-2.
Fazil Surpasses Yoon In Stupendous Three-Round Scrap
Namo Fazil and Jae Woong Yoon did not take their foot off the gas as they traded strike-for-strike in welterweight MMA action. But Fazil’s crisper striking helped him earn the fateful nod after three thrilling rounds.
The Finnish warrior peppered the South Korean with strong jabs and right hands throughout the explosive opening frame. The latter ate many shots that would’ve put many a man down, but his durability was something to behold.
Jae caught his second wind midway through the fight, attempting to battle back into the contest with punches in bunches. However, the Tiger Muay Thai star held his own and timed his counters with extreme precision.
While the action was wild and unruly, Fazil’s tight-knit boxing allowed him to wear down his foe en route to picking up the unanimous decision in his promotional debut to move to 6-1 overall.
Karim Makes Quick Work Of Fusini
The card kicked off with an intriguing women’s atomweight MMA tilt, as Pakistan’s Anita Karim squared off with Italian newcomer Adriana Fusini.
The Pakistani standout wasted no time in bringing the contest to where she felt most comfortable, scoring a big double-leg takedown in the bout’s opening minutes.
From there, the Fairtex Training Center affiliate displayed pure dominance from the top and peppered her foe with ground strikes before securing the match-winning Americana shoulder lock just 2:20 into the first round.
The submission victory marks the 27-year-old’s first win at ONE Friday Fights, her third in as many matches under the ONE Championship banner.
