ONE Fight Night 49 Muay Thai And Kickboxing Results: Naito, Nontachai, Zhou, And Shumarov Score Career-Best Wins
The striking action at ONE Fight Night 49: Gabriel vs. Magomedov ushered in plenty of excitement before the main event.
ONE Fight Night 49 aired live in U.S. primetime from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, November 6, and the co-main event featured a rematch under kickboxing rules that was settled by a late knockdown.
Speaking of rematches, there was an explosive bantamweight Muay Thai sequel, which saw one man make it two straight over a former two-time ONE World Title challenger.
Also, a razor-thin featherweight kickboxing contest was left in the hands of a split panel, and a lightweight kickboxing contender walked through a heavy body assault to keep his World Title hopes alive.
Here’s everything that happened in the kickboxing and Muay Thai bouts at ONE Fight Night 49.
Naito Avenges 2023 Loss In Kickboxing Rematch
A third-round left hook that dropped his opponent proved to be the difference, as Taiki “Silent Sniper” Naito defeated Kongthoranee Sor Sommai by unanimous decision in their flyweight kickboxing co-main event clash that delivered from bell to bell.
Round one was very competitive, with Naito landing left hooks and low kick combinations. Kongthoranee responded with low kicks of his own, and both men felt the thudding strikes. A big right hand and left punch rocked the Thai at the bell.
Naito’s body attacks rattled his rival’s ribcage in round two, but a left hook that crashed into the 30-year-old Japanese striker’s temple changed the dynamics, and the 29-year-old Thai grew in confidence.
Kongthoranee battered his opponent with kicks to the body and arms in the third frame, and he looked to be pulling ahead on the scorecards. But the man known as “Silent Sniper” clipped him with a left hook and dropped him where he stood. The Thai answered the referee’s eight-count, but the damage was done.
All three judges scored the contest 29-27 in favor of Naito. The win was redemption for the Japanese slugger, who lost their 2023 Muay Thai meeting, and improved his record to 40-14. It also extended “Silent Sniper’s” winning streak to four, putting him in the running for the vacant ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title.
Nontachai Wears Down Lobo To Go 2-0 In Their Series
Just six months after their first showdown, Nontachai Jitmuangnon repeated the trick. The Thai rallied from a punishing opening round to defeat former two-time ONE World Title challenger Felipe “Demolition Man” Lobo by unanimous decision in their bantamweight Muay Thai rematch.
Lobo refused to give his rival any edge this time around. The Brazilian pumped his jab into Nontachai’s face from the first bell, and he followed it up with right hands that careened off the 27-year-old Thai’s chin and did real damage.
In the middle stages of the tilt, Nontachai tried to wrap his man up in the clinch, but the 33-year-old Brazilian fought free with punches. Every time the Jitmuangnon Gym representative stepped forward to close the distance, “Demolition Man” backed away and connected with crisp counters. The tide turned when body kicks started landing.
By the final round, Nontachai’s trademark step-in knees were softening Lobo’s midsection, even as the Brazilian escaped the clutches with uppercuts and hooks. Both men were battered as they battled to the very end.
The Jitmuangnon Gym standout first beat Lobo at ONE Fight Night 43, and this win made it two straight over him, bumping his record to 54-23.
Zhou Squeaks Past Usubyan On Split Scorecards
A razor-thin featherweight kickboxing contest ended with Zhou Jiaqiang earning a split decision over Russian juggernaut Mamuka Usubyan.
Usubyan applied the pressure early, sticking straight rights to the midsection and following up with hooks upstairs. Zhou, meanwhile, struggled to find his range.
Round two was different. The Chinese striker made sure he attacked first, feinting before pouncing with right hands, but the 32-year-old Russian countered with spinning back fists that cracked his chin.
With the fight dead even entering the final stanza, Usubyan used head movement to stay off the center line, bobbing and weaving as he swung hooks to the head. But the 26-year-old worked to create the space he needed to throw and land body kicks.
The judges were split, but two of them scored the contest 29-28 in favor of Zhou. That earned the Chinese athlete his first victory in ONE Championship and moved his career record to 21-7.
Shumarov Walks Through Mammadov For Victorious Return
Bulgarian bruiser Bogdan Shumarov weathered an early assault on his midsection and pulled away to outpoint Azerbaijani striker Gasham Mammadov by unanimous decision in their lightweight kickboxing bout.
Mammadov opened the contest by working his rival’s body with the jab, which he landed repeatedly. But the 30-year-old from SB Gym kept pressing forward, walking through the damage to sting his foe with punches to the head.
Calf kicks became Shumarov’s weapon of choice in round two, as he shook the 23-year-old promotional newcomer, who backpedaled and was seemingly overwhelmed by the veteran’s output. The Bulgarian kept tenderizing the Azerbaijani’s chin over the final stanza though, and a late charge of spinning kicks did little to erase his lead on the scorecards.
In the end, all three judges scored the contest 30-27 in favor of Shumarov, which nudged his professional record to 20-3.
The win capped a frustrating stretch of near-misses that included a scrapped matchup with ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Champion Regian Eersel and a battle with Rukiya Anpo, who failed to make weight for their bout at ONE SAMURAI 4 last month. This was also his first promotional victory to go the distance after three knockouts, and it may have earned him the World Title shot that an injury once took away.
