Nakrob KOs Khalilov To Earn US$100,000 Contract, Waghorn Debuts With Comeback Finish At ONE Friday Fights 67
Before the thrilling series goes on a one-week hiatus, ONE Championship showed the world what it’ll be missing when it brought ONE Friday Fights 67 to Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Friday, June 14.
The stacked card featured 11 fights of high-octane Muay Thai and MMA action, and there were jaw-dropping knockouts, hard-fought comebacks, and nail-biting affairs throughout.
In case you missed anything, here’s a recap of what went down in Asia primetime inside the Mecca of Muay Thai.
Nakrob Finishes Khalilov Early To Score Fourth Straight Victory
Nakrob Fairtex extended his winning streak and scored a life-changing contract with a statement-making knockout victory against Tagir Khalilov in their flyweight Muay Thai main event.
The early going was evenly matched, with the pair trading leg kicks and knees. But the difference became apparent when the Thai star found his range.
When he did, Nakrob began to build momentum. He repeatedly found a home for his strikes before pulling the trigger on a sneaky right elbow down the pipe that put Khalilov on his back.
The power was too much for the #4-ranked flyweight kickboxing contender to bear, and he failed to adequately answer the referee’s eight-count.
As a result, Nakrob was awarded the KO win at 2:02 of the opening round. The victory moved him to 66-21 overall, 8-1 in ONE, and it earned him a US$100,000 contract to compete on the promotion’s biggest stage.
Samingdam Scores Blistering Knockout Against Petseekiew
Samingdam Looksuanmuaythai stunned Petseekiew Kor Kampanart with an emphatic finish in their flyweight Muay Thai showdown.
From the start, both Thai warriors were hunting for the finish, with Samingdam even attempting a cartwheel kick. But the crowd had to wait until later in the opening round for the knockout.
After catching Petseekiew’s left kick, Samingdam set up the ultimate attack with a left hook followed by a right hand that landed flush on his Thai compatriot’s jaw.
The Kor Kampanart man failed to answer the referee’s eight-count, so Samingdam was awarded the knockout win at 2:43 of round one, pushing his record to 42-7 and 4-1 in ONE.
Paeyim Punches His Way To Debut ONE Win Over Petporwarit
Paeyim Sor Boonmeerit’s boxing was the difference in his rematch with Petporwarit Sor Sommai.
Petporwarit launched himself at his rival in round one of their 118-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle, taking aim with stabbing knees, but the Sor Boonmeerit man held his nerve and countered with heavy leather.
Paeyim continued to land with his thudding right cross and left hook in round two, and he added hard low kicks to his offense.
Petporwarit pressed hard to land knees in the final frame, but Paeyim answered with heavy punches and elbows to claim his second unanimous decision win over his Thai compatriot and move his slate to 56-12-3 overall.
Copter Puts On Muay Thai Clinic Against Kiriluang
Following a setback in his promotional debut, Copter Sor Sommai was out to prove he has what it takes to hang in ONE Championship in his second outing. And he did just that against Kiriluang Chor Hapayak in their strawweight Muay Thai matchup.
The 22-year-old was rampant from the first bell, clearly looking to make a statement. He landed multiple hard knees and head and lead leg kicks on Kiriluang to take control of the proceedings.
Picking up where he left off in the first frame, the Thai striker mixed up his strikes and utilized his space in the second while throwing flying knees into his unorthodox arsenal to keep his compatriot at bay.
Head kicks and high-speed combinations were on show again from Copter in the final stanza, which was enough to convince the judges to hand him the unanimous decision win to push his overall slate to 44-13 in the end.
Kongsurin Victorious In Battle With Leite Silva
Kongsurin Sor Jor Lekmuangnon earned a unanimous decision win against Nicolas Leite Silva in their strawweight Muay Thai thriller.
Leite Silva found early success with his left hook, but his Thai foe adapted and countered effectively.
In the second round, Kongsurin caught the Brazilian’s left leg and unleashed multiple punches while holding it before hurting him further with a well-timed left kick and punch.
Leite Silva pressed forward in the third round, landing strong right hands to stay in the hunt. But Kongsurin remained elusive, and he countered well with his right hand and elbow.
After nine minutes of action, Kongsurin was awarded the unanimous decision by the judges at ringside, and he earned his 19th career victory as a result.
Tonglampoon Comes Off The Deck To KO Prakaypetlek
Tonglampoon FA Group’s incredible heart helped him to bounce back and defeat Prakaypetlek EminentAir in their 118-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest.
Prakaypetlek had the upper hand in round one, opening up with all of his weapons against his rival’s aggressive boxing.
The EminentAir athlete continued to score well off the back foot in round two, and he dropped Tonglampoon with a right high kick from an attempted body shot.
However, the FA Group athlete’s grit dragged him off the canvas, and that was the turning point.
Tonglampoon rallied with relentless pressure, shooting a volley of knees and elbows at his battle-worn foe to earn the KO win at 2:55 of the second frame and boost his record to 44-12 overall.
Waghorn Digs Deep To Finish Kongklai In Amazing Comeback Win
In a remarkable ONE Championship debut, Otis Waghorn came back from the brink of defeat to put away Kongklai Sor Sommai in the final round of their 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai war.
The unbeaten star had his world rocked when Kongklai dropped him with a huge right hand before landing another counter to put his unblemished professional record on the ropes.
However, the 22-year-old survived and took a smarter strategy in the second round. He fought intelligently on the outside and waited for moments to fire back and engage in the clinch.
After regaining his faculties, Waghorn charged into the third frame and dropped Kongklai with a huge spinning back fist. Sensing the finish was near, he piled on the pressure and landed a huge right hand to end the contest at the 1:34 mark.
With the come-from-behind win, the Brit brawler moved to 8-0 overall.
Moe Htet Aung Beats Tough Yamagishi Via Razor-Close Decision
It was an all-out war when Moe Htet Aung faced Kazuki Yamagishi in 141-pound catchweight Muay Thai.
The Myanmar star found success early on with heavy low kicks that staggered Yamagishi. He followed up with head kicks and strong right hands and responded well whenever his Japanese foe shot back to stay in control.
Moe Htet Aung continued to deploy heavy low kicks in the second round, but the ultra-tough Yamagishi retaliated with left hooks and jab combinations of his own.
The action didn’t slow down in the final round, as both men pushed the intensity and showcased their respective weapons.
Ultimately, though, Moe Htet Aung’s display impressed two of the judges, who handed him the split-decision win to push his record to 35-1-25 and 2-0 in ONE.
Tanitsu Survives Scare To Earn First-Round TKO Over Van Thanh
Haruyuki Tanitsu blasted his way to a first-round stoppage win over “Doraemon” Nguyen Van Thanh, despite briefly tasting the canvas in their 116-pound catchweight Muay Thai clash.
Tanitsu dominated Van Thanh with blistering punches and heavy kicks to the body and legs when the bout kicked off, but the Vietnamese man flipped the script out of nowhere to send him to the canvas.
Unfazed, the Japanese striker went straight back on the offensive, and he hurt Van Thanh with a cross-hook-cross combination before folding him with a body kick for his first knockdown.
Going straight for the body when his rival got up, Tanitsu quickly dropped the Tank Club athlete again, causing the referee to intervene and hand him the TKO win at 2:49 of the first round, extending his ONE slate to 2-0.
Oda Dominates Tran To Score Victory On Debut
Kaito Oda’s promotional debut went off without a hitch against Tran Ngoc Luong in flyweight MMA action.
The 26-year-old dominated his Vietnamese adversary in the early going and dropped him with a brutal combination in the opening seconds.
From there, Oda continued to show his prowess by powering through any obstacles Tran put in his way. He was meticulous in nullifying “The Rabbit’s” offense and maintained that pressure throughout the second frame.
Round three saw the Japanese star use his ferocious striking to keep Tran guessing. That tactic clearly worked, as he dropped him in the final seconds to leave no one in doubt of who the winner was.
When the final bell rang, all three judges handed Oda the unanimous decision victory, and he moved to 5-1 with the debut win.
Ohara Outstrikes Saorattana To Earn Decision Win
Koko Ohara and Saorattana Sitkrujeab set a fast pace early on in their 117-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout, and it was the former who left the Thai capital with a unanimous decision win.
The Japanese newcomer quickly showed she wasn’t there to play, landing a series of one-two combinations that found their mark on Saorattana’s head.
Ohara continued her dominance in the second round and mixed in kicks to her relentless punching pressure.
Saorattana retaliated with high kicks in the final stanza to try to stay in the fight, but Ohara’s activity through the three rounds earned her the nod from all three judges in the end, securing her an 18th career victory.
