Anatoly Malykhin Knocks Out Kirill Grishenko to Capture ONE Interim Heavyweight World Championship
Anatoly Malykhin claims gold
ONE Championship (ONE) returned with ONE: BAD BLOOD, which aired live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The stacked fight card featured a showdown for the ONE Interim Heavyweight World Championship and a battle between highly ranked flyweight Muay Thai contenders.
In the main event, undefeated Russian powerhouse Anatoly Malykhin maintained his unblemished record, knocking out previously unbeaten Kirill Grishenko to capture the ONE Interim Heavyweight World Championship.
Malykhin’s overwhelming speed and power was on display almost immediately as he stalked Grishenko across the Circle. A stream of heavy left and right hands forced the Belarusian on the defensive. With Malykhin continuing to unload, it was only a matter of time before a fight-ending strike connected. That punch came late in the second round, with Malykhin separating Grishenko from his senses to score the thrilling stoppage victory.
Along with the interim belt, Malykhin earned a pair of US$50,000 bonuses for his electric performance.
In the co-main event, former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Jonathan Haggerty overcame a spirited effort from Lumpinee Stadium Champion Mongkolpetch Petchyindee to score a unanimous decision victory. Second-ranked Haggerty came out firing in the first round, forcing #4-ranked Mongkolpetch to the back foot with lightning-quick combinations. Mongkolpetch hurt the Englishman in the second round when he launched a furious offensive, landing a variety of strikes. In the middle of the third round, Haggerty connected with his razor-like right elbow, creating some damage over his Thai opponent’s left eye. He then put the pressure on Mongkolpetch until the final bell, earning the pivotal win and a US$50,000 performance bonus.
Chinese firecracker Chen Rui put himself back on the winning track by defeating Mark Abelardo in a three-round bantamweight barn burner. Abelardo looked to rush at Chen with a volley of haymakers, but the latter showcased incredible resistance. Each time Abelardo barreled his way to the inside, Chen connected with precise counterpunching. In the end, the Chinese athlete’s sharper strikes trumped Abelardo’s bullish strength, as he claimed the victory by unanimous decision.
In a battle of youth and experience, rising star Jihin Radzuan outlasted two-time ONE Women’s Atomweight World Title challenger Mei Yamaguchi for a hard-fought victory. Yamaguchi’s superior striking power was evident early, as she landed a plethora of thudding right hands in the first 10 minutes. But Jihin was able to stave off the majority of her opponent’s attacks, while she scored with strikes of her own. In the end, the superficial damage Yamaguchi incurred worked against her, as Jihin earned a tight unanimous decision.
ONE Championship debutant Woo Sung Hoon scored a scintillating knockout victory, stopping Yodkaikaew Fairtex in just 18 seconds to record the second-fastest KO in ONE flyweight history. Yodkaikaew started off aggressively with his kicks, but Woo caught the Thai fighter with a right hand to the temple as he came forward. The South Korean followed up with a pair of uppercuts to seal the deal, taking home a US$50,000 performance bonus for his efforts.
Danial Williams returned to mixed martial arts competition and knocked out former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke in the second round. The two former Muay Thai World Champions went to war from the opening bell, as they met at the center of the Circle to trade power shots. Williams got the better of Dejdamrong in the majority of the exchanges, and then he connected on a crushing body shot to crumple his Thai opponent and end matters abruptly.
In the ONE: BAD BLOOD lead card, Dustin Joynson overcame a game challenger in heavyweight newcomer Hugo Cunha to win by split decision after three grueling rounds. Highly regarded atomweight Lin Heqin used her height and reach advantage to keep Bi Nguyen at bay and cruise to a unanimous decision victory. And newcomer Odie Delaney defeated Thomas Narmo with an impressive finish, securing a shoulder lock from mount to force the tap and record the fastest submission in ONE heavyweight history.
The Sunoto vs. Tial Thang bantamweight mixed martial arts bout ended in a no-contest ruling after Sunoto took an illegal knee strike to the groin and was unable to continue.
Official Results for ONE: BAD BLOOD
MMA – Heavyweight: Anatoly Malykhin def. Kirill Grishenko via KO at 3:42 of R2Muay Thai – Flyweight: Jonathan Haggerty def. Mongkolpetch Petchyindee via Unanimous DecisionMMA – Bantamweight: Chen Rui def. Mark Abelardo via Unanimous DecisionMMA – Catchweight (53.5 KG): Jihin Radzuan def. Mei Yamaguchi via Unanimous DecisionMMA – Flyweight: Woo Sung Hoon def. Yodkaikaew Fairtex via KO at 0:18 of R1MMA – Strawweight: Danial Williams def. Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke via KO at 1:35 of R2MMA – Heavyweight: Dustin Joynson def. Hugo Cunha via Split DecisionMMA – Atomweight: Lin Heqin def. Bi Nguyen via Unanimous DecisionMMA – Heavyweight: Odie Delaney def. Thomas Narmo via Submission (Shoulder Lock) at 1:06 of R1MMA – Bantamweight: Sunoto-Tial Thang ends in a No-Contest (Illegal groin strike)
