Former two-sport ONE world champion Stamp Fairtex claimed the third title of her remarkable ONE Championship career as she submitted Indian wrestler Ritu Phogat in the final of the ONE atomweight grand prix.
Stamp and Phogat faced off in the tournament finale, with the former Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion adding the MMA grand prix title to her growing list of honours.
The nature of her victory will be particularly sweet, too. Stamp is renowned for her world-class striking skills, but against seasoned wrestler Phogat she showcased her evolving grappling game as she first threatened with a guillotine choke, then a triangle choke before eventually forcing Phogat to tap to a tight armbar.
The event was headlined by a battle for the lightweight kickboxing world title, and defending champion Regian Eersel held on to his belt after a back-and-forth battle with Islam Murtazaev went all the way to the scorecards, with the judges split on the identity of the victor.
But, despite one dissenting judge, it was Eersel who retained the title to ensure he carries his title reign into 2022 after a real test of his mettle.
Earlier in the night, Dagestan-born Turk Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev repeated the feat against old rival Timofey Nastyukhin in their lightweight battle.
Arslanaliev dominated the stand-up exchanges throughout a punishing striking battle, and finally hit the jackpot early in the third round as he decked Nastyukhin to claim a knockout finish and cement his position as a top contender for the ONE lightweight belt.
There was also an impressive finish by Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida, who improved his fledgling MMA record to 2-0 with a first-round rear-naked choke submission of South Korean knockout artist Kang Ji Won.
Buchecha is looking to make waves in ONE’s heavyweight division, and the multi-time BJJ world champion made easy work of Kang, who had knocked out all five of his previous opponents in the first round.
ONE: Winter Warriors – Official Results
- Regian Eersel def. Islam Murtazaev via split decision (lightweight kickboxing world title)
- Stamp Fairtex def. Ritu Phogat via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 2:14
- Hiroki Akimoto def. Qiu Jianliang via unanimous decision (kickboxing bout)
- Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev def. Timofey Nastyukhin via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 0:49
- Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida def. Kang Ji Won via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:27
- Yuya Wakamatsu def. Hu Yong via unanimous decision
