Teen Star Sundell, Former Champ Kadestam Score Knockouts On ONE: FULL CIRCLE Lead Card
An action-packed lead card kicked off ONE: FULL CIRCLE in style on Friday, 25 February.
Fans were treated to a bit of everything, with an equal split of dramatic knockouts and hard-fought decisions across six mixed martial arts, kickboxing, and Muay Thai battles.
Here are the results from all the early fights at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Kadestam Gets Back On Track With Crushing KO
Following a tough run, former ONE Welterweight World Champion Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam showed that he’s still a threat with a first-round knockout win over Valmir “Junior” da Silva.
The Swede needed just 86 seconds to dispatch his debuting foe in their 192-pound catchweight clash. There was a brief feeling-out period where both men flicked out jabs and kicks to gauge the distance, but “The Bandit” got the job done with his first meaningful offense.
He launched a four-punch combination at “Junior,” with the second and third blows – a right cross and left uppercut – doing the damage that sent his man down.
After registering the walk-off KO, Kadestam said, “I’ve had a couple of tough years, but I’m back.”
Teen Phenom Sundell Debuts With Dominant TKO
Smilla “The Hurricane” Sundell arrived on the global stage with a huge reputation, and she backed up the hype in her 128-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest against Diandra Martin.
The Swedish teenage sensation utilized every inch of her striking arsenal before sending the 26-year-old Martin to the canvas with a three-punch combination at 1:35 of the third round.
From the opening bell, it was all systems go for the 17-year-old. She ripped through her opponent’s defense with lead jabs, kicks, teeps, and body shots before landing huge knees, which dropped the Australian in each of the first two rounds.
Martin tried to fight back in the third, but that fired up “The Hurricane” even more. Sundell connected with two hooks and a straight left, which left her foe on the ground once again.
With the highlight-reel performance, the Fairtex Training Center phenom pushed her career record to 32-5-1.
Kuzmin Cruises To Impressive Decision Over Shaw
Vladimir Kuzmin used his full array of weapons to overthrow a game Chris Shaw in their ONE Super Series bantamweight Muay Thai matchup.
The debuting Russian displayed his dominance early on with a right hand that clipped a forward-moving Shaw and sent him down for an eight-count. The Scottish striker rose, shook off the shot, and walked back into the fray.
However, a mid-bout elbow from Kuzmin did irreversible damage to his opponent. He continued to tickle Shaw’s forehead with elbows for the remainder of the fight, inflicting more damage and pulling ahead on the scorecards.
After the closing bell, all three judges handed the Russian a unanimous decision win. As a result, he improved his professional record to 17-1.
Zainalov Fends Off Simoes’ Submissions To Earn Debut Win
Daniyal Zainalov earned a hard-fought split decision in his ONE Championship debut against Yuri Simoes – and it came on his opponent’s preferred battleground.
The vast majority of the three-round middleweight encounter was spent on the canvas, and despite the six-time BJJ World Champion hunting for a submission, he was never able to make anything stick.
After spending the first frame on top and dodging some late leg-lock attempts, the Russian stayed safe in Simoes’ back control during round two.
The Russian swerved an armbar in round three and then used his ground-and-pound to secure the win by the narrowest of margins, extending his MMA record to a perfect 8-0.
Puertas Earns Nod In Kickboxing Thriller
Daniel Puertas nabbed an exciting split-decision win in his ONE Super Series flyweight kickboxing bout against debuting Chinese striker “The Eagle of Yi” Jiduo Yibu.
For nine grueling minutes, Puertas and Jiduo stood in front of each other trading kicks and punches. “The Eagle of Yi” pulled ahead early, as he strung together combinations that flustered his advancing opponent.
However, the Spanish kickboxer used inside leg kicks to blush the Chinese man’s thigh. Those tactics seemed to pay off in the later rounds when Jiduo slowed his output and was forced to defend more than attack.
By the end of the third frame, Puertas was pouring it on, and a final flurry all but secured the victory for the two-time ISKA Kickboxing World Champion, who moved his career record to 32-8.
Drex Zamboanga Dazzles With Uppercut KO
Drex “T-Rex” Zamboanga had a perfect debut in ONE’s lightweight MMA division, as he knocked out grappling expert Rahul “The Kerala Krusher” Raju in just 65 seconds.
After moving up all the way from flyweight, the Filipino put his Singapore-based rival to sleep with a devastating right uppercut in the first round.
From the opening bell, the Marrok Force athlete had to fend off Raju’s pursuit of a takedown, but once the match returned to the feet, it was all one-way traffic.
Zamboanga pushed his opposite number to the Circle Wall, peppered him with a couple of body shots, and then landed the decisive blow. With the highlight-reel knockout, “T-Rex” upped his career record to 10-5.
Read more: ONE: FULL CIRCLE – Results And Highlights For Every Fight
