The winners had plenty to say after claiming victory at ONE Fight Night 12 this past weekend, with several stars calling for their next challenge in the promotion on another eventful night of action inside the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, July 14.
We’ve compiled a list of the best quotes from the post-fight interviews at the star-studded event, and here they are in no particular order.
Superlek Kiatmoo9
ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 continued his march through the ONE’s muay Thai ranks on Friday with a two-round demolition of surging Russian contender Tagir Khalilov in card’s main event.
The striking star made it clear that he plans to continue to campaign in “the art of eight limbs” following the win, and he threw down a gauntlet to flyweight muay Thai king Rodtang Jitmuangnon while also noting that he has ONE bantamweight muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty in his sights.
“I’m not content with my performance. I still want to be No. 1 in my weight class for muay Thai,” Superlek said.
“I want to face Rodtang, but no matter what happens, I still want to fight Haggerty. Even if they both fought each other, I’d still want to fight Haggerty.”
Garry Tonon
ONE veteran Garry Tonon (8-1) took a significant leap towards another shot at featherweight mixed martial arts gold at ONE Fight Night 12 by scoring a gutsy second-round submission win over previously undefeated star Shamil Gasanov.
“The Lion Killer” gave an honest assessment of the onslaught he endured from his foe before turning the tide with a kneebar in the co-main event showdown.
“Alright, before we say anything, he beat the sh-t out of me out there. So, give a round of applause for Shamil. Thank God for submissions,” Tonon quipped.
“Oh man, every knee was terrible. I was just doing my absolute best to defend, find my way to a leg, get a little closer to him to make those knees a little more difficult and then do what I do best.”
The No. 2-ranked featherweight contender then announced what he has in mind next.
“Next up is the championship, baby. Let’s go. Give me that belt,” Tonon said.
Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom
Rising muay Thai phenom Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom made a statement in her debut on ONE’s main roster on Friday night, needing just 26 seconds to dispatch former world title challenger Lara Fernandez.
With the biggest win of her promotional tenure under her belt, “The Queen” delighted in breaking down the record win, and she didn’t mince words when it came to what she’s looking for next.
“I feel so relieved and very happy. Actually, I wanted to show more skills to the audience tonight. When I landed the first shot, I saw her get a bit dizzy, so I took the opportunity to throw a big combination and give my all,” Phetjeeja said.
“Next fight, I want to fight the champion. I want to fight with you, Allycia. Let’s go. You fight with me, OK?”
Amir Aliakbari
The wildest post-fight interview of the night has to go to heavyweight star Amir Aliakbari (13-3).
The hulking Iranian made short work of Canada’s Dustin Joynson at ONE Fight Night 12, and he quickly turned his attention to newly crowned ONE heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin when proceedings came to an end.
“Alhamdulillah for this victory. Chatri, thank you for this opportunity, but you said before that Malykhin is the best heavyweight in the world,” Aliakbari said to ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
“Now, I’m going to show you who is the f-cking best heavyweight in the world. Give me this f-cking fight. Malykhin, come to see me, bro. Come up.”
“Sladkiy,” who was in attendance at the spectacle, duly answered Aliakbari’s invite to join him in the ring, and the pair got into a brief tangle before being separated.
Not satisfied with the face-to-face he got, the Tehran native had some parting words for the Russian superstar as he returned to his seat.
“Next time, I will come for the belt. Malykhin, are you ready?” Aliakbari shouted.
