Tawanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym ended the reign of Petchmorakot Pethcyindee Academy on Thursday, beating him via unanimous decision to become the new ONE Muay Thai Featherweight Champion.
Tawanchai’s win headlined ONE 161, which took place from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.
Tawanchai walked away with the decision nod after an incredibly close battle against Petchmorakot.
While there were swings of momentum during the fight, there wasn’t a major moment for either fighter. There were never any knockdowns, and most top moments for a fighter would be shortly followed up with responding shots from the other.
Tawanchai had a strong start to the fight, connecting with clean blows against Petchmorakot.
Petchmorakot became stronger as the fight progressed, marching down Tawanchai with fast combinations. Tawanchai’s output also seemingly slowed down in the later rounds, allowing Petchmorakot to further take over the fight.
It was hard to judge the winner of the fight by the end. Both commentators on ONE’s official broadcast had scored the fight in favor of Petchmorakot, with one of them handing him four of the five rounds. Both fighters looked confident heading into the official decision’s announcement.
Tawanchai earned a title shot after scoring two consecutive finish wins in ONE, defeating Saemapetch Fairtex and Niclas Larsen earlier this year.
Petchmorakot defended his belt a total of three times since he first earned it in 2020. His last title defense came in May when he beat Jimmy Vienot in a split decision.
Kryklia, Azizpour Secure Grand Prix Final Spots
Heavyweights Roman Kryklia and Iraj Azizpour advanced past the opening round of ONE’s four-man heavyweight grand prix this weekend.
Kryklia scored a quick win against veteran Guto Inocente, dropping him once before finishing him with strikes.
Kryklia first floored Inocente with a clean right cross in the first minute of the bout. A rocked Inocente was able to get up in time for the fight to continue but saw the fight stop after he ate a clean head kick immediately after.
Inocente protested this stoppage afterward.
Kryklia, the current heavyweight kickboxing champion in ONE, has now won all four of his appearances in the promotion. His prior bout was also a first-round win, defeating Murat Aygun in February.
Inocente joined the grand prix after earning a pair of finishes in ONE.
Azizpour beat Bruno Chaves in his semi-final fight, going all three rounds to get the scorecard nod.
Azizpour constantly pushed the pace against Chaves, charging forward with a variety of punches and kicks to the head and body of Chaves.
Azizpour has now picked up three wins in ONE. His previous fights saw him beat Anderson Braddock Silva and Ismael Londt.
Chaves, a former GLORY Kickboxer, was making his ONE debut.
The date for the grand final fight between Kryklia and Azizpour isn’t known at the moment. The fight will be a rematch, as they previously faced off during a Kunlun Fight card in 2019. In that appearance, Kryklia won via decision after three rounds.
Izagakhmaev Dominates Experienced Zhang
Saygid Izagakhmaev had a dominant three-round performance against veteran Zhang Lipeng, walking away with a unanimous decision victory in the end.
Izagakhmaev was able to take Zhang down in every single round of the fight, using these positions to swing away with punches. While he never secured a finish with these shots, he had a comfortable scorecard outcome by the end.
Izagakhmaev, a fighter with an extensive pro record of now 20 wins, has scored two victories in ONE. He won his promotional debut in January, overcoming James Nakashima with a second-round brabo choke.
Zhang suffered his first defeat since 2018 in this appearance. The UFC alum had previously scored two wins in ONE, including a 32-second finish from earlier this year.
Teo Submits Phogat In 115-Pound Debut
Tiffany Teo picked up her first win at the 115-pound division on Friday night, submitting Ritu Phogat in the first round.
Teo took the back of Phogat halfway through the round, taking the fight to the ground with his position. She started working for a rear naked choke at this point, getting a tap from Phogat with just eight seconds left in the round.
Teo previously fought up at the 125-pound division, where she challenged twice for a belt from 2018 to 2020.
Teo called for a title fight against Angela Lee in her post-fight interview.
Phogat is now on a two-fight losing streak for the first time in her career. Her previous fight came in late 2021 when she was submitted by Stamp Fairtex in the grand finals of the promotion’s 115-pound grand prix.
Kane Bounces Back In Return
Oumar Kane bounced back from his sole pro loss in the opening bout of the main card, stopping Batradz Gazzaev in the second round with ground and pound shots.
Kane, also known as “Reug Reug,” capitalized on a takedown attempt to force a finish in the second round.
Kane took full mount against Gazzaev in the second round after stuffing a takedown attempt. He was able to eventually posture up and start landing hammerfist punches from this position, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
Gazzaev attempted numerous other takedowns earlier in the fight, but Kane showed good takedown defense in response to these shots.
Kane’s previous appearance saw him suffer a defeat, exiting a bout against Kirill Grishenko after two rounds of action in 2021. His record is now four wins and one loss.
Gazzaev was appearing in ONE for the first time. He entered the bout after scoring three finish wins on the regional scene last year.
The Rest of the Card
Alaverdi Ramazanov avenged a loss to Capitan Petchyindee academy in a Muay Thai fight, beating him via split decision. Ramazanov’s previous fight against Capitan came in early 2021 when he was stopped in the second round of a kickboxing title fight. Ramazanov showed big improvements in his second fight against Capitan, remaining the aggressor through all three rounds. He called for a title fight against Nong-O Gaiyanghadao afterward.
Sangmanee P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym had a close fight against Zhang ChengLong under Muay Thai rules but prevailed in the end with a split decision outcome.
Ferrari Fairtex had a stellar three-round performance under Muay Thai rules against Han Zi Hao, winning the fight via unanimous decision in the end.
Rodrigo Marello utilized only 15 seconds of a grappling bout against Ruslan Bagdasarian to secure an ankle lock and score submission.
Undefeated light heavyweight Ali Foladi won his ONE debut with a quick finish, flooring Matheus Felipe in the first round with a clean right cross punch. Felipe was making his MMA debut.
Quick Results
Main Card (8:30AM EDT / 8:30PM SGT) (Youtube)
Bout 11: Tawanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym def. Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy via Decision, Unanimous (ONE Muay Thai Featherweight Championship) (155 lbs)
Bout 10: Roman Kryklia def. Guto Inocente via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:52) (ONE Kickboxing Heavyweight Grand Prix Semi-Final) (265 lbs)
Bout 9: Iraj Azizpour def. Bruno Chaves via Decision, Unanimous (ONE Kickboxing Heavyweight Grand Prix Semi-Final) (265 lbs)
Bout 8: Saygid Izagakhmaev def. Zhang Lipeng via Decision, Unanimous (MMA Bout)
Bout 7: Tiffany Teo def. Ritu Phogat via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 4:52) (MMA Bout)
Bout 6: Oumar Kane def. Batradz Gazzaev via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:15) (MMA Bout)
Lead Card (6:00AM EDT / 6:00PM SGT) (Youtube)
Bout 5: Alaverdi Ramazanov def. Capitan Petchyindee Academy via Decision, Split (Muay Thai Bout)
Bout 4: Sangmanee P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym def. Zhang ChengLong via Decision, Split (Muay Thai Bout)
Bout 3: Ferrari Fairtex def. Han Zi Hao via Decision, Unanimous (Muay Thai Bout)
Bout 2: Rodrigo Marello def. Ruslan Bagdasarian via Submission, Ankle Lock (RD 1, 0:15) (Grappling Bout)
Bout 1: Ali Foladi def. Matheus Felipe via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:20) (MMA Bout)
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