Xiong Jing Nan’s dominant run as the ONE MMA 125-pound Champion continued on Friday night, as she worked for five rounds to earn a unanimous decision win over Ayaka Miura.
The fight headlined ONE Championship’s “Heavy Hitters” card, which took place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.
Xiong was able to stifle the takedown attempts of Miura in every round. Miura shot for dozens of takedowns on the fight, being persistently eager to get the fight to the ground.
Xiong was able to out-land Miura on the feet, connecting with a steady flow of punches throughout the fight. By the time the fight concluded, it was clear that Xiong was going to walk away with the decision win.
Miura was given the title fight after attaining four wins through five bouts in ONE Championship. All of those wins, including her victory last year over Rayane Bastos, have come via an americana submission.
Xiong has held ONE’s 125-pound belt since early 2018. The win in Friday’s main event marked the sixth time she had defended the belt since first claiming it.
After the fight, Xiong mentioned her intention to go down to the 115-pound division and attempt to become a two-division champion. She failed to do this in 2019, losing a fight against Angela Lee.
Tawanchai Stops Saemapetch Early
Tawanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym scored an explosive win in the co-main event, stopping Saemapetch Fairtex in the first round with strikes.
Tawanchai scored two knockdowns in the third minute before the fight was stopped.
The first knockdown came after a head kick and a right cross. Just moments later, Tawanchai connected with a left cross that floored Saemapetch and made the referee end the bout.
The performance put Tawanchai back into the win column. He had a win and a loss in ONE last year, stopping Sean Clancy and losing a decision to Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong.
Saemapetch lost a ONE bout just two months before, as a fight against Rittewada Petchyindee Academy ended in a doctor stoppage.
Tawanchai missed weight for the fight earlier in the week, coming in a few pounds over the 145-pound limit.
Izagakhmaev Submits Nakashima In ONE Debut
Saygid Izagakhmaev had a strong ONE debut on Friday, submitting James Nakashima in the second round with an arm triangle choke.
The submission came after a smothering second round on the ground from Izagakhmaev. He was able to fully apply the choke in side control, forcing the fight to end.
Nakashima did well in the first round, as the fight mostly remained on the feet for that frame. The bout became much more one-sided when on the ground.
Izagakhmaev is a protege of former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. The retired fighter wasn’t able to be in the corner of Izagakhmaev for this fight due to COVID-19 protocols.
Nakashima, a former title challenger in ONE, is now on a three-fight losing streak. His previous bout was a year ago when he was submitted by Shinya Aoki.
Izagakhmaev has won three consecutive bouts. He called out fighters Shinya Aoki and Eddie Alvarez.
Supergirl Earns Decision Win Over Vandaryeva
Supergirl Jaroonsak Muaythai pulled off a controversial win in a Muay Thai bout, defeating Ekaterina Vandaryeva via split decision after three rounds.
Despite losing, Vandaryeva gave Supergirl trouble throughout the fight.
The first round was a hectic start, as the fighters traded blows at times. Vandaryeva hurt Supergirl in the second round, unloading with long combinations of punches that were consumed clean.
Supergirl had trouble getting up from her stool before the third round. She was checked on before the final round kicked off.
Supergirl was returning for her second ONE appearance. She previously fought in 2020, stopping Milagros Lopez in a minute.
Vandaryeva expressed frustration in her post-fight interview, mentioning that she believes she was the winner of the fight.
Ikeda Stops Siregar Late With Body Shots
Senzo Ikeda put an end to his close fight against Elipitue Siregar late, folding him with punches to the body.
Ikeda was able to finish Siregar in the final round by hurting him with clean hooks to the body. One of the shots visibly stunned Siregar in the round, causing him to drop to the ground and end the fight.
Ikeda struggled earlier in the fight, as Siregar was able to score numerous takedowns and get somewhat of a lead in the fight.
The fighters were paired up just earlier this week after COVID-19 protocols forced their previous matchups out of the lineup.
Ikeda was originally scheduled to meet Jeremy Miado in a main card fight. Siregar was booked for the prelims against Robin Catalan.
Ikeda now has two consecutive wins. His prior victory came in late 2020, defeating Liang Hui via decision.
Stoforidis Earns Quick Knockout In ONE Debut
Giannis Stoforidis had a quick win to open the main card, flooring Beybulat Isaev in the opening seconds with a left hook.
The shot dropped Isaev, but a returning punch also knocked Stoforidis down at the same time. While Stoforidis was able to return to his feet, Isaev was out cold from the shot he consumed.
Stoforidis, a former GLORY Kickboxer, was making his ONE Championship debut in the fight.
Isaev entered the fight after scoring two consecutive wins in 2021.
The Rest of the Card
Tiffany Teo spoiled the weight class debut of Meng Bo, submitting her in the second round with a rear naked choke. The finish came after a close battle that showed Meng’s skills on the feet.
Shuya Kamikubo erased a large lead of Troy Worthen, applying a rear naked choke in the final minute of the fight for a submission victory. Kamikubo now has a strong winning streak of five wins in ONE.
Quick Results:
Main Card (7:30AM EST / 8:30PM SGT) (Bleacher Report App / Youtube)
Bout 8: Xiong Jing Nan def. Ayaka Miura via Decision, Unanimous (ONE MMA Strawweight Championship) (125 lbs)
Bout 7: Tawanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym def. Saemapetch Fairtex via TKO, Strikes (RD 1) (Muay Thai Bout)
Bout 6: Saygid Izagakhmaev def. James Nakashima via Submission, Arm Triangle Choke (RD 2) (MMA Bout)
Bout 5: Supergirl Jaroonsak Muaythai def. Ekaterina Vandaryeva via Decision, Split (Muay Thai Bout)
Bout 4: Senzo Ikeda def. Elipitua Siregar via TKO, Strikes (RD 3) (MMA Bout)
Bout 3: Giannis Stoforidis def. Beybulat Isaev via TKO, Strikes (RD 1) (Kickboxing Bout)
Lead Card (6:30AM EST / 7:30PM SGT) (Bleacher Report App / Youtube)
Bout 2: Tiffany Teo def. Meng Bo via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2) (MMA Bout)
Bout 1: Shuya Kamikubo def. Troy Worthen via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3) (MMA Bout)
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