The Inner Circle 22 Results: Helena Crevar Shows Her Class, Yuki Yoza Returns To The Win Column
Fight fans were treated to non-stop action before reigning and defending ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Di Bella and “Fighting Rooster” Zhang Peimian renewed their rivalry in the main event of The Inner Circle 22.
The Asia primetime card inside Bangkok’s legendary Lumpinee Stadium, available exclusively to subscribers at live.onefc.com, featured four explosive bouts across Muay Thai, submission grappling, and kickboxing.
Here is what went down at the mecca of Muay Thai on Friday, July 17.
Helena Crevar Stays Perfect In ONE
IBJJF No-Gi World Champion Helena “Jiu-Jitsu Girl” Crevar once again showed why she is considered the top pound-for-pound women’s grappler in the world, defeating Paige Ivette Clymer by unanimous decision in their openweight submission grappling battle.
The 19-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt wasted no time imposing her elite ground game. She quickly advanced into mount and attempted to isolate Clymer’s arm before transitioning toward the back when her opponent tried to escape.
Crevar, who had the legendary John Danaher in her corner, then locked in a tight body triangle and pulled Clymer upright, leaving the debutant facing the arena ceiling as she hunted for a rear-naked choke. The debutant, however, displayed an impressive gas tank and tremendous composure while trapped.
The Legion American Jiu Jitsu black belt kept both hands close to her neck, denying Crevar the space needed to slide an arm underneath her chin. Clymer continued working to escape, repeatedly rolling from side to side and keeping her legs active. However, Crevar’s body triangle made it extremely difficult for her to move out of danger.
With just 15 seconds remaining, Crevar returned to the top as both athletes faced the canvas. The Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu superstar made one final attempt to thread her arm beneath Clymer’s chin, but the San Diego native defended until the final bell.
After 10 minutes of high-octane action, Crevar earned the nod from all three judges to improve her astonishing record to 356-7.
Yuki Yoza, Mustafa Al-Tekreeti, And Wuttikrai Score Big Wins
Three other world-class athletes strengthened their respective campaigns with impressive victories earlier in the evening.
In the curtain-raiser, former K-1 Champion Yuki Yoza rebounded emphatically from his loss to reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan “The General” Haggerty at ONE SAMURAI 1 in Tokyo, Japan, this past April.
The Japanese star dropped Ben “The Problem” Woolliss with a sharp left hook in the third round of their bantamweight kickboxing battle and controlled the remaining action to earn a unanimous decision, successfully relaunching his pursuit of divisional gold and improving his slate to 23-3.
Iraqi warrior Mustafa Al-Tekreeti also impressed all three judges at ringside across three rounds of lightweight Muay Thai action.
The 28-year-old outworked Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai World Champion Kompikart PK Saenchai for his third promotional triumph, which upped his resume to 25-9.
Meanwhile, Wuttikrai Wor Chakrawut returned to winning ways in his bantamweight Muay Thai battle against Sonrak Fairtex. The Thai slugger maintained the upper hand throughout on his way to a unanimous decision triumph that bumped his record to 51-20.
