ONE Championship’s 10th-anniversary show, ONE X, delivered a host of spectacular moments on a packed night of fights at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Headlining the event was a battle for the ONE women’s atomweight world title, and, after returning to the sport after a two-year hiatus, defending champion Angela Lee retained her title with a second-round submission of former two-sport ONE champion Stamp Fairtex.
Ex-ONE kickboxing and Muay Thai champion Stamp booked her place in the title fight by winning the ONE women’s atomweight grand prix, and showed her evolution as a mixed martial artist by expertly fending off Lee’s relentless grappling attack. She also showcased her striking prowess by hurting Lee badly with a vicious body shot.
Despite being in pain, Lee, who stepped away from the sport for two years to become a mother for the first time, battled through, then dominated Stamp in Round 2 before eventually getting the submission with a rear-naked choke with just 10 seconds left in the round.
‘Mighty Mouse’ defeats ‘Iron Man’
In a spectacular co-main event bout, former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson defeated Muay Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a thrilling special-rules superfight.
The the first round was contested over three minutes of Muay Thai rules, and saw Rodtang pour forward in search of a first-round finish. But, rather than back off, Johnson stood his ground and fought fire with fire as he traded on the feet with the world-class striker, and enjoyed some success as he connected with some powerful right hands on the Thai star. Rodtang was the man on the attack, though, and he was the man in the ascendancy as the bell sounded to end the opening stanza.
Round 2 saw the bout move into Johnson’s realm, with three minutes of MMA-rules action, and Rodtang immediately changed his approach. Rather than pushing forward, he worked at distance, off the back foot, as he looked to stay out of the way of Johnson’s takedowns. However, “Mighty Mouse” would not be denied and, after taking his man to the mat, the former UFC champion swiftly moved to Rodtang’s back before locking up a rear-naked choke that rendered his opponent unconscious.
It was a brilliant spectacle, and both men showed respect to each other after a fascinating, exciting matchup.
Moraes retains in disappointing flyweight title spectacle
In a rare lacklustre bout, Adriano Moraes retained his ONE flyweight title via third-round submission after a bout with Yuya Wakamatsu that promised much, but delivered a very cagey encounter.
Referee Mohamed Sulaiman issued stern warnings to both men during a first round that saw both men keep their distance, with minimal strikes thrown. Then, after two rounds that contained little of note, Sulaiman issued yellow cards to both fighters early in Round 3 as punishment for a lack of intensity.
The sanction finally seemed to wake up both men, as the third round became the most interesting of the bout. Moraes scored a takedown, but Wakamatsu was able to extricate himself before enjoying some top control of his own. But then, after the pair returned to the centre of the cage, Wakamatsu shot for a takedown and Moraes snatched his neck and locked up a tight guillotine that forced the tap from the challenger at the 3:58 mark.
‘Sexyama’ earns bragging rights with dramatic comeback
The grudge match between Japanese MMA legends Yoshihiro Akiyama and Shinya Aoki ended in dramatic fashion as “Sexyama” staged a remarkable comeback to finish his man in the second round.
Aoki totally dominated the opening five minutes as he took Akiyama’s back, locked up a body triangle and set to work on submitting his man with either a rear-naked choke or a face crank. But, despite multiple attempts with both submission techniques, Akiyama stubbornly refused to tap, then, in Round 2, he came back with a vengeance.
If the first round belonged to Aoki, Round 2 was all “Sexyama” as Akiyama stuffed Aoki’s takedown attempts, then lit him up with strikes as he forced “Tobikan Judan” back against the fence. Akiyama then connected with more shots, then landed a big knee to Aoki’s face that appeared to mentally break the Japanese legend’s resistance. Akiyama then followed up with a barrage of punches that forced the stoppage as he claimed a remarkable comeback win amid wild scenes inside the arena.
A legend bids farewell
The event also saw a legend of the striking arts bid farewell as Australian kickboxing and Muay Thai veteran John Wayne Parr bowed out combat sports at the age of 45.
Parr lost a unanimous decision to former ONE lightweight champion Eduard Folayang in their Muay Thai matchup, but the Australian icon made sure he left everything in the cage for his final fight. Down two rounds and looking decidedly second best to the younger, faster, more powerful Folayang, Parr dispensed with defence and surged forward in the final frame as he unloaded all the offense he had in a bid to claim a come-from-behind win. With one minute to go, he rocked Folayang and the crowd inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium exploded as “The Gunslinger” poured on the pressure in search of his 100th career win.
It wasn’t to be, however, as Folayang survived the onslaught to make it to the final bell, where he picked up the unanimous decision win, before Parr gave an emotional farewell to the fans after a career spanning three decades, as he left his gloves in the middle of the cage to officially mark his retirement.
Technical excellence sees Superbon retain his title
The Grand Finale kicked off with a dynamite kickboxing bout as Thai star Superbon defended his featherweight title and avenged his prior knockout loss to Marat Grigorian.
Superbon was finished in swift fashion by Grigorian the last time they fought, but the Thai showcased his evolved skillset as he punished Grigorian to the body throughout a gruelling five-round battle that saw the champion hold the upper hand throughout to earn a unanimous decision as he retained his title in fine style.
Part II
The star of the show in Part II was undoubtedly ONE bantamweight Muay Thai champion Nong-O Gaiyanghado, who produced an uppercut from the heavens to knock out Brazilian challenger Felipe Lobo and retain his world title in the featured bout of Part II.
Japan’s Hiroki Akimoto produced an all-action display to defeat Thailand’s Capitan, capture the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title and become the first fighter to win one of ONE Championship’s brand new world championship belts.
Akimoto’s pressure proved too much for Capitan, who was penalised with two yellow cards and a final-round point deduction as he struggled to cope with the Japanese fighter’s relentless pace.
Ultimately, it was a unanimous decision that handed Akimoto the title as the Japanese ace dethroned Capitan to capture his first ONE world title.
There were also important victories for aspiring contenders Jihin Radzuan and Ham Seo Hee, who defeated Itsuki Hirata and Denice Zamboanga respectively to edge closer to a title shot in the atomweight division.
Ham’s victory over No. 1 contender Zamboanga drew a line under the controversy of her previous victory over the Filipina, and cemented her position as the top contender for the ONE women’s atomweight title, and following her victory, the South Korean said she was ready to fight for the title in her next bout.
Part II of the card kicked off with a knockout, and an intense callout, as Tang Kai finished Kim Jae Woong in the first round, then called for a shot at ONE featherweight champion Thanh Le.
Part I
Part I of the event saw nine bouts get the event off and underway, with Senzo Ikeda kicking off the night with a second-round TKO victory over Ryuto Sawada.
Mei Yamaguchi and Danielle Kelly grappled to a stalemate in their submission grappling matchup, as did two-division ONE champion Reinier De Ridder, who also earned a draw against grappling legend Andre Galvao.
The biggest KO of Part I came courtesy of South Korean sledgehammer Kang Ji Won, who starched England’s Paul Elliott with a one-shot knockout in just 58 seconds of their heavyweight clash, while Thailand’s Sinsamut Klinmee scored arguably the biggest win of his career by knocking out Dutch kickboxing and boxing star Nieky Holzken with a peach of a punch in the second round of their Muay Thai bout.
The main event of Part I saw Chingiz Allazov crowned the ONE featherweight kickboxing grand prix champion after he earned a unanimous decision over Thailand’s Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong in their tournament final matchup.
ONE X: Official results
GRAND FINALE
- Angela Lee def. Stamp Fairtex via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:50 (retains women’s atomweight title)
- Demetrious Johnson def. Rodtang Jitmuangnon via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:13 (special rules superfight)
- Adriano Moraes def. Yuya Wakamatsu via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 3, 3:58 (retains flyweight title)
- Yoshihiro Akiyama def. Shinya Aoki via TKO – Round 2, 1:50
- Eduard Folayang def. John Wayne Parr via unanimous decision (Muay Thai)
- Superbon Singha Mawynn def. Marat Grigorian via unanimous decision (retains featherweight kickboxing title)
PART II
- Nong-O Gaiyanghadao def. Felipe Lobo via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 2:15 (retains bantamweight Muay Thai title)
- Hiroki Akimoto def. Capitan Petchyindee via unanimous decision (wins bantamweight kickboxing title)
- Ham Seo Hee def. Denice Zamboanga via unanimous decision
- Jihin Radzuan def. Itsuki Hirata via split decision
- Tang Kai def. Kim Jae Woong via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 2:07
PART I
- Chingiz Allazov def. Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong via unanimous decision (wins featherweight kickboxing grand prix)
- Reinier de Ridder vs. Andre Galvao ends in a draw (submission grappling)
- Sinsamut Klinmee def. Nieky Holzken via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:39 (Muay Thai)
- Jeremy Miado def. Lito Adiwang via TKO (injury) – Round 2, 2:56
- Stephen Loman def. Shoko Sato via unanimous decision
- Amir Khan def. Ryogo Takahashi via split decision
- Kang Ji Won def. Paul Elliott via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:58
- Mei Yamaguchi vs. Danielle Kelly ends in a draw (submission grappling)
- Senzo Ikeda def. Ryuto Sawada via TKO (knees) – Round 2, 3:09
