Akbar Abdullaev has beaten ONE 155-pound MMA champ Tang Kai in a way that nobody has ever done before, but he didn’t leave the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand with a title around his waist.
Weigh-in drama from earlier in the week, which saw Abdullaev just barely fail to make the requirements for a 155-pound title fight, moved the bout to a catchweight limit just one pound above what was previously expected and meant that the title wouldn’t change hands in the main event of ONE “Fight Night 27” no matter the result.
This rarely-seen instance of weight-cutting mishap in MMA provided an odd dynamic following Friday night’s main event: Despite having his eight-fight ONE run put to an end by Abdullaev in quite one-sided fashion, Tang remained the promotion’s 155-pound champ. And while he steamrolled one of the longest-standing active MMA titleholders in the promotion, Abdullaev simply remains a contender for now.
While his win complicates things at 155 pounds, Abdullaev undoubtedly proved his dominance through five rounds against Tang on Friday night.
Abdullaev spent a large portion of the fight controlling Tang on the ground and hurting him with shots from top positions. The overwhelming work from Abdullaev put him ahead significantly by the fifth round, but he nonetheless found a late stoppage due to shots landed against the champ.
The 27-year-old Kyrgyzstani fighter showcased previously unseen longevity this weekend, as all of his previous fights had ended within three rounds. While a stoppage meant that he has still yet to go the distance in a pro fight, the bout’s five-round depth showed that he is able to remain competitive long beyond the 15-minute mark.
For Tang, a loss this weekend disrupted what has been a consistent few years in ONE. The Chinese talent hadn’t previously faced defeat since his 2019 promotional debut, with his last loss as a pro dating back to eight years ago.
Tang was coming off a two-fight rivalry against Thanh Le, dethroning the former champ in 2022 and earning a stoppage win when they met for the second time last year.
It is currently unclear what ONE will do with the division, whether Abdullaev will receive a rematch against Tang or if they will decide to go in another direction next. For now, it seems clear that while one fighter is technically the king of the division, another has shown that he holds true dominance at 155.
Zamboanga Captures Interim Belt, Sets Up Long-Awaited Fight Against Stamp
The Philippines now has another champion.
Brutal ground and pound shots from Denice Zamboanga earned her a win against Alyona Rassohyna in just two rounds, making her an interim champ in the promotion’s 115-pound division.
Successful ground control for Zamboanga turned fight-ending by the closing moments of the second round, as a long series of unanswered hammerfist punches to the head of Rassohyna forced referee Herb Dean to step in and end the fight.
Zamboanga’s ability to take the fight to the ground and stay on top allowed her to gain an early lead in the bout prior to the finish. She recorded numerous minutes of control and was also able to escape crafty submission attempts from Rassohyna, who kept the ONE vet busy at times.
Patience paid off for Zamboanga this weekend, as she only received a title fight after numerous championship bookings fell through over the past year.
Zamboanga was previously booked to fight ONE’s main 115-pound champ, Stamp Fairtex, back in March 2024 as part of the promotion’s debut event in Qatar. However, the fight was later moved to June.
The hopes of facing Stamp anytime soon dissolved just a few months later, as the Thai champ suffered a knee injury which required surgery and pulled her from the booking.
Even as Zamboanga’s title hopes were downgraded from undisputed to interim, she still had to wait. An October booking against Rassohyna fell through last year, moving her eventual title fight to this week.
Zamboanga, who has fought in the promotion since 2019 and waited for long to fight for a belt, can finally call herself a champion.
“I’ve been aiming for this gold for years,” Zamboanga said in her post-fight interview. “I made this from hard work, tears, and everything. I’m very speechless.”
Now with an interim belt around her waist and Stamp getting closer to her in-ring return, Zamboanga is on track for an undisputed title shot sometime this year.
Zamboanga and Stamp, friends and former training partners, faced off inside the ring following the fight on Friday.
Friday marked an in-ring return for Ukraine’s Rassohyna, who had been out of action for a lengthy three years. Her last fight dates back to September 2021, when she lost a split decision to Stamp. A win this weekend would have set her up for a trilogy fight with the current top 115-pound name.
Here are the quick results from ONE Championship’s first card of 2025:
Bout 9: Akbar Abdullaev def. Tang Kai via TKO, Strikes (RD 5, 1:21)
Bout 8: Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai def. John Lineker via Decision, Unanimous (Muay Thai)
Bout 7: Denice Zamboanga def. Alyona Rassohyna via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 4:47) (Vacant Interim ONE MMA Atomweight Championship) (115 lbs)
Bout 6: Luke Lessei def. Cody Jerome via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:00) (Muay Thai)
Bout 5: Dante Leon def. Tommy Langaker via Decision, Unanimous (Grappling)
Bout 4: Sanzhar Zakirov def. Tatsumitsu Wada via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu def. Aaron Canarte via Submission, Kimura (RD 1, 3:43)
Bout 2: Meng Bo def. Chihiro Suzuki via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Dmitriy Kovtun def. Suablack via Decision, Unanimous (Muay Thai)
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