Anane And Soe Lin Oo Earn Six-Figure Deals With Impressive Knockout Wins At ONE Friday Fights 69
After last week’s star-studded installment, ONE Friday Fights 69 successfully followed up with a stellar night of MMA, Muay Thai, and kickboxing inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Friday, July 5.
The thrilling show kicked off a doubleheader weekend for ONE Championship and saw a multitude of highlight-reel knockouts and nailbiting contests across its 12-fight card.
Before attention shifts to ONE Fight Night 23: Ok vs. Rasulov on Prime Video later today, let’s recap everything that went down in Asia primetime at the Mecca of Muay Thai.
Anane Ends Kulabdam To Earn US$100,000 Contract
Nabil Anane needed to be more powerful when he moved up to the bantamweight Muay Thai division, and that wasn’t an issue for him against Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai.
The two-time WBC Muay Thai World Champion endured an early press from “Left Meteorite” and ate his fair share of heavy strikes. In return, he chopped at his foe’s legs to show he wasn’t intimidated.
Anane read Kulabdam’s entries well early in the second round, and he pressured the Thai against the ropes, suffocating him with brutal knees to earn a knockdown.
Feeling the momentum, the Thai-Algerian doubled down and delivered more knees to Kulabdam’s head that sent him down for the count at the 2:54 mark of round two.
With the KO win, Anane moved to 36-5-1 in his career and 3-1 in ONE, and his performance secured him a six-figure contract with the world’s largest martial arts organization.
Nontachai Bests Malatesta To Earn Debut Win
Nontachai Jitmuangnon triumphed over fellow ONE Championship debutant Alessio Malatesta in their thrilling 150-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout to kick off his promotional tenure in style.
The Thai striker made an impact early when he landed a precise right straight to floor his foe for the first and only knockdown of the contest.
In the second round, Malatesta fought back with a venomous uppercut, buying him some breathing room. But his aggressive approach opened opportunities for Nontachai to counter effectively with a strong right cross and knee in the clinch.
The Italian upped the ante with a series of uppercuts, left punches, and body shots in the final round. However, Nontachai defended well, launching knee strikes to keep his opponent at bay.
Ultimately, the early knockdown earned the Jitmuangnon standout the unanimous decision from all three judges to boost his record to 48-10 overall.
Buakhiao Drops Raksiam En Route To Decision Victory
Buakhiao Por Paoin took a hard-fought points win over Raksiam Sor Boonmeerit in their 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest.
Raksiam worked behind his jab in round one but struggled to fend off his Thai compatriot, who waded in with heavy left hook-right low kick combinations.
Buakhiao upped his aggression in round two and blasted the tough Sor Boonmeerit man with punches, eventually dropping him with a chopping right hand.
In the ascendency, Buakhiao wobbled Raksiam with a jumping knee in the final frame, but the durable 21-year-old held on and returned fire with some sharp punches.
In the end, though, Buakhiao’s aggression and damage were enough for all three judges to award him the decision, and he moved on to 78-22-1 with his second ONE win.
Maisangkum Folds Petsansuk To Go 6-0 In ONE
Maisangkum Sor Yingcharoenkarnchang continued to make light work of his competition in ONE Championship, and Petsansuk ChotBangsaen was his latest victim in 120-pound catchweight Muay Thai.
Both men came out swinging, but the Boxing Army 3 graduate packed more sting in his strikes, and he sent Petsansuk onto the backfoot early on as a result.
Maisangkum’s ruthless work rate didn’t take long to make maximum impact and one particularly brutal left hook was enough to finish his opposite man for good at 1:53 of the opening stanza.
The KO win moved the 23-year-old powerhouse to 6-0 in ONE, with four stoppages, and 52-17 in his career.
Sunday Obliterates Chusap With TKO In Round Two
Sunday Boomdeksean put together a fearsome punching combination to finish Chusap Sor Salacheep in the second frame of their 118-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout.
After a competitive first round, Sunday went berserk in round two.
The Thai striker weathered an early storm from his compatriot to land two body shots and a crushing left hook to drop his foe. He increased his aggression from there and sent Chusap to the canvas again with a combination of right and left hooks.
The Sor Salacheep man answered the referee’s count, but Sunday shot in with another left hook right after to seal the TKO victory at 1:01 of the second round
With the win, he improved his record to 68-16-2 overall.
Mungkorn Survives Late Rally To Beat Kaenlek By Decision
Mungkorn Boomdeksean and Kaenlek Sor Chokmeechai’s 120-pound catchweight Muay Thai clash didn’t let up for three intense rounds.
Mungkorn found more success in round one, inflicting damage with heavy inside low kicks and heavy boxing combinations to his rival’s head.
He stayed on this course in the second frame and racked up more points with powerful low kicks and punches. But Kaenlek found a home for his own strikes as the round wore on, bringing him back into the affair.
Possibly sensing he was two rounds down, the Sor Chokmeechai athlete unleashed his full arsenal in the final stanza, and he connected with punches, knees, elbows, and strong clinch work.
However, Mungkorn’s strong start and showing throughout saw him take the unanimous decision in the end, and he moved to 54-21.
Soe Lin Oo Sparks Pongsiri To Earn Six-Figure Contract
The judges weren’t necessary when Soe Lin Oo and Pongsiri PK Saenchai collided in 149.2-pound Muay Thai, as the former stormed through his Thai foe inside two rounds.
The opening frame saw a close affair unfold, but it was Pongsiri who settled quicker, giving the two-time Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai World Champion dangerous confidence.
However, Soe Lin Oo came out in the second frame with a plan, and he wasted no time implementing it.
He snuck in an uppercut after just 29 seconds to knock out Pongsiri and earn his third finish in a row.
The Myanmar star’s showing was enough to prove to the ONE chiefs that he deserved a shot at greatness, and they awarded him a US$100,000 contract to add to the victory that pushed his slate to 74-3 overall.
Osmanov Extends Unbeaten Run With Victory Over Miao
Elbrus “The Samurai” Osmanov and Miao Aoqi displayed high-level action in their bantamweight kickboxing showdown, but it was the former who kept his winning streak intact in the end.
The surging Russian stayed active in the first frame, and he finished strong with a combination of a left hook to the liver followed by a knee and a spinning high kick.
While his Chinese foe remained composed in the second round, “The Samurai” stayed ahead by landing a left punch, two crushing knees, and a left high kick.
The tension escalated in the final frame, with both warriors trading kicks and punches with venom. Though Miao connected with heavy hands, Osmanov worked his variety and struck with punishing combinations.
That convinced the judges to award the 23-year-old star the unanimous decision win, and it pushed his perfect slate to 5-0 in ONE Friday Fights and 11-0 overall.
Ota Finishes BM With A Thunderous Right Hand
Ikko Ota showed the importance of resilience by absorbing BM Fairtex’s heaviest strikes, and he rebounded emphatically to score a finish.
BM started strong in round one of their 122-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout, battering his Japanese foe’s body and arms with heavy left kicks.
Ota looked to evade and counter with his boxing, but he was on the receiving end of more punishment when he did so.
Round two continued in a similar vein until Ota uncorked a thunderous jab-cross that rattled BM’s jaw and put him on the deck.
The Fairtex man tried to get up but couldn’t continue, earning Ota his first ONE win and pushing his record to 20-8-2.
Kholmirzaev Submits Kara-Ool For Third Win In A Row
Avazbek Kholmirzaev impressed inside Lumpinee Stadium once again en route to earning his third stoppage in as many fights against Changy Kara-Ool in their 125.6-pound catchweight MMA contest.
Kholmirzaev entered the fray with a boatload of confidence, and it showed with each spinning kick attack. His aggression forced Kara-Ool to take the battle to the ground, but the dynamic Uzbekistani had come prepared.
After shaking Kara-Ool off his back and attempting a guillotine choke, Kholmirzaev waited patiently for space to open up. Once it did, he cinched in a belly-under armbar to get the tap at 3:39 of round one.
“Ninzya” moved to 9-1 overall and 3-0 in ONE Championship with the victory.
Hansen Returns To Winning Ways Against Masami
Celest Hansen utilized her counters perfectly to secure a unanimous decision victory over Masami in their atomweight Muay Thai barnburner.
The two sluggers didn’t waste a second when the opening bell rang, and they went to work exchanging blows. It was Masami who took control during this back-and-forth as she used her strong left hook to corner Hansen.
The Japanese fighter’s pressure continued in the second round, but Hansen retaliated with effective clinch work and sharp elbows.
Despite Masami’s aggressive punching combinations, the Australian star mixed high kicks with elbows and sneaky punches in the final round to impress the judges.
They handed Hansen the win at the end of the fight, halting her three-fight losing streak and earning her a 38th career victory.
Aoyagi’s Powerful Hands Prove Too Much For Jun Hee
Katsuaki “Blast” Aoyagi kicked the evening off in stunning fashion with a first-round TKO win over Jung Jun Hee.
The feeling-out process at the start of their featherweight MMA clash didn’t last long as Aoyagi exploded with a straight right hand that dropped his South Korean foe.
Jun Hee recovered quickly, but he was soon sent to the canvas again with another right while trying to find his rhythm.
The Wang Ho athlete showed his grit by returning to his feet, and it looked like he was finding form until Aoyagi dropped him a third time with a thudding left hook.
“Blast” then sealed the deal with ground-and-pound, bringing an end to proceedings at 4:47 of the opening frame and extending his record to 6-2.
