The Inner Circle On May 15 Results: Kade Ruotolo Extends Perfect MMA Run, Dayakaev Stuns Superlek

The Inner Circle on Friday, May 15, provided fans with three explosive matchups before the epic ONE Heavyweight MMA World Championship main event rematch between defending king “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane and Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin.

Broadcast live exclusively for subscribers on live.onefc.com, the card delivered two three-round battles and a sensational highlight-reel finish.

Here’s what went down inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium in Asia primetime, this past Friday.

Ruotolo Slays Tetsuka In Round Two, Bags US$50K Performance Bonus

Reigning ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo had been sidelined with a torn ACL for more than a year. But he didn’t miss a beat in his long-awaited return to the global stage, slaying former Pancrase Champion Hiroyuki “Japanese Beast” Tetsuka to go 4-0 in the all-encompassing sport while extending his 100 percent finishing rate.

Each man threw out various strikes and looked for their range when the bell sounded inside the mecca of Muay Thai. But soon, Ruotolo poured on the pressure, led with his jab, and began shooting for takedowns.

Tetsuka stuffed them, but the American was determined to bring the action to the canvas – and eventually, he did by pulling guard on the 36-year-old. From there, Ruotolo hunted for a finish from a variety of guards, but Tetsuka was wise to it.

The second stanza was a completely different tale. Tetsuka applied pressure and moved forward with single punches and stinging leg kicks. Ruotolo, meanwhile, continued to operate behind the jab and shot for more takedowns.

Though his initial attempts to bring action to the canvas hit a bump, the 23-year-old countered “Japanese Beast’s” leg kick and floored him with a beautifully timed right cross. He immediately jumped into full mount and hammered in short elbows until referee Olivier Coste stopped the contest at the 2:02 mark of round two.

The victory marked Ruotolo’s first knockout in MMA. To make matters sweeter, he was rewarded with a US$50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

Dayakaev Edges Superlek Via Split Decision To Reignite World Title Dream

A first-round knockdown proved the difference as Abdulla “Smash Boy” Dayakaev edged “The Kicking Machine” Superlek by split decision in a bantamweight Muay Thai matchup.

The 24-year-old Russian fighter came out calm and composed in the first, expecting the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion to lead with his kicks. When he did, Dayakaev countered with a right hand that sent his foe to the canvas for an eight-count.

Superlek rose to his feet, visibly shaken, and the Team Mehdi Zatout and Team Chingiz Allazov athlete moved in for the finish, only to absorb a sharp right elbow that stopped him in his tracks and damaged his eye. “The Kicking Machine” regrouped and came out firing in the second, tripling up on his low kicks.

Each time Dayakaev moved to counter, the Thai blitzed in with jutting elbows before turning up his output, stinging his rival’s ribs with trademark right kicks. When “Smash Boy” tried to close the distance and hunt for the big shots that worked in round one, Superlek ducked under, clinched, and dominated with knees.

The third was more of the same from the Superlek Muaythai product. He came out blasting knees through Dayakaev’s guard and suffocating him in the clinch. But the knockdown from round one cast a long shadow, and the judges gave Dayakaev the nod on a split decision.

The win puts “Smash Boy” back in the thick of the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title picture. After a heartbreaking knockout loss to Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon in January – the man who went on to claim the crown – Dayakaev responded with a statement victory and improved to 16-3.

Trevorrow Outpoints Kokoz In ONE Debut

Mia “Her” Trevorrow announced her arrival on the global stage with a unanimous decision victory over Kokoz in a women’s atomweight Muay Thai clash.

The Masda Gym Liverpool product came bounding toward the center of the ring in the first round, throwing crisp punches to open her opponent’s guard before cutting through with a right elbow that sent the Japanese veteran down for an early eight-count.

That knockdown only woke Kokoz up, who switched on her offensive gear with big right hands over the top to close the round. The Japanese star continued her momentum in the second frame, jumping in and out to welt the English debutant’s midsection with ripping body shots before going upstairs to rattle her jaw.

Trevorrow called her rival to the middle of the ring in the third, and both women threw fast and heavy hands. The Try Hard Gym representative landed more cleanly with straight rights and left hooks to shake up the Brit, but the former controlled the clinch whenever the distance closed.

The judges, however, saw enough from Trevorrow across three rounds to hand her a 12th career win. The ISKA British Champion took another step toward her goal of becoming the first woman from her country to claim ONE World Title gold.