22-year-old Ondash’s first fight at ONE Friday Fights 27 in Bangkok, Thailand, coincided with the third anniversary of the catastrophic blast that devastated more than half of the Lebanese capital, killing more than 220 people and injuring at least 6,500 others.
Ondash said: “I dedicate this victory to the victims of the Beirut port explosion, and I also want to dedicate it to Lebanon, which is struggling financially and economically, and I dedicate this victory to my parents.”
He continued: “In the blast we were damaged, my siblings and I, my club, our home but thank God we got back on our feet and didn’t give up.”
Check out the video of his victory Here
Despite a height disadvantage, Ondash showed his strong will during the fight against his Thai counterpart Parnpet Sor Jor Lekmuangnon, who performed in front of a home crowd at the world-famous Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
During the fight, which consists of three rounds of three minutes each, Ondash proceeded cautiously, countering Parnpet’s body kicks with punches.
In the first two rounds, Ondash seemed like going home with a loss, but his attitude of never dying allowed the Lebanese fighter to stage a fantastic comeback.
With a minute remaining, Ondash attacked relentlessly, unleashing combinations of punches against his cornered opponent who was struggling to keep up with the Lebanese’s quick and accurate work.
Ondash secured the win by knockout (KO) after his opponent lost just moments before the end of the third and final round.
With the win, Ondash secured a confidence-boosting win on his debut with the world’s largest martial arts organization, taking his professional Muay Thai record to 18-1.
Ondash, whose brothers Ahmad and Ramadan are also martial artists, recently relocated to Thailand to train at the prestigious Tiger Muay Thai gym. He was born and raised in Beirut.
The Lebanese muay thai star was the first fighter to be presented with a $10,000 performance bonus by ONE CEO and Chairman Chatri Sityodtong for his KO win.
Founded in 2011, ONE Championship hosts Muay Thai, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Kickboxing and Submission Grappling events.
