ONE Championship (ONE) kicked off its historic series of weekly events at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium with ONE Friday Fights 1, headlined by a battle for the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title. ONE Championship, in partnership with leading premium lifestyle and luxury performance brand TUMI, presented the prestigious ONE World Title belt to the World Champion.
Seksan vs Tyson Harrison
There’s only one word to describe the first half of the historic ONE Friday Fights 1 event: incredible. Seksan Or. Kwanmuang and Tyson Harrison delivered an early contender for Fight of the Year.
Thai icon Seksan showed the world why his moniker is “The Man Who Yields To No One,” as he went toe-to-toe with the rising Australian star for three furious rounds. Both men came out of the blocks firing, with Seksan throwing spinning elbows and flurries of punches, while “John Wayne Noi” took aim with thudding punches. The duo were more than happy to absorb fierce strikes to the head and body to land their own, and neither took a backward step.
Harrison ramped up his work with his hands in round two, jolting his foe’s head with hooks and uppercuts. But every time Seksan looked rocked, he immediately fired back with punches. Elbows flew from every direction, and the Bangkok crowd roared in delight.
“The Man Who Yields To No One” switched up his game plan in round three, as he smashed in hard left kicks to his rival’s body, but the Aussie absorbed them and returned fire with elbows and knees. Seksan then opted for some clinch work, scoring on the inside to grab some late points with the judges after the razor-close affair.
With three fascinating rounds in the books, local hero Seksan took the nod via the closest of split decisions. Following the 140-pound catchweight tilt, it was revealed that the victory came on his 34th birthday. As an added birthday present, ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong awarded him with a massive US$50,000 performance bonus for his efforts, and the bout also earned the ‘Monster Energy Fight of the Night’ title.
Main Event Recap
In the main event, reigning ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao retained his gold with a scintillating third-round knockout of former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Alaverdi Ramazanov.
Ramazanov came out firing in the first round, pushing Nong-O on the back foot with fast and powerful combinations. The Thai legend picked his spots, as he looked to attack the legs with chopping low kicks.
In the second stanza, Ramazanov continued to use his length to keep Nong-O at bay, tagging the defending World Champion with sharp push kicks, and a series of hooks.
Nong-O found his rhythm in the third round, as the hometown hero put the pressure on Ramazanov with a variety of strikes from mid-range. Sensing that the Russian was fading, Nong-O went on the offensive and punished his challenger with ripping shots to the head and body.
Finally, ann explosive left hook to the liver sent Ramazanov crashing to the canvas, and he could not answer the referee’s 10-count. With the win, Nong-O remained unbeaten in ONE Championship and also took home a US$50,000 bonus for his performance.
In the co-main event, former ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Prajanchai PK. Saenchai scored a knockdown in the second round against Kompetch Sitsarawatsuer to win on points.
Kompetch pushed the pace in the first stanza, keeping his Thai compatriot on the defensive. However, Prajanchai came alive in the second frame, peppering his opponent with fiery combinations on the inside.
A straight right hand dropped Kompetch, but he was able to beat the referee’s count. The third round saw both men have their moments in what was no doubt an exciting matchup. Ultimately, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Prajanchai to win by unanimous decision.
Performance bonus winners:
Nong-O Gaiyanghadao (US$50,000), Seksan Or. Kwanmuang (US$50,000), Muangthai PK.Saenchai (US$10,000)
ONE Friday Fights 1 Complete Results
Nong-O Gaiyanghadao defeats Alaverdi Ramazanov via KO at 2:14 of round three to retain the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title
Prajanchai PK.Saenchai defeats Kompetch Sitsarawatsuer via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – strawweight)
Khunsueklek Ufaboomdeksean defeats Petbanrai Singha Mawynn via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – atomweight)
Komawut FA.Group defeats Sansiri Pet Por.Tor.Or via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – catchweight 151 lbs)
Sonrak Fairtex defeats Tai Sor.Jor.Piekuthai via majority decision (Muay Thai – flyweight)
Sagaengarm Jitmuangnon defeats Suayai Chor.Haapayak via KO at 2:47 of round one (Muay Thai – catchweight 112 lbs)
Seksan Or. Kwanmuang defeats Tyson Harrison via split decision (Muay Thai – catchweight of 140 pounds)
Richard Godoy defeats Alexy Lyapunov via split decision (MMA – lightweight)
Muangthai PK.Saenchai defeats Mavlud Tupiev via unanimous decision (Muay Thai– catchweight of 147 pounds)
Josh Hill defeats Keivan Soleimani via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – catchweight of 177 pounds)
Colton Kielbasa defeats Akihiro Fujisawa via submission (rear-naked choke) via 0:57 of round one (MMA – flyweight)
Mohammad Sadeghi defeats Angelos Giakoumis via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – flyweight)
Image Credit ONE Championship
