Kairat Akhmetov Dominates Danny Kingad in Main Event of ONE: WINTER WARRIORS II
Kairat Akhmetov comes up big
ONE Championship (ONE) returned with ONE: WINTER WARRIORS II, a previously recorded show from the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The event featured an all-mixed martial arts main card and a lead card with MMA, kickboxing, and Muay Thai.
In the main event, #4-ranked flyweight contender and former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat Akhmetov turned in a spectacular performance, dominating #2-ranked flyweight contender Danny Kingad across three rounds. It was a fight years in the making, as the two talented flyweights finally met in the Circle after a number of failed attempts to put the bout together.
Akhmetov was relentless with his wrestling throughout the contest, consistently driving Kingad backward with powerful shots. On the ground, the Kazakhstani fighter controlled the action with technical precision. While Kingad did have his moments, they were few and far between as Akhmetov asserted himself at every juncture.
In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of “The Kazakh” to win by unanimous decision.
In the co-main event, Kwon Won Il authored a shocking knockout victory over former ONE Bantamweight World Champion and current #2-ranked contender Kevin Belingon. The tall and lanky South Korean attacked Belingon with a steady stream of punching combinations from the opening bell, while the Filipino star fired back with his patented spinning attacks. A thunderous left hook to the body in the second frame crumpled Belingon instantly, and the former bantamweight king was unable to continue. The official finish came at the 0:52 mark of round two.
Former ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash made a triumphant return to the Circle, finishing Fan Rong inside the distance after an impressive all-around showing. Bigdash was effective in nullifying Fan’s aggression, stopping the Chinese fighter’s advances with his impeccable grappling. In the third round, Bigdash foiled a takedown attempt from Fan before latching onto a guillotine choke to force the tap.
Undefeated Russian phenom Murad Ramazanov extended his winning streak to 11 with a comprehensive victory over former ONE Welterweight World Champion Zebaztian Kadestam. Ramazanov showcased his world-class wrestling skills, dominating Kadestam at every exchange. Kadestam tried his best to keep the fight standing, but to no avail, and Ramazanov cruised to a unanimous decision.
Team Lakay’s Stephen Loman put on an electric performance in his ONE Championship debut, knocking out #3-ranked bantamweight contender Yusup Saadulaev to end the Russian’s three-fight winning streak. Loman showed patience and composure in dealing with the dangerous grappler, as he peppered Saadulaev with fast punches from range. The end came when Loman connected on a left hook that sent his opponent crashing to the canvas late in the first round.
Filipino prodigy Jhanlo Sangiao was victorious in his ONE Championship debut, submitting Paul Lumihi via rear-naked choke in the first round of their bantamweight contest. The 19-year-old Sangiao, son of famous Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao, pressured Lumihi with strikes until an opportunity to take the fight to the ground presented itself. The young phenom then took Lumihi’s back and locked in the fight-ending submission, forcing the tap at 1:41 of the opening frame.
In the ONE: WINTER WARRIORS II lead card, lightweight kickboxer Arian Sadikovic scored a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over former ONE World Title challenger Mustapha Haida, #4-ranked bantamweight Fabricio Andrade spoiled the return of Li Kai Wen with a smashing knockout performance, and #3-ranked strawweight Muay Thai contender Joseph Lasiri stopped Asahi Shinagawa in the first round of their catchweight bout.
Official Results for ONE: WINTER WARRIORS II
MMA – Flyweight: Kairat Akhmetov def. Danny Kingad via Unanimous DecisionMMA – Bantamweight: Kwon Won Il def. Kevin Belingon via KO at 0:52 of R2MMA – Catchweight (95 KG): Vitaly Bigdash def. Fan Rong via Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:41 of R3MMA – Welterweight: Murad Ramazanov def. Zebaztian Kadestam via Unanimous DecisionMMA – Bantamweight: Stephen Loman def. Yusup Saadulaev via TKO at 4:09 of R1MMA – Bantamweight: Jhanlo Mark Sangiao def. Paul Lumihi via Submission (Rear-naked Choke) at 1:41 of R1Kickboxing – Lightweight: Arian Sadikovic def. Mustapha Haida via Unanimous DecisionMMA – Bantamweight: Fabricio Andrade def. Li Kai Wen via TKO at 4:41 of R1Muay Thai – Catchweight (57.85 KG): Joseph Lasiri def. Asahi Shinagawa via KO at 2:05 of R1
