ONE Fight Night 43 Muay Thai And Kickboxing Results: Petchtanong Edges Out Woolliss, Ortikov Finishes Estupinan
The striking action at ONE Fight Night 43: Tang vs. Gasanov, which emanated live from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium in U.S. primetime this past Friday, May 15, kept the crowd on the edge of their seats from the opening bell.
A Thai legend jumped back into the win column, an unbeaten Uzbek star put himself in the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title conversation, a Chinese kickboxer returned to ONE Championship with a statement victory, and a Polish atomweight put the division on notice with a dominant showing.
Here’s everything that went down in the Muay Thai and kickboxing portion of ONE Fight Night 43: Tang vs. Gasanov.
Petchtanong Edges Out Woolliss To Stay In World Title Hunt
Former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Petchtanong Petchfergus once again proved that elite timing and veteran experience still thrive deep into his 40s after defeating Ben “The Problem” Woolliss in their bantamweight kickboxing showdown.
Woolliss opened aggressively, constantly switching stances while firing fast kicks. The Thai responded with push kicks to control the distance. The 32-year-old British striker stayed active and found success late in the first round with multiple punches and uppercuts after spotting openings to close the gap.
Petchtanong gradually settled into a rhythm in the second frame. The pair traded heavy kicks to the legs and body while the crack of shin-on-shin collisions echoed throughout Lumpinee Stadium. At one point, the Thai even invited Woolliss to attack his lead leg and then immediately countered with a crushing left low kick, which visibly wobbled the Englishman.
Both men became more calculated in the final round, carefully picking their shots while using teeps to maintain distance. Still, Petchtanong’s sharp left hands and powerful left kicks continued landing cleanly during close-range exchanges. Woolliss attempted to steal momentum late with a spinning backfist before unleashing rapid punches, but the offensive front lacked enough space to generate real power.
After three rounds of technical striking action, Petchtanong earned the unanimous decision victory to extend his staggering record to 360-57.
Ortikov Stays Perfect With Devastating Second-Round Stoppage
Aslamjon “El Pantera” Ortikov kept his flawless record intact, finishing Colombia’s Jordan “Panda Kick” Estupinan via TKO at 2:06 of round two in their flyweight Muay Thai clash.
Both 23-year-old strikers stood opposite each other in the first, trading punches and low kicks in what looked like a dead-even exchange. Ortikov, however, appeared just a step ahead, as he countered with greater accuracy and timing.
The Uzbek dynamo came out with a clear head and sharp eyes in the second frame. A left hand from inside the clinch dropped the Colombian for the first knockdown of the contest.
Estupinan beat the count, but a four-hook combination sent him to the canvas once again. The Team JC Fernandez product showed tremendous heart to rise once more from the second eight-count, but Ortikov blasted him with another four-hook barrage. The referee had seen enough, so he intervened and waved off the action.
The finish moved Ortikov’s career record to a pristine 24-0, and it may have secured him a crack at the vacant ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title.
Nontachai Grinds Out Lobo
Road to ONE: Thailand Champion Nontachai Jitmuangnon improved to 53-22 after he edged out Felipe “Demolition Man” Lobo by unanimous decision in a hard-fought bantamweight Muay Thai clash.
The Jitmuangnon Gym product traded low kicks with the Brazilian early in the opening round, and then he sneakily connected with overhand rights that shook Lobo up. The “Demolition Man” used the ring to avoid further damage, but the Thai tracked him around the canvas, welting his legs with each pass.
Nontachai swarmed in the second frame, walking through his opponent’s best punches to get inside the clinch and sting him with knees. Lobo dug deep on the outside, however, and he uncorked punches that damaged the Thai and kept the round competitive.
The 27-year-old came back out in the third looking to drown his rival in the clinch again, but Lobo broke free and cracked him with a right hand that slowed him down. The 33-year-old Brazilian ripped hooks into Nontachai’s body, and the Thai almost took a knee. Ultimately, he hung tough and survived to the final bell.
In the end, Nontachai did enough in the early stages of the fight to claim the decision win and keep himself on the radar in the bantamweight Muay Thai division, which is currently ruled by Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon.
Luo Ends Souza’s Unbeaten Run With Split Decision
Luo Chao snapped Denis Souza Jr.’s 16-fight winning streak in his ONE Championship return with a gritty split-decision victory in their featherweight kickboxing clash.
The 25-year-old Chinese star, who was previously a mainstay on ONE Hero Series, popped jabs and straight rights at his Brazilian rival early in the first round, and then he started attacking with thunderous calf kicks. But Luo’s immense output began to tire him late in the stanza, allowing the Brazilian to rally back and cap the excitement with a jumping knee.
Volume was again the word in the second frame, as Luo weaved together combinations that had Souza adjusting his mouthpiece. The 28-year-old Vila Velha native settled into the round and retaliated with sharp three-piece combos punctuated by low kicks, which slowed the Chinese fighter’s rhythm.
Both men entered the third and final stanza dead even. Luo closed the distance and battled hard on the inside with body shots, but Souza spun into back kicks that sent his 25-year-old adversary stumbling backward.
In the end, the judges narrowly favored Luo, who nudged his career record to 43-11.
Dominczak Dominates Former ONE World Title Challenger Persson
WMC Muay Thai World Champion Martyna Dominczak opened ONE Fight Night 43 with a statement performance, outclassing former ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Title challenger Johanna Persson by unanimous decision.
Dominczak, who represents Legion Glogow, controlled both the inside and outside game in the first stanza of the atomweight Muay Thai clash. The 24-year-old Polish striker opened with push kicks to the face, and she later unloaded boxing combinations and slithered into the clinch to work her knees.
Persson, a WBC Muay Thai World Champion, pushed forward in the second frame, but she kept walking into left hooks that sent her sideways. Dominczak folded her over with push kicks again, and her hand combinations overwhelmed the 31-year-old Swede whenever she tried to mount a response.
The Polish rising star carried her edge into the third and final round, cross-facing her rival in the clinch and driving knees into her ribs, even as Persson made things more competitive with punch and elbow combinations.
After falling in her last bout to ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion “The Queen” Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom last December, Dominczak returned to the win column in style and improved her career record to 8-2.
