IRVINE FINISHES FOCUS IN FIRST ROUND, CHOKPREECHA ENDS ONDASH’S STREAK TO GO 3-0 AT ONE FRIDAY FIGHTS 70
The 70th edition of ONE Friday Fights seemed to come and go before fans knew it, but the thrilling show left an undeniable mark.
ONE Friday Fights 70 took over Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, July 12, and showcased 11 high-octane bouts across Muay Thai and MMA.
In case you missed any of the hard-fought battles or lightning-quick finishes, here’s what went down live in Asia primetime inside the Madison Square Garden of The East.
Irvine Steals Focus With Destructive Left Hook
After going the distance at ONE Friday Fights 55, Stephen Irvine barely broke a sweat when he made it two wins in a row in his 132.2-pound catchweight Muay Thai main event bout against Focus PK Wor Apinya.
“El Matador” immediately took control in the center of the Lumpinee ring and asserted his authority over the contest with his imposing pressure. Focus tried to find an opportunity to take over, but Irvine stood firm and defended well.
The Scottish warrior tested his Thai opponent and kept him guessing with feints from there. He then spotted a gap and unleashed a destructive left hook that turned Focus’ lights out at the 1:57 mark of the opening round.
Irvine moved to 4-1 in ONE and 27-4 overall with the spectacular knockout win.
Yodthongthai Bags Victory As Injury Forces ET To Quit
The clash between Yodthongthai Sor Sommai and ET Wankhongohm MBK promised an entertaining 130-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle. But it all came to an abrupt and shocking end in the first round.
Following a feeling-out process with kicks and punches, ET cornered Yodthongthai. The TDed99 standout wanted to land damage from there, but as he attempted a flying knee, his left leg tangled in the rope, and his right foot landed awkwardly, causing a twist and an injury.
ET was unable to continue, so the referee awarded the TKO victory to Yodthongthai at 2:06 of round one, which stood as his 59th career victory and third consecutive win in ONE Championship.
Yodnumchai Goes 5-0 In Tough Battle With Tubtimthong
Yodnumchai Fairtex picked up his fifth straight ONE Friday Fights win in a three-round thriller with Tubtimthong Sor Jor Lekmuangnon.
Tubtimthong struck first in their 114-pound catchweight Muay Thai clash by dropping his Thai countryman with a left hook to the chin.
Yodnumchai rallied back and followed a thudding elbow with a jab-cross that felled the Sor Jor Lekmuangnon athlete and balanced the scales at one knockdown each.
The Fairtex man’s piston-like right hand repeatedly found the mark in round two, and he sent Tubtimthong to the mats a second time with it.
The striking pair traded punches and elbows in intense flurries throughout the final frame. But Yodnumchai’s second knockdown earned him the unanimous decision win in the end and, moving him to 5-0 in ONE and 65-20 overall.
Apidet Crushes Boonchu To Earn Win In ONE Debut
Apidet FiatPathum’s first outing in ONE Championship couldn’t have gone any better, as he scored a brutal knockout win against Boonchu Sor Boonmeerit in their 122-pound catchweight Muay Thai tilt.
The 18-year-old showed no jitters when the opening bell rang. He landed strong strikes to sting Boonchu and repeatedly found a home for his elbows inside the pocket.
After testing his fellow Thai’s chin in round one, it only took Apidet 21 seconds of the second frame to put Boonchu away for good with a lightning-fast looping right hook.
With the KO win, the Fiat Pathum man moved to 61-8 in his career.
PayakSurin Outstrikes Tahaneak In Thrilling Showdown
PayakSurin Or AudUdon emerged victorious against Tahaneak Nayokatasala in an electrifying 119-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest.
Both fighters opened with powerful kicks, but PayakSurin quickly added sharp left punches to counter his Thai compatriot’s aggression.
The intensity surged in the second round as the teen striker, fighting on the back foot, continued to stagger Tahaneak with precise punches.
By round three, PayakSurin had figured out exactly what he needed to do. The Sitjekan powerhouse maintained his distance with well-timed punches and prevented his foe from landing any damage while unleashing signature left hooks.
As a result, the ringside judges awarded PayakSurin the unanimous decision win to extend his career record to 41-10.
Petphathai Comes Off Canvas To Defeat Amini
Petphathai Bumrungsit and Sirvan Amini traded knockdowns in an exciting 123-pound Muay Thai clash that went all three rounds.
Local favorite Petphathai struck first in the opening frame, taking advantage of the Iranian’s wild swings with a well-timed left high kick to drop him to the canvas.
Keen to level the scores, Amini burst into the second round with furious flurries of punches. He put his 17-year-old foe down early with a cross-hook and maintained the pressure from there.
It was neck and neck going into the third, where it was Petphathai’s kicks against Amini’s punches. There didn’t seem to be much between the pair, but the judges favored the Thai’s overall output and awarded Petphathai the unanimous decision win to extend his record to 36-10.
Chokpreecha Outstrikes Ondash In Three-Round Scrap
Guns were blazing when Chokpreecha PK Saenchai and Abdallah Ondash went head to head in strawweight Muay Thai action, and the former walked away with the win when the dust settled.
The fight started at a frantic pace. Ondash looked determined to extend his four-fight win streak, but Chokpreecha’s experience allowed him to stay out of harm’s way and land counterstrikes on multiple occasions.
The fracas carried over into the second frame, where the Thai striker found a home for multiple head and body strikes to keep Ondash guessing.
Knowing he was ahead, Chokpreecha fought smart in the last three minutes and shot in with superb accuracy when the chance arose.
The PK Saenchai Muaythaigym star’s overall output convinced the judges he was the winner in the end, and he moved to 3-0 in ONE and 103-20 overall with the majority decision win.
Tun Min Aung’s Slicing Elbow Finishes Tran In Round Three
Myanmar rising star Tun “The Phenom” Min Aung put on a show against Vietnamese Tuan “Timebomb” Quoc Tran in their featherweight Muay Thai tilt.
The Southeast Asian pairing kicked off the action with wild exchanges, utilizing everything from punches to knee strikes and high kicks to set up a high-octane contest.
The pace didn’t slow down in the second round as they continued trading attacks in the center of the ring. A finish was clearly coming, and it arrived in the third round when Tun Min Aung threw an upward elbow that sliced “Timebomb’s” forehead.
The referee waved off the contest at 1:01 of round two and awarded “The Phenom” the TKO victory to extend his record to 43-1.
Petnamngam’s Piles On Pressure To Edge Past Abdulmuslimov
Petnamngam PK Saenchai’s tenacity saw him pull things back to earn a narrow split-decision win over Amir “The Tiger” Abdulmuslimov.
The undefeated Russian started well in their 130-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle, tagging his aggressive Thai rival with sharp left hands and left high kicks to the jaw.
Undeterred, Petnamngam went on the offensive in round two and scorched his rival’s body with hard right kicks and landing heavy punches.
The PK Saenchai Muaythaigym athlete kept Abdulmuslimov subdued with pressure in round three, though “The Tiger” did create some damage with punches and elbows off the back foot.
It was close at the final bell, but two judges sided with Petnamngam, and he pushed his record to 187-61 with the win.
Amirzhanov Thwarts Pereira To Continue Unbeaten Run
Two surging lightweight combatants collided in lightweight MMA action when Gadzhimurad Amirzhanov met Matheus Pereira, and the latter’s ruthless pressure saw him earn the win when all was said and done.
The Russian came out full of confidence at the opening bell. He dropped Pereira with a huge left hand 30 seconds in and then came close to tapping his foe with a d’arce choke.
The Brazilian survived to the end of the round and returned strong in the second. But Amirzhanov was ready for whatever came his way. The unbeaten star gained control on the ground and comfortably rained down shots from guard.
He used more of the same grueling wrestling in the final round to see out the fight and pick up the unanimous decision win.
Amirzhanov moved to 3-0 in ONE with the victory and 7-0 in his career overall.
Irving Elbows His Way To ONE Debut Victory Over Tsuda
Kendu Irving knocked out Yuhei Tsuda in their 143-pound catchweight Muay Thai showdown to mark his ONE Championship debut in the best way possible.
Both fighters were determined to impress, and their efforts were evident from the start as they traded powerful low kicks in the opening round.
The fiery back-and-forth continued into the second frame until a straight left from Tsuda was read to perfection by Irving, who quickly countered with a left elbow that landed flush on his Japanese opponent’s jaw and turned his lights out at the 1:37 mark.
The action was waved off, and the highlight-reel KO win elevated the American star’s record to 11-3 overall.