ONE Fight Night 45 MMA Results: Cesar, Nikolakakos, And Lee Emerge Victorious In Bangkok
The MMA action delivered from start to finish at ONE Fight Night 45: Lessei vs. Rabah in U.S. primetime on Friday, July 17.
A Brazilian debutant dismantled one of the promotion’s most established veterans, and a South Korean phenom inched closer to a ONE Strawweight MMA World Title shot.
Plus, a Canadian atomweight and Qatari flyweight kept their perfect records intact, and a Brazilian veteran earned the biggest victory of her entire career.
Here’s what went down in all of the MMA fights at Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.
Cesar Dismantles Adiwang In His Promotional Debut
Antonio “The Flash” Cesar announced himself to ONE Championship’s global fan base in dominant fashion, as he defeated Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang by unanimous decision in their flyweight MMA matchup.
Adiwang exploded into jab-cross combinations and launched himself into high kicks from the opening bell, giving the 22-year-old Brazilian a rude welcome to life in the world’s largest martial arts organization. “The Flash” absorbed the piston-like right hands and fired back with dangerous counters, holding his own on the feet.
Cesar took control in the second, getting the action to the ground and moving into side control. Then, he transitioned to north-south and landed knees to Adiwang’s head. He returned to side control once more and added elbows to close out the round.
The third stanza followed the same blueprint. Cesar dragged the 33-year-old Filipino veteran back to the canvas, found the north-south position again, and rained down knees on Adiwang’s head. He topped it all off with ground-and-pound as “Thunder Kid” struggled to free himself throughout, drowning under the Brazilian’s relentless pressure.
This decision victory extended Cesar’s winning streak to nine, elevated his career record to 14-2, and announced him as a serious flyweight contender in his very first promotional appearance.
Nikolakakos Stays Perfect With Gritty Decision Over Jihin
Anastasia “Anniemale” Nikolakakos kept her spotless record intact, edging out Jihin “Shadow Cat” Radzuan by split decision in a closely contested atomweight MMA showdown.
Nikolakakos charged out in the first round looking to set up takedowns with wild punches. Soon, she dragged the 27-year-old Malaysian here and there. Jihin tried to land her punches, but she struggled to slow down the 36-year-old Canadian’s relentless movement.
Jihin found her rhythm in the second, shutting down her rival’s speed with one-twos that raised welts under the Canadian’s eye. Inside the clinch, “Shadow Cat” used dirty boxing and knees to pull ahead.
The third and final round was dead even until “Anniemale” started hunting for takedowns again. The Canadian tied up the Malaysian in the corner, unloaded knees to the legs, and moved her toward the ropes, where she finally secured a takedown. They landed with Jihin securing a front headlock, but Nikolakakos stood up and escaped the submission hold to see out the fight.
Nikolakakos pushed her record to 7-0 and entered the ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title conversation.
Lee Scores Statement Victory, Stays Unbeaten In ONE
Lee “The Flash” Seung Cheol delivered a career-defining performance, as he outpointed Bokang “Little Giant” Masunyane by unanimous decision in a strawweight MMA clash and stated his case for the next shot at ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua Pacio‘s title.
Masunyane’s striking was on point in the first round, as he countered the 27-year-old South Korean with precise hooks and later connected with a spinning back elbow.
But Lee turned up the heat in the second frame. He survived a judo throw and pinned the 32-year-old South African in the corner for nearly a minute, blasting his body and head with punches and elbows to take the round.
The third stanza was a barnburner. Lee landed leg-buckling shots before Masunyane lifted and slammed him to the canvas, where he hunted for submissions. The South Korean, however, made a late charge with punches and kicks to seal the victory.
That hard-earned decision bumped Lee’s career record to 13-1, kept him unbeaten in ONE, and inserted him into the World Title picture.
Souza Edges Miura, Claims Biggest Win Of Career
Victoria Souza earned the biggest victory of her career, as she outworked former ONE Women’s Strawweight MMA World Title challenger Ayaka “Zombie” Miura to earn a unanimous decision win.
Miura put together good boxing early, but the Brazilian leaned on her kickboxing background and retaliated with sharp counter punches. Soon, the 35-year-old Japanese star hit a takedown and worked from side control, where she seemingly tried to apply her world-famous scarf-hold Americana before the opening stanza concluded.
Souza turned the tables in the second frame. She dragged her opponent to the canvas, secured side control, and punched the Tribe Tokyo MMA veteran repeatedly to take command of the contest.
The 28-year-old Brazilian maintained her edge in the third, shutting down Miura’s footwork and pop-shot attempts with counters to close out the strawweight MMA tilt.
In the end, all three judges agreed that Souza did enough to claim the victory. With this triumph, she nudged her record to 10-3.
Satiev Gives Zakirov First Loss In Battle Of Unbeaten Flyweights
Someone’s 0 had to go in the opening contest of the night, and Ruslan Satiev was determined it was not going to be his. The 27-year-old Qatari handed Sanzhar “Tornado” Zakirov his first career loss, dominating the previously undefeated Uzbek to claim a unanimous decision in their flyweight MMA clash.
Satiev, a KHK Dagestan product, looked sharp from the opening bell. He targeted the calf with kicks, stuffed Zakirov’s takedown attempts, and then slammed knees into his head and midsection. On the feet, his boxing combinations made it one-way traffic through the first two rounds.
Zakirov had trouble bringing the action to the mat, but in the third frame, he finally secured a takedown off a spinning back fist from Satiev. The 23-year-old Uzbek tried working his ground-and-pound, but soon, the Qatari returned to his feet and continued to cleverly pick his shots.
The win improved Satiev’s perfect record to 7-0, and it moved him up the flyweight MMA ladder.
