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The world’s largest martial arts organization entered its final double-header weekend of the year on Friday, December 6, and ONE Friday Fights 90 kicked things off in tremendous fashion inside Bangkok, Thailand’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.
The talent-laden card featured 11 contests across Muay Thai and MMA, and over half of them ended in a thrilling stoppage.
Before all eyes shift to ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov on Prime Video later today, let’s recap everything that went down live in Asia primetime.
Kacem Hammers Kongklai To Score Second-Round KnockoutAntar Kacem rose to the occasion in his first main event in ONE Friday Fights by annihilating Kongklai Sor Sommai in their 143.8-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout.
Kacem immediately took control of the bout, using his significantly longer limbs to neutralize Kongklai’s output, and he continuously tagged the Thai striker throughout the opening frame.
The Belarusian brawler stepped on the gas in the second round. He allowed Kongklai to come forward, giving him a false sense of security, then dropped him with a huge combination.
Kacem got back on the attack as soon as Kongklai returned to his feet, and he soon struck with a huge right hook that ended proceedings at 0:45 of round two.
The KO win was the Team Medhdi Zatout and Team Nasser K man’s fourth win in ONE Championship, and it moved his career slate to 51-11 overall.
Imangazaliev Demolishes Dedduanglek With Spinning BackfistAsadula Imangazaliev delivered a spectacular performance to finish Dedduanglek Wankhongohm MBK in their flyweight Muay Thai showdown.
The 21-year-old Russian wasted no time hunting for the finish when the bout kicked off. He pressured his Thai opponent against the ropes and unleashed an axe kick that forced Dedduanglek into a defensive shell.
Though his follow-up high kick missed, it set up the highlight-reel spinning backfist that sent the Road to ONE Thailand winner crashing to the canvas.
The knockout victory came at 1:00 of the first round and marked Imangazaliev’s third consecutive first-round finish in ONE Friday Fights. It also pushed the Team Mehdi Zatout’s career slate to a perfect 7-0.
Rambong Emerges Victorious Over Patakake In All-Out Scrap
Rambong Sor Therapat earned his seventh successive win in ONE Championship in a 130-pound catchweight Muay Thai firefight with Patakake Sinbimuaythai.
The 27-year-old connected with kicks to Patakake’s thigh to get the action going. The strikes were fierce, but the Sinbi Muaythai athlete ate most with ease.
Patakake opted for a more clinch-heavy game in round two. Though he opened up Rambong with a venomous elbow, he had to handle an immense amount of traffic from his Thai compatriot in return.
Both warriors swung for the fences in the third stanza. Patakake’s punches came at full force, but Rambong ripped into enemy territory with more volume and power to secure the unanimous decision win and his 80th career victory.
Sen Eases Past Petgarfield With First-Round FinishSoner Sen earned his second successive knockout when he steamrolled Petgarfield Jitmuangnon inside the opening three minutes of their 142-pound catchweight Muay Thai tilt.
Sen pressed the Thai striker immediately, keeping his movement limited and pinning him against the ropes. As soon as Petgarfield attempted to break away, Sen stung him with a sharp jab to knock him down.
“Golden Boy” was oozing confidence once action resumed, and he swarmed his man in the corner to land a perfect right hook for a second knockdown.
From there, Sen stalked his foe to land a clean left uppercut followed by a stern combination to force the finish at 2:47 of round one.
With the TKO, the Turkish star moved to 22-9 overall and 4-2 in ONE.
Gonzalez Crushes Petkitti In Round TwoXavier Gonzalez’s slick footwork and dynamic movement paved the way for a knockout win over Petkitti JeabRamintra in their 130-pound catchweight Muay Thai showdown.
Gonzalez started strong, landing powerful hooks that highlighted his precision and timing. But Petkitti wasn’t easily shaken and responded with a sharp elbow that opened a cut above the Spaniard’s right eye.
Gonzalez elevated his intensity in the second round, and a perfectly timed left elbow sent the Thai fighter to the canvas for a knockdown. When Petkitti rose, he pressed forward with a relentless punching combination to the head and body, leaving no chance for recovery.
The fight-ending knockout came at the 2:21 mark in the second round and secured Gonzalez’s 24th career victory.
Malatesta Smashes Reis With First-Round Head Kick KOAlessio Malatesta came out on top in his toughest bout yet when he obliterated Fabio Reis with a first-round head kick knockout in 147-pound catchweight Muay Thai action.
Malatesta remained patient in the early going to get a sense of Reis’ combinations. But he soon began to land combinations that stopped the Portuguese puncher in his tracks.
After sending his man backwards with a counter left hook, Malatesta stiffened him with a huge left head kick that sent him crashing to the canvas and out cold at 2:53 of round one.
The dominant finish KO win was the Italian’s 39th career victory.
Hussain Finishes Petsinchai In Round One To Extend Unbeaten RunUbaid “Bad” Hussain made quick work of fellow ONE Championship debutant Petsinchai Kingballroofphuket in their 132-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout.
The 19-year-old phenom set the tone early with a sharp one-two and uppercut combination to showcase his blistering speed, and his elusive head movement allowed him to avoid counters and launch attacks with precision.
Once he cornered his foe, the British-Pakistani sensation unleashed a left jab, a stabbing knee, and a powerful left cross that sent the Thai fighter to the canvas.
Petsinchai was unable to beat the eight count so Hussain was awarded the KO win at 2:10 of the first round to improve his pristine record to 10-0.
Burmatov Outstrikes Bahri In Three-Round War
Denis Burmatov put his aggression to good use to curtail Ayoub Bahri’s rangier assortment of weapons in 167-pound catchweight Muay Thai.
The 27-year-old showed no fear as he waded into enemy territory throughout the nine-minute duel. Despite being the shorter of the two, he lit up his foe with huge punches that forced the Algerian to backpedal numerous times.
Though Bahri held his own, responding with kicks and teeps from the outside and knees and elbows in the clinch, Burmatov’s onslaught was too much to bear.
The Russian powerhouse operated behind his left hook and truck-like right to keep Bahri at a distance until the final bell, and he was awarded the unanimous decision win for his efforts, improving his slate to 14-3.
Da Silva Upends Sato In Impressive ONE Debut
Seventeen-year-old Rudy Da Silva lit up Lumpinee Stadium in his ONE Championship debut, outstriking Kaisei Sato across three rounds of 159-pound catchweight Muay Thai.
Da Silva felt the pressure early on, but the teenager remained unshaken to land clean counter-punches and kicks to his foe’s body.
The Scotsman turned up the pace in the second frame. He stayed out of the firing line to land looping left hooks and leg kicks that kept Sato at bay.
The Japanese striker came hunting for blood in the final frame, but Da Silva’s volume kept him ahead, and he earned the unanimous decision win in the end to move to 7-1 in his career.
Welch Dominates Michael in Action-Packed Debut
Joe Welch showcased his well-rounded offense and defense to outclass fellow ONE Championship newcomer Meeka “The Prince” Michael in an electrifying lightweight Muay Thai bout.
Michael opened with aggressive low kicks, but Welch quickly responded with a sharp counter left elbow in the first round.
The British standout used his versatility throughout the second frame, frequently switching stances to confuse his opponent and create openings to close the distance.
The 27-year-old remained defensively sound in the third round, and he marched forward to deliver crisp one-two combinations in the final seconds.
Though he couldn’t find a finish, Welch’s aggression and balanced skill set convinced the judges to award him the unanimous decision victory, which upped his record to 23-3.
Kholmirzaev Chokes Out Galiev In Round TwoValmir “Tatar Bullet” Galiev and Avazbek “Ninzya” Kholmirzaev opened the show with an explosive flyweight MMA encounter.
Kholmirzaev found himself on the deck early, when Galiev took advantage of a mistimed spinning back kick to send him to the mat, where he rained down ground and pound.
However, the Uzbekistani star flipped the script off a hip toss to land in half guard and respond with a bucketload of strikes.
With his confidence renewed, he secured a takedown early in the second frame, took his opponent’s hips, and moved onto his back to lock in the match-winning choke at the 1:32 mark.
The victory moved Kholmirzav’s ONE Championship slate to 4-1 and 10-2 overall.
Sourcebovada