Puengluang Ekes Out Win In Tight Battle With Samingdam, Kaimookkhao Kicks Off Streak At ONE Friday Fights 76
ONE Friday Fights 76 gave the fans everything they wanted when it went down inside Bangkok, Thailand’s legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Friday, August 23.
The latest edition of the weekly martial arts showcase treated onlookers to 12 bouts of intense action across Muay Thai, MMA, and submission grappling, and each one delivered edge-of-your-seat thrills.
In case you missed any of the action, here’s everything that happened inside the “Mecca of Muay Thai” live in Asia primetime.
Puengluang Bests Samingdam In Close-Knit Affair
A thrilling flyweight Muay Thai encounter took place in the evening’s main event when Puengluang Baanramba collided with Samingdam Looksuan.
Puengluang attempted to take control of the opening frame by slamming body kicks into his opponent’s ribs. But Samingdam didn’t let them go unanswered, and he responded with heavy-handed strikes of his own.
The Baanramba star wasn’t dismayed, though, and he continued to piece together combinations in the second round. Back-and-forth action ensued from there, with Samingdam looking to put his compatriot on the backfoot with swinging shots.
However, momentum swayed in Puengluang’s favor in the final stanza, as he connected with brutal kicks that went unchecked and connected with shots that made the difference.
As a result, he pocketed the unanimous decision win to move to 7-1 in ONE and 66-6 overall.
Thant Zin Obliterates Tai In Round One
Thant Zin wasted no time making a statement in his 136-pound catchweight Muay Thai clash with Tai Sor Jor Piek Uthai.
The Myanmar star went in as soon as the opening bell sounded, landing three devastating low kicks to send Tai to the canvas for the first knockdown of the bout.
The Sor Jor PiekUthai gym man managed to beat the count, but Thant Zin was relentless, and he quickly followed up with a blistering left hook to drop Tai once more.
Knowing the winds were blowing in his favor, the Taw Win Ayeyar Club standout shot in with a barrage of left and right strikes when after Tai returned to his feet.
The Thai star hit the mat again, and this time he didn’t get up. Thant Zin was handed the KO win at 1:14 of round one to move to 2-0 in ONE Championship and 26-10 overall.
Kaimookkhao Edges Past Petkaolan To Keep Streak Alive
Kaimookkhao Wankhongohm MBK’s sharper work helped him to get past Petkaolan Singha Mawynn and score his third straight ONE Championship victory in a tight three-round battle.
The 18-year-old Petseemuan athlete controlled the opening frame of their 126-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout with his laser-guided straight punches, but Petkaolan wasn’t going to let his Thai compatriot cruise to victory.
The Singha Mawynn athlete dialed up the pressure in rounds two and three, moving forward with more intent and scoring with his knees and elbows in the clinch.
However, Kaimookkhao’s boxing and eye-catching spinning elbows saw him maintain his lead and earn the unanimous decision, moving his slate to 33-10 overall.
MrKaen Thwarts Petpattaya To Score Debut Win
MrKaen Bang Saen Fight Club marked his ONE Championship debut with an impressive decision win over Petpattaya Silkmuaythai.
Petpattaya started the 122-pound catchweight Muay Thai encounter in great stride, landing sharp strikes on his Thai compatriot. But MrKaen couldn’t be moved, and he chopped back with heavy leg kicks and counter right hands to steal the round.
The 24-year-old continued to find a home for his leg kicks whenever Petpattaya stood still. The Silkmuaythai man decided to up the pace as a result, and he put his foe on the backfoot to even the odds.
The third stanza was there for the taking for either man. Petpattaya tried his hardest to sway the judges, but the venomous teep kicks and counters from MrKaen pushed him to the unanimous decision victory in the end, which moved his slate to 46-17 overall.
Thway Lin Htet Outstrikes Ganchai In Thrilling Encounter
Thway Lin Htet and Ganchai Jitmuangnon put on a strawweight Muay Thai barnburner to thrill the fans with their relentless exchanges, and the former got his hand raised in the end.
Both fighters launched their strikes with lightning speed at the start, but Thway Lin Htet got the upper hand when he dropped his Thai foe for the only knockdown of the bout just over a minute into the bout.
The intensity grew in the second and third rounds as the striking pair continued to trade leather. Ganchai mixed in body kicks and sharp strikes, while Thway Lin Htet used his teeps and elbows to maintain control and keep the momentum on his side.
When all was said and done, the early knockdown secured a majority decision for the Myanmar debutant, and the win marked his 27th career victory.
Petchakrit Defeats Pettasuea With One-Punch KO
Petchakrit TN Diamond Home survived some early heat in his ONE Championship debut to finish Pettasuea Seeopal in their 118-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest.
Pettasuea put his countryman on the canvas with a left high kick in the opening moments, and although a knockdown wasn’t called, Petchakrit was clearly shook.
The Seeopal athlete continued to go after his foe with kicks and heavy punches, but Petchakrit’s durability kept him upright.
Then, from nowhere, the FA Group man stepped in with a crunching left hook that landed square on Pettasuea’s jaw and separated him from his senses.
Registering the finish at 2:44 of round one, Petchakrit extended his record to 41-11.
Duangsompong Outclasses Ouraghi For Second Straight Win
Duangsompong Jitmuangnon continued his winning ways in ONE Championship with a three-round striking showcase against Joachim “Pantera” Ouraghi.
The Thai striker used his long limbs to pressure Ouraghi in the early going of the flyweight Muay Thai affair. He timed his entries well to land short elbows, but his French-Algerian foe landed plenty of his own kicks to keep things close in the opening frame.
Duangsompong continued to lead the way in round two, sticking his jabs while avoiding Ouraghi’s attempts to connect with something significant.
“Pantera” stalked the Thai star in the final round and used his signature leg kicks and elbows to bring the fight close. But when the final bell sounded, two of three judges deemed Duangsompong the winner, and he walked away with his second win in a row in ONE via split decision and moved to 78-12 overall.
Eh Mwi Comes From Behind To Knock Out Takazono
Eh Mwi delivered a ONE Championship debut to remember when he dropped Reito Takazono twice to complete an incredible comeback in their 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout.
Takazono started strong and used excellent footwork to evade attacks before landing a counter left straight that sent Eh Mwi crashing to the canvas in round one.
However, the momentum shifted dramatically in the second round. The Myanmarese phenom rocked his Japanese foe with a crushing left hand to score a knockdown of his own.
Takazono beat the count, but a final powerful left hand from Eh Mwi sealed the knockout victory at 2:18 of the second round and moved his career slate to 26-2.
Hirai Finishes Sa Soe Thiha With Thunderous Liver Kick
Masatoshi Hirai’s left kick was all he needed to get the job done when he faced Sa Soe Thiha in a 117-pound catchweight Muay Thai clash.
The Japanese fighter repeatedly smashed it into his opponent’s body in round one and occasionally switched it up to attack his head.
That tactic paid dividends in round two as Hirai continued to throw his left kick with venom. He timed it perfectly for the finishing shot, nailing Sa Soe Thiha when he lunged in with a right hand.
The strike landed clean on the liver, putting the Myanmar athlete down and out at 1:24 and earning Hirai his first ONE win and the 24th of his career.
Korpai Starches Sulaiman To Open ONE Account In Style
Korpai Sor Yingcharoenkarnchang entered Lumpinee Stadium with lethal intentions, and he used them to work his way to a second-round finish over Sulaiman Looksuan in their 133-pound catchweight Muay Thai tilt.
Sulaiman was confident against his Thai foe from the get-go, continuously catching Korpai’s kicks to let him know he had his number.
But the shape of the bout shifted when the Sor Yingcharoenkarnchang standout struck back and dropped Sulaiman with a right hand in the final minute of round one.
Korpai knew he could capitalize from there, and he stepped on the gas as soon as the bell rang for the second frame. After just 16 seconds, he put Sulaiman down with a blow that packed too much for him to recover from, so the match was waved off.
The debut KO victory moved Korpai to 36-14 overall in his career.
Van Nam TKOs Donga-as To Stay Undefeated
Pham “Nam Chou” Van Nam delivered a commanding performance against fellow ONE Championship debutant Estrada “El Presidente” Donga-as in their 128-pound catchweight MMA showdown.
“Nam Chou” aggressively pursued a finish after the opening bell. He took the fight to the ground early and immediately attempted a heel hook followed by relentless ground-and-pound to assert his dominance.
Though Donga-as managed to survive the first round, Van Nam’s sharp striking proved overwhelming in the second. A barrage of left and right hooks floored the Filipino, prompting referee Mohamad Sulaiman to stop the fight at 3:53 of round two.
With the TKO victory, Van Nam extended his perfect professional record to 6-0.
Sera Taps Out Matiev With Tight Triangle Choke
Tomoshige Sera got things off to a blistering start with a quick finish in his lightweight submission grappling battle against Magomet Matiev.
The Japanese BJJ stylist launched attacks at Matiev from the start, and he came close to ending the 10-minute affair via a slick flying armbar, but his tough Russian foe managed to escape.
However, after opting to play guard, Sera threw up a triangle choke that ensnared Matiev and forced the tap at 3:06, sealing an impressive debut win and moving him to 2-0 against the Phuket Grappling Academy man.
