Panrit Rips Through Balyko, Gheirati, Sungprab, Songpandin Extend Winning Streak At ONE Friday Fights 57
ONE Championship delivered another instant classic with ONE Friday Fights 57 on March 29.
The weekly series at Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium began and ended with newcomers making their mark and rising stars continuing their career trajectories, as they fought for the ever-present US$100,000 contract to ONE’s main roster.
Before the world’s largest martial arts organization returns with a massive double-header next week, ONE Friday Fights 58: Superbon vs. Grigorian II and ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on Prime Video, here’s what went down live in Asia primetime this past Friday.
Panrit Bests Balyko In Three-Round Brawl
In the main event, Panrit Lukjaomaesaiwaree bumped his professional striking record up to 71-29 after a classic Muay Thai battle with Alexey Balyko.
Their 140-pound catchweight clash began with Panrit scoring an eight-count on Balyko with a left hook. From then on, however, the fight was fairly even. The Thai found success with counter-attacks while Balyko pressed forward with aggressive punches.
But the early knockdown did Panrit justice on the scorecards, as he was awarded the unanimous decision win after nine intense minutes.
Jurayev’s Piercing Elbow Wipes Out Numpangna
Shakhriyor Jurayev earned his first ONE Friday Fights victory with a stunning KO over Numpangna Eaglemuaythai.
The Uzbek striker dominated the first round of their 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest using teeps and dumps to put his foe on the canvas. Then, after catching Numpangna’s body kick, Jurayev dropped the Eagle Muay Thai athlete with a thudding right hook.
Jurayev continued his assault in round two with scorching punches, and as Numpangna tried to fire back, the 23-year-old sent him to the canvas in a heap with a huge left elbow.
With the match called off via KO at 0:23, Jurayev extended his record to 36-3 and proved he belongs among the world’s elite.
Donking’s Nasty Uppercut Floors Chalongsuk In Round Two
Donking Yotharakmuaythai celebrated his promotional bow with a dramatic knockout victory over Chalongsuk Jacksonmuaythai in their 132-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout.
The match showcased back-and-forth action, with both fighters exchanging a flurry of punches. It was Donking, however, who ended the opening round on a high note with heavy elbows that found their rhythm.
In the second round, Donking maintained his momentum. When Chalongsuk attempted an uppercut, the Yotharak Muaythai man countered with a staggering right hook that floored his foe.
Sensing a finish, Donking unleashed a nasty uppercut to clinch the knockout win at 0:54 of the round, which elevated the 23-year-old Thai’s record to 76-15.
Teen Phenom Songpandin Impresses Once More
Teenage rising star Songpandin Chor Kaewwiset scored his second back-to-back victory inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium after besting Wanchuchai Kaewsamrit in their 126-pound catchweight Muay Thai clash.
The 16-year-old was relentless from the opening bell to the closing seconds of the fight. In fact, watching Songpandin smother his Thai foe for nine straight minutes was like watching the stormy swells of the sea toss a rowboat to and from – and Wanchuchai had no way of paddling to safety.
On the outside, Songpandin clobbered Wanchuchai with punches, elbows, knees, and kicks. On the inside, he tossed him from within the clinch.
After three unforgiving rounds of action, the judges awarded Songpandin the unanimous decision win. With that, the fighter from Laos improved his record to 34-7.
Sungprab Finishes Yodnamnuea In 66 seconds
Sungprab Lookpichit clearly wasn’t getting paid for overtime in his 112-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest with Yodnamnuea N and P Boxing.
The 21-year-old blitzed his opponent from the opening bell, and it didn’t take him long to get his first knockdown with a counter right hand.
Sungprab offered Yodnamnuea no respite when he got back up, swarming his Thai compatriot with another furious salvo to put him on the canvas again.
This time, Yodnamnuea couldn’t recover, and Sungprab pushed his record to 61-15 with his second consecutive KO after just 66 seconds.
Soe Lin Oo Continues Meteoric Rise, KOs Reis
“Man of Steel” Soe Lin Oo scored a stunning knockout in his bantamweight Muay Thai battle against Fabio “Sensational” Reis.
From the outset, the two sluggers exchanged leather at a furious pace. The Myanmarese striker absorbed two left hooks from his Portuguese adversary, but then delivered a staggering jab followed by a combination of punches that floored Reis.
In the second round, Soe Lin Oo increased his output, and it didn’t take him long to put the cherry on the cake. A devastating jab dropped the Team Mehdi Zatout upstart. Though Reis found his feet, with athlete’s safety a top priority, the referee deemed him unable to continue at 1:42 of the round.
As a result, Soe Lin Oo’s record was boosted to 73-3 with his second straight highlight-reel finish on ONE Friday Fights.
Gheirati Stuns Otop For First-Round KO
Parham Gheirati spent more time walking to the ring than he did competing inside of it on Friday night.
The 20-year-old Iranian knocked out Otop Or Kwanmuang at the 1:02 mark of round one in their bantamweight Muay Thai fight to earn his third straight win inside the Mecca of Muay Thai.
From the get-go, Gheirati bounded across the ring and launched punch after punch onto Otop, who struggled to find relief under the weight of the attack.
And then it happened. In a blind fury Gheirati sent a straight right-left hook combo, careening through Otop’s guard and into his chin, and the latter flew backward and down.
The referee waved the contest off instantly, awarding the Petsaman Gym representative his 12th career win.
Moe Htet Aung Flattens Maruyama In Dying Seconds
Moe Htet Aung engineered an incredible comeback to defeat Tomoya Maruyama with just 10 seconds left on the clock.
The Myanmar star came out throwing heavy leather at his Japanese rival in their 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle, but the latter used his height advantage to send Moe Htet Aung to the canvas with a left knee.
Maruyama carried on his onslaught in the second frame, firing off high knees and elbows in the clinch, though the shorter man did his best to counter with punches.
Down but not out, the Family Wan Chai star found the mark with his hands in round three. He rocked Maruyama with an overhand right before another put the Buyuukai athlete down and out at 2:50.
With the triumph, Moe Htet Aung improved his slate to 33-1.
Tran’s Explosive Hands Crushes Jonishi
“Timebomb” Tran Quoc Tuan lived up to his moniker as he dropped Yuya Jonishi four times in their 152-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout.
After a brief feeling out process, the Vietnamese athlete exploded into action with an aggressive barrage of fists that floored the fellow debutant. Eager to hunt for the spectacular, Tran followed up with a stiffening knee for another eight-count.
However, Jonishi threatened to turn the tide when he ate Tran’s best shots and found an opening to score a knockdown of his own in round two.
Despite that, Tran regained momentum in the final stanza as his explosive right hand sent Jonishi to the canvas. While the Japanese star managed to beat the count yet again, a subsequent body punch from Tran sealed his fourth knockdown at 0:56 that bumped his striking record to 9-1.
Matsuda Nabs Split Decision From Gritsanenko In MMA Thriller
Seiya Matsuda survived an early scare only to bounce back and beat Mikhail “Russian Hitman” Gritsanenko in their 163-pound catchweight MMA fight.
Gritsanenko lumped up Matsuda with jabs and right punches early. But halfway through the bout, the unbeaten Japanese standout wrenched on the “Russian Hitman’s” arm with a Kimura, bending it into unimaginable positions.
Unsurprisingly, gritty Gritsanenko survived the submission attempt, but from then on, Matsuda’s confidence swelled. Toward the end of the fight, he attacked with knees and threatened Gritsanenko with a rear-naked choke.
At the end of 15 minutes, Matsuda earned the nod from two of the three judges, scoring a split-decision win in his ONE debut.
Ogata Rallies To Find Third-Round Finish Over Komoldinova
Akari Ogata overcame a tough start to defeat Khojinsa “Uzbek Tigress” Komoldinova in her 163-pound catchweight MMA contest.
Komoldinova dominated the opening frame with heavy punches on the feet and some relentless ground-and-pound from top position. However, Ogata flipped the script in round two.
The Japanese martial artist turned the tide with her superior ground game and knees from the clinch before shifting gears again in the final stanza.
When a fading “Uzbek Tigress” failed with an arm throw, the AACC affiliate took her rival’s back, flattened her out, and pounded her way to a debut TKO victory at 1:16 of the frame.
