ONE Fight Night 28 Results: Kongthoranee Stuns Nong-O, Yamakita Overwhelms Adiwang
Just hours after kicking off the month with ONE Friday Fights 96 in Asia primetime, the world’s largest martial arts organization returned to the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, for ONE Fight Night 28: Prajanchai vs. Barboza.
The show, which broadcast live in U.S. primetime on February 7, featured nearly two dozen MMA, Muay Thai, and submission grappling stars displaying their world-class skills in front of a capacity audience in the “Madison Square Garden of the East.”
There were a couple of back-and-forth wars, as well as several jaw-dropping finishes that kept fans glued to the action. Here’s everything that went down in the night’s first nine matches.
Kongthoranee Spoils Nong-O’s Flyweight Debut
Fourth-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender Kongthoranee Sor Sommai did just enough to spoil former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama’s divisional debut, as he took home a split-decision win.
Kongthoranee set the tone early in the fight. He fired off a quick left and then unleashed his roundhouse kicks and teeps to break the rhythm of the living legend. Each time Nong-O stepped forward to attack, the 28-year-old had his elbows ready in case the Evolve MMA representative overreached.
Nong-O came alive in the second and unleashed a beautiful right hook counter that clearly hurt Kongthoranee in the early stages of the round. The 38-year-old icon also cut the distance better, putting his compatriot on the back foot.
In the third, however, Kongthoranee took back control. He used his kicks once again to keep Nong-O at bay, while also better utilizing his boxing in the final three minutes. The Sor Sommai product also effectively checked Nong-O’s kicks, disrupting the Thai legend’s momentum and chances of stealing the bout late.
After three rounds, two of the three judges scored the contest in favor of Kongthoranee, which elevated his record to 72-16 and gave him the biggest win of his career.
Zhang Starches Tetsuka With Massive Left Hook
“The Warrior” Zhang Lipeng couldn’t have asked for a better performance in his 178.5-pound catchweight MMA clash with Hiroyuki “Japanese Beast” Tetsuka.
Once the opening bell sounded, the Chinese veteran displayed his crisp boxing. He patiently stalked Tetsuka, first stunning him with a thudding jab and then following up with a thunderous left hook that sent him crashing to the canvas.
Zhang pounced and landed several devastating ground strikes, which forced the referee to call an end to the bout at the 2:06 mark of the first round.
With the highlight-reel finish, “The Warrior” picked up his 27th career stoppage, boosted his record to 35-13, and earned a US$50,000 performance bonus.
Climaco Edges Paez In Razor-Close Thriller
Rivals Sean Climaco and Diego Paez met for a third time in their careers to decide who indeed is the best flyweight Muay Thai fighter from the United States.
After three competitive rounds, it was Climaco who left the ring with bragging rights.
The 30-year-old Filipino-American used his crisp boxing and low kicks to fend off an advancing Paez over the course of three rounds.
Although the 31-year-old Colombian-American made a fight of it in the later stages with his own punches and elbows, Climaco stayed ahead on two of the three judges’ scorecards to emerge victorious.
With the split-decision win, the Road to ONE: America Tournament Champion improved to 2-0-1 against Paez and 12-3-1 overall.
Yamakita Dominates Adiwang For Third Straight Victory
Fourth-ranked strawweight MMA contender Keito “Pocket Monk” Yamakita leaned on his dominant wrestling and smothering top control to shut down Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang en route to a unanimous decision victory.
As expected, Adiwang started the contest firing on all cylinders, but Yamakita was prepared. The Japanese grappler responded with a takedown and dominated from the top position for most of the opening round, landing a bevy of attacks including knees and choke attempts.
“Pocket Monk” continued his dominance on the ground once more in the second, even coming close to a finish with a bulldog choke. But Adiwang hung tough, and he even hurt Yamakita with a body shot late in the frame.
The Filipino livewire had his best chance early in the third when he tagged “Pocket Monk” with a body shot-right hook combination. But that was the closest to a comeback he got, as Yamakita was back to his dominant ways on the ground up until the final bell.
The victory pushed Yamakita’s record to 11-1 and by taking his third straight win, he also snapped Adiwang’s three-bout winning streak.
Four Knockdowns Carry Lobo To Second Win Over Saemapetch
Brazilian star Felipe “Demolition Man” Lobo stunned Saemapetch Fairtex with a come-from-behind knockout in their unforgettable 2023 clash, but he delivered an even more commanding performance in the pair’s bantamweight Muay Thai rematch on Friday.
The Thai found success in the first round with his blistering left hand, but Lobo roared back in the second frame with a venomous boxing attack, scoring two knockdowns with big counter left hooks.
Lobo kept his foot on the gas pedal in the third stanza. “Demoliton Man” pressed forward, continued to uncork punches, and sent Saemapetch to the canvas two more times to secure the TKO victory at the 2:22 mark of the final round.
The Brazilian earned his 23rd professional victory and could make a case for a spot in the top-five divisional rankings.
Miado Impresses In Firefight With Nakatani
After spending his promotional tenure competing against the strawweight MMA elite, Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado moved up to flyweight and put on a striking masterclass against the tough-as-nails Gilbert Nakatani.
The 32-year-old wanted to reinvent himself in the new division, and that he did.
Miado outboxed his Japanese-American opponent for nearly 15 minutes. While his hand skills were expected, he showed a much-improved ground game. The Filipino defended most of Nakatani’s takedowns and escaped many of the scrambles.
Nakatani didn’t make the fight easy by any means, though. He dragged Miado to the canvas on two occasions and unloaded heavy ground-and-pound.
But in the end, the judges gave the unanimous decision to Miado, who claimed his 13th career win and made a name for himself in the ultra-stacked flyweight division.
Bumina-ang Knocks Out Song For First U.S. Primetime Win
Carlo “The Bull” Bumina-ang needed just 53 seconds to finish former Road FC Champion “Double Hearts” Song Min Jong in their bantamweight MMA match and get his first win in U.S. primetime.
The Team Lakay star hurt the South Korean with heavy shots. A short left uppercut ignited a bevy of punches, which forced Song to change levels and attempt a takedown.
“The Bull” easily stuffed that attempt and then landed a crushing knee on Song’s head. With the South Korean covering up, the Filipino unloaded more punches to get the TKO victory.
That win improved Bumina-ang’s record to 7-1, elevated his finishing rate to 86 percent, and grabbed the bantamweight MMA division’s attention.
Sousa Gives Rude Welcome To Grippo
Gabriel Sousa seems to have Gianni Grippo‘s number. The Brazilian spoiled the American’s highly anticipated promotional debut, as he earned a split-decision victory in their featherweight submission grappling battle and extended his lead 4-0 in their heated series.
Sousa, who previously defeated the 32-year-old by points on three separate occasions, put in solid work from the top position through the bout’s opening minutes, even securing a clean guard pass.
Grippo kept the pace high and never stopped looking for attacks of his own, but it was the Brazilian grappler who dictated most of the exchanges and, in the closing minutes, seemed to gain ground on a leg lock attempt.
After 10 minutes, Sousa was awarded the split decision, marking his first win in the world’s largest martial arts organization and improving his career slate to an impressive 134-41.
Aliff Pulverizes Adukhov With First-Round KO
Aliff Sor Dechapan inched closer to a ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title opportunity on Friday, as he scored his third consecutive victory in highlight-reel fashion.
The 21-year-old Thai-Malaysian sensation needed less than two minutes to turn off Shamil Adukhov‘s lights in their 127.5-pound catchweight Muay Thai showdown.
Adukhov launched a left kick at his rival, but Aliff countered with a left hook. The Thai-Malaysian’s punch toppled the Russian, and he threw another right hand for good measure.
With Adukhov down and unable to return to his feet, the referee waved off the fight at the 1:10 mark of round one. The win moved Aliff’s record to 60-9 and pushed him closer to a crack at Prajanchai PK Saenchai‘s belt.
