Takenaka Forces Durable Delfino To Tap Out In Flyweight Debut
Daichi Takenaka made an impressive entry into ONE Championship’s flyweight division as he dominated and then finished Ivanildo “Monstrinho” Delfino in their mixed martial arts fight at ONE: UNBREAKABLE II.
The Japanese star constantly threatened with his impeccable ground game before finally securing a third-round rear-naked choke victory at the previously recorded event, which aired on Friday, 29 January.
Takenaka opened up his offensive attack with a hard left kick to the midsection. The Brazilian anticipated the strike and rushed his rival to the Circle Wall to look for a takedown. However, it was the Paraestra Izumi and HybridFighter athlete who wound up on top with an inside trip.
After that point, Takenaka never let up on his control, as he smothered his foe and constantly looked to improve his position. Delfino briefly escaped to his feet when the Osaka native tried to take his back, but he was soon dragged back down. A loose triangle attempt could not stop Takenaka’s dominance from the half-guard position as the round ended on the mat.
“Monstrinho” bounced out of the blocks for round two, probing and feinting to try to find an opening. After an exchange of hard body kicks, the Marajo Brothers representative shook his Japanese opponent with a thudding right hand, which prompted Takenaka to close the distance and take matters to the canvas.
He had to negotiate an initial guillotine attempt, but then it was one-way traffic.
Takenaka passed to side control and then took his rival’s back, which led to three minutes of relentless rear-naked choke attacks. Delfino’s composure under pressure was the only thing that helped him reach the end of the round, as he found his way out of some extremely close submission attempts.
After coming close in the previous frame, Takenaka opened the third by catching the Brazilian’s body kick and driving his foe to the Circle Wall. He scored with a double-leg takedown and immediately transitioned to back control as Delfino tried to stand back up.
It was the same nightmare on repeat for “Monstrinho,” as the Japanese Mixed Martial Arts Champion quickly cinched up his body triangle. Delfino tried to defend standing initially, but he then dropped to the canvas to fight off the threat.
However, it was a losing battle this time around, as Takenaka softened his man up with punches before eventually threading his left arm under the neck.
With the choke locked in, he squeezed with all his might to get the tap. The stoppage officially came at 2:55 of round three.
With his victory at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Takenaka pushed his record to 13-2-1 and registered his fifth win via his favored rear-naked choke.
Read more: ONE: UNBREAKABLE II – Full Results And Highlights For Cerilli Vs. Vagabov
