Tawanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym secured a ONE Muay Thai title bout on Friday night with a finish victory against Niclas Larsen.
Tawanchai’s victory headlined ONE Championship’s June 3rd card from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.
Tawanchai scored two knockdowns against a slow and struggling Larsen to finish the fight within two rounds.
The first knockdown came early, as he floored the GLORY Kickboxing vet with a right hook in the opening minute.
A round later, a left cross to the head from Tawanchai put Larsen down hard and caused the fight to end.
The win on Friday means that Tawanchai is next in line to face 155-pound Muay Thai titleholder Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy. Petchmorakot defended his belt for the third time recently, defeating Jimmy Vienot at ONE 157.
Tawanchai has now earned three wins and one loss since joining ONE last year.
Larsen was making his ONE debut in the fight.
Body Shot Earns Andrade Quick Win
Fabricio Andrade kept his ONE run alive on Friday night, scoring a quick finish victory over Kwon Won Il to remain undefeated in the promotion.
Andrade floored Kwon early, landing a body kick for a knockdown in the second minute of the fight. The way Kwon fell to the canvas caused the referee to immediately step in, ending the fight.
Andrade has now scored five consecutive wins since 2020. He is on a three-fight winning streak of first-round finish wins, including a victory he scored over Jeremy Pacatiw in February.
Kwon was on a hot streak entering this weekend, having put together a trio of finishes recently.
McLaren Submits Xie Early For Return Victory
ONE veteran Reece McLaren picked up a win in his return, battling past a knockdown for a submission victory against Xie Wei.
McLaren caught Xie in the first round with a rear naked choke. He searched for the submission on the feet but kept it applied as the bout went to the ground. Eventually, a tap from Xie caused the fight to conclude.
McLaren was dropped earlier in the fight, consuming a clean hook from Xie.
The win on Friday put McLaren back into the win column after losing to Yuya Wakamatsu last year. He was emotional in his post-fight interview, dedicating his performance to a friend that he said he lost to cancer recently.
Xie entered Friday on a strong three-fight winning streak from late 2020 to 2021. All of these wins came via finish, including a recent win against Kim Dae Hwan.
Akhmetov Keeps Winning Streak Alive Against Wada
Kairat Akhmetov picked up a dominant victory against Tatsumitsu Wada, providing a well-rounded performance to earn a unanimous decision.
Akhmetov was the more active striker on the feet throughout the fight, constantly pursuing Wada with striking. He also had control during the brief grappling exchanges, closing the distance on the feet or scoring takedowns.
After his win, Akhmetov asked to face the winner between Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes, who are scheduled to face off later this year.
Akhmetov has now strung together five wins in ONE since 2018. His previous victory was late last year when he went three rounds against Danny Kingad for a unanimous decision win.
Wada was riding the momentum of two wins from 2021, beating Daichi Takenaka and Wang Shuo.
Vet Inocente Ends Opacic’s Run
Guto Inocente put a sudden end to Rade Opacic’s winning streak, scoring a first-round finish win under kickboxing rules.
Inocente needed just one knockdown to beat stop Opacic’s momentum. He landed a right cross to the body of Opacic, causing him to drop to the canvas hard.
Opacic remained on the canvas as the referee gave him a count, causing the fight to eventually end.
Inocente, a UFC and Glory Kickboxing vet, won his ONE debut earlier this year with a finish victory over Bruno Susano. He called for a title fight in his post-fight interview.
Prior to this weekend, Opacic had strung together a four-fight streak of finish wins in ONE. His previous victory was in January when he beat Francesco Xhaja.
This fight was first booked for a ONE card in May but was later moved to this lineup due to COVID-19 protocols.
Silva Gets Back Loss With Heel Hook Submission
Just three months after suffering a defeat, Alex Silva avenged that performance with a submission victory on Friday against Adrian Mattheis.
Silva caught Mattheis with a rare heel hook in the opening round to end the fight. This submission came after a grappling heavy round from Silva, taking Mattheis down early and constantly searching for holds.
Mattheis first faced Silva in March. In that performance, he scored an overhand right early in the second round to pick up a sudden finish win.
“I don’t think this is a rematch, this is a second round to my first fight,” said Silva during his post-fight interview after avenging his loss.
Before that March loss, Silva had two wins and one loss from 2021. The fight was Mattheis’ return, competing for the first time since October 2019 when he lost to Stefer Rahardian.
The Rest of the Card
Ground control from Gurdarshan Mangat kept his winning streak alive on the prelims, defeating Yodkaikaew Fairtex via split decision.
Constantin Rusu won his ONE debut, going three rounds against Marouan Toutouh for a kickboxing victory.
Grappling ace Marcus Almeida had a quick performance for his third pro win, stopping Simon Carson in the first round with ground and pound shots from full mount.
Undefeated heavyweight Odie Delaney scored another finish win on the prelims, catching Mehdi Barghi in the second round with a straight armlock
Damage on the ground from Zhasur Mirzamukhamedov allowed him to sneak by Duke Didier with a split decision to win his ONE debut.
Jenelyn Olsim bounced back with a close split decision win, defeating Julie Mezabarba.
Edson Marques picked up a win against tough striker Kim Kyung Lock, unloading with combinations of punches throughout three rounds to gain a lead on scorecards.
Quick Results
Main Card (8:30AM EDT / 8:30PM SGT) (Youtube)
Bout 13: Tawanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym def. Niclas Larsen via TKO, Strikes (RD 2) (Muay Thai Bout)
Bout 12: Fabricio Andrade def. Kwon Won Il via TKO, Strikes (RD 1) (MMA Bout)
Bout 11: Reece McLaren def. Xie Wei via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1) (MMA Bout)
Bout 10: Kairat Akhmetov def. Tatsumitsu Wada via Decision, Unanimous (MMA Bout)
Bout 9: Guto Inocente def. Rade Opacic via TKO, Strikes (RD 1) (Kickboxing Bout)
Bout 8: Alex Silva def. Adrian Mattheis via Submission, Heel Hook (RD 1) (MMA Bout)
Lead Card (5:30AM EDT / 5:30PM SGT) (Youtube)
Bout 7: Gurdarshan Mangat def. Yodkaikaew Fairtex via Decision, Split (MMA Bout)
Bout 6: Constantin Rusu def. Marouan Toutouh via Decision, Unanimous (Kickboxing Bout)
Bout 5: Marcus Almeida def. Simon Carson via TKO, Strikes (RD 1) (MMA Bout)
Bout 4: Odie Delaney def. Mehdi Barghi via Submission, Straight Armlock (RD 2) (MMA Bout)
Bout 3: Zhasur Mirzamukhamedov def. Duke Didier via Decision, Split (MMA Bout)
Bout 2: Jenelyn Olsim def. Julie Mezabarba via Decision, Split (MMA Bout)
Bout 1: Edson Marques def. Kim Kyung Lock via Decision, Unanimous (MMA Bout)
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