Rodtang, Lee, Musumeci, Ruotolo Highlight Star-Studded Supporting Card At ONE 167
Fans were treated to a dazzling display of elite martial arts with ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II on Prime Video.
The U.S. primetime card on June 7 featured everything from rising stars to established World Champions and high-profile debuts.
Ahead of the World Title main event, we recap the first nine fights at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Rodtang Dazzles In Action-Packed Decision Win Over Puric
ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon electrified his home crowd with an entertaining unanimous decision win over Denis “The Bosnian Menace” Puric in their 141.25-pound catchweight kickboxing contest.
It was a different “Iron Man” who showed up early in the fight, as he utilized his speed and footwork in contrast to his usual forward pressure that has endeared him to fans.
That didn’t make the battle any less interesting, as when Puric called Rodtang to throw down late in the round, the Thai superstar responded with big combinations.
The 39-year-old underdog had his moments in the second, forcing Rodtang to fight in the pocket. This created some wild exchanges late, with Rodtang body hunting and Puric responding with big hooks off his back foot.
Things stayed that way in the third as “The Iron Man” continued to engage up close. And while the Canadian-Bosnian landed some solid combinations, Rodtang’s activity and durability were too much to overcome.
After nine minutes of action, the 26-year-old claimed a hard-earned decision win and improved to 272-43 in his storied career.
Musumeci Taps Sousa To Earn Redemption
In a much-anticipated bantamweight submission grappling tilt, reigning ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci moved up in weight and made quick work of promotional newcomer Gabriel Sousa – the last man to defeat him in competition.
Sousa scored a takedown in the opening seconds, only to land directly into the American’s closed guard.
From there, Musumeci controlled the action, transitioning from an inverted armbar attempt to a deep leg entanglement that led immediately to a brutal calf slicer submission.
The Brazilian hung tough for nearly a minute, but ultimately, “Darth Rigatoni” was able to crank the knee-destroying lock to secure the tap just 3:07 into the match.
With the win and highlight-reel stoppage, Musumeci pushed his career record to 64-5 and picked up another US$50,000 performance bonus.
Ruotolo Stuns With Debut MMA Win Over Cooper
Kade Ruotolo has long dominated the submission grappling world, and now, it appears he’s ready to make his mark in MMA.
The current ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion debuted in the all-encompassing sport against fellow American Blake Cooper and needed less than a round to get the job done.
The Atos representative showcased a solid striking foundation before taking Cooper down, securing a body triangle, and using a rear-naked choke to squeeze the fight out of the Hawaiian at 3:20 of round one.
The victory was Ruotolo’s first under MMA rules, and it led to his fourth US$50,000 performance bonus in ONE Championship.
Sitthichai Rains On Noiri’s Debut With Kickboxing Masterclass
“Killer Kid” Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong put on a classic performance, spoiling Masaaki Noiri‘s ONE debut by taking a unanimous decision in their three-round featherweight kickboxing tussle.
All eyes were on Noiri entering this contest, but it was the #3-ranked featherweight kickboxing contender who turned heads, proving he still has plenty left in his tank by being quicker to the punch with uppercuts and combinations.
The Thai legend added knees and body kicks to compliment his masterful boxing in the second, while the Japanese debutant loaded up on his right hand, which landed occasionally but came far and few in between.
The 31-year-old Noiri continued to look for that big KO shot in the third, though Sitthichai kept stringing together big combinations while utilizing the Circle to his advantage to frustrate the two-division K-1 World Champion.
As the final bell sounded, there was no denying Sitthichai, as he earned the nod from all three judges and improved to 129-35 overall.
Zamboanga Brutalizes Grandjean For Three Rounds
In atomweight MMA action, #2-ranked contender Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga employed a vicious boxing attack to dominate resilient short-notice replacement Noelle “Lil’ Monkey” Grandjean.
Originally slated to face divisional queen Stamp Fairtex in the main event, Zamboanga’s decision to stay active proved wise, as she looked to be in top form against the talented Thai-French athlete.
“The Menace’s” ruthless combination punching was the story of the fight, and despite Grandjean showcasing a granite chin and deep gas tank, Zamboanga cruised to a fast-paced unanimous decision victory.
The Filipina improved her career record to 11-2, extended her winning streak to three, and likely kept her World Title shot intact.
Lee Backs Up The Hype With Submission Of Mammarella
Adrian “The Phenom” Lee kicked off his professional MMA career with a second-round rear-naked choke submission win over gritty Australian-based Italian Antonio Mammarella in their lightweight foray.
At the sound of the opening bell, the 18-year-old made a beeline for his opponent, striking hard and fast before dragging Mammarella down to the canvas, where he almost scored a buzzer-beating modified kimura.
The youngest child of the famed Lee fighting family found his mark in round two, however, when he once again dragged Mammarella to the floor.
From there, the Prodigy Training Center representative took Mammarella’s back and sunk in the choke, getting the tap at 1:56 of the frame and bagging a statement victory along with a US$50,000 performance bonus.
Duy Nhat Sends Ghazali Crashing Back To Earth
Vietnamese veteran “No.1” Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat weathered an early storm from 17-year-old phenom Johan “Jojo” Ghazali before relying on his counters late to claim a unanimous decision victory in their three-round flyweight Muay Thai bout.
As expected, the Malaysian-American opened up aggressively as he swarmed Duy Nhat with kicks and heavy punches while the latter patiently waited for openings.
“No.1” started to find his timing in the second round, incorporating low kicks to stifle Ghazali’s forward action. Each time the teenager came in, the 35-year-old had answers with either a leg kick or short elbows and combinations.
As the match wore on, it was clear that Duy Nhat had figured out his young foe. He frustrated Ghazali further in the third as he slipped out each time the teenager looked to brawl while punishing him with leg kicks and counters.
All three judges ultimately gave the nod to “No.1,” who improved to 15-4 overall in his professional career. On the other side, Ghazali lost for the first time in six ONE Championship appearances.
Souza Puts Hirata To Sleep In Under Two Minutes
Victoria “Vick” Souza picked up the biggest win of her career in an atomweight MMA scrap with Japanese fan favorite “Android 18” Itsuki Hirata.
The Brazilian opened the fight aggressively, peppering her foe with stinging punches. A little over a minute into the contest, Hirata took an ill-advised shot at a takedown – only for “Vick” to latch onto a picture-perfect guillotine choke.
After just a few seconds of squeezing, Souza rendered “Android 18” completely unconscious, bringing a stunning end to the clash just 1:31 into the first frame.
With the impressive submission win, the 26-year-old pushed her career slate to 8-2 with six finishes.
Estupinan Shuts Out Sayik With Impressive U.S. Primetime Debut
Unbeaten phenom Johan “Panda Kick” Estupinan put on a show in his U.S. primetime debut, scoring two knockdowns before cruising to a unanimous decision win over Zafer Sayik in their three-round bantamweight Muay Thai curtain-raiser.
Sizing up Sayik with kicks early, the 21-year-old Colombian found his range by connecting on a huge right hand, which put his Turkish opponent on the mat. Seconds later, he timed a Sayik jumping attack with a short right hook to drop him for the second time.
Sayik showed better head movement in the second round, but Estupinan stayed aggressive with big combinations to keep the Team Mehdi Zatout representative on the back foot.
Things didn’t get any better for Sayik in the final round, as “Panda Kick” added in body shots during the final stretch to stamp a masterful performance and extend his professional slate to 24-0.
