The Inner Circle 25 Results: Abdulla Dayakaev Goes 2-0 Against Superlek, Marat Grigorian Delivers Again
Four bouts of pure striking artistry set the table before Nabil Anane and Suakim PongSuphan PK met in the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title eliminator main event of The Inner Circle 25.
It was another stacked evening of Muay Thai and kickboxing at its finest, which aired exclusively on live.onefc.com in Asia primetime.
Here is how it all unfolded inside the fabled grounds of Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, August 7.
Dayakaev Beats Superlek In Rematch
In the penultimate match of the action-packed card, Abdulla “Smash Boy” Dayakaev made it two in a row against reigning ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion “The Kicking Machine” Superlek, securing a second-round TKO.
It was vintage Superlek in the early goings of their bantamweight Muay Thai rematch. “The Kicking Machine” utilized surgical low kicks to constantly disrupt Dayakaev, who aggressively hunted for the head with ferocious hooks.
The Buriram native timed the exchanges beautifully, stunning Dayakaev with his signature step-through elbow – the same weapon he used to knock out reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan “The General” Haggerty. Dayakaev, to his credit, absorbed the massive hit and stayed upright, but he was quickly clocked with another solid right hand and a leg kick combination before the round ended.
“Smash Boy” recovered in the second frame, returning fire with heavy low kicks. He drove his foe against the ropes and landed a clean one-two followed by a sharp uppercut. During that exchange, however, the Thai’s trailing leg buckled.
Superlek went down to the canvas and pointed to his knee, alerting the referee that he could not continue. As a result, the referee called for a stoppage at the 39-second mark of round two, earning Dayakaev a second straight win against Superlek.
The result moved him to 17-3 and kept his pursuit of a rematch with reigning ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon firmly on track.
Grigorian Powers Past Usubyan
Setting the stage for the fiery co-main event, Marat Grigorian advanced to the semifinals of the ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament with a three-round demolition of Mamuka Usubyan. The 35-year-old veteran proved he operates on another level, backing up his vow to show no mercy.
Grigorian applied his signature aggression at maximum capacity, suffocating the Russian with punishing hooks and crippling leg kicks from the opening bell to the final horn en route to a unanimous decision nod from the judges at ringside.
With the dominant performance, the Hemmers Gym product secured his fourth consecutive victory and improved his legendary career slate to 71-14. He now awaits the winner of the quarterfinal bout between Kosuke “Unstoppable Phoenix” Takagi and “The Handsome White Dragon” Luo Chao, which goes down at ONE SAMURAI 2 in less than 24 hours.
In strawweight Muay Thai, Dabdam Por Tor Tor Thongtawee snapped a frustrating four-fight skid in emphatic fashion, stopping Tahaneak Nayokatasala via TKO in the third round. The breakthrough victory moved the Thai veteran to 69-29 overall.
The evening opened with 16-year-old Chatpet Suablackmuaythai notching the 14th win of his young career, avenging an earlier defeat to Riku Ito via unanimous decision in atomweight Muay Thai.
