We knew we were in for a treat at ONE Fight Night 3 – and it lived up to expectations with new champions, insane knockouts, a big win for North Africa and more – here’s the best of Kuala Lumpur.
Already the 170lbs kickboxing champion before stepping into this fight with Sinsamut Klinmee, Eersel picked up a hard-fought split decision victory to capture the ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Championship. Despite the Thai youngster’s significant pressure, Eesel was able to fight behind his jab and landed a number of powerful combinations with his hands. Klinmee was vicious with his leg kicks, but the now two-time champion just had too much in the five rounds.
Ruotolo wins the first world title in ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling
Wow Kade Ruotolo, just wow. The 19-year-old American had already won the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships this year and is now the ONE World Champion. His incredible Brazilian Jiu Jitsu had him attacking Uali Kurzhev at 4:26 of the first round. The Hawaii native was busy with multiple attempts to secure the neck the entire time, but Kurzhev’s toughness saw him fight through before being swept, passed and a heel hook sunk. An incredible performance from the teenager’s night bonus winner.
A vacant bantamweight crown
This one had plenty of drama to keep fans talking for days to come. Champion John Lineker was stripped of the pre-fight title after suffering problems on the scales, but opponent Fabricio Andrade failed to lift the title after a low blow resulted in a no contest. Andrade excelled in standing – solid combinations with his hands and hard knees to the body took their toll on Lineker. A career-defining win looked like a definite possibility until a knee connected and fractured Lineker’s cup in the third round, leaving the former champ sagging in pain and unable to continue – and no champion in the 145-pound Division.
A mixed night for the MENA region
Mehdi Zatout pulled off a stunning finish in round one to earn a TKO win over Asa Ten Pow. A barrage of knees and punches as the round reached its climax resulted in Ten Pow being unable to come out for the second round due to a facial injury. It was a big win for the French Algerian and a real statement in the bantamweight muay thai division as he also had a night bonus performance in the process.
There was less good news for two other MENA fighters, with both Iran’s Amir Naseri and Morocco’s Mohammed Boutasaa on the wrong end of decision losses.
The best of the rest
Heading into the night we said how Noelle Grandjean would become more familiar to fight fans and it proved it with a stunning first round TKO win over American Lea Bivins. Elsewhere, Russia’s Shamil Gasanov won an impressive first-round submission win over Kim Jae Woong, and Jeremy Miado earned his fourth straight KO win when he stopped Danial Williams with a stiff right hand in the third round. Grandjean and Gasanov also cashed in $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses.
More information on an incredible night in Singapore click here.
