SINGAPORE – ONE Championship returned with “ONE Championship: Lights Out,” which aired live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Two epic world title bouts headlined the show, as one defending world champion retained his belt with a fast finish, while the other succumbed to a bitter rival.

In the main event, reigning ONE featherweight world champion Thanh Le (13-2) retained his belt after making quick work of No. 2-ranked featherweight contender and submission grappling icon Garry Tonon (6-1), winning by knockout in the first round.

Le attacked from the outside, using his lateral movement to keep Tonon from closing the distance. Once the action hit close quarters, however, Tonon dove for the legs and grabbed hold of the defending world champion’s ankle. While fishing for his signature leg lock submission, the challenger left himself exposed, and Le took advantage. A series of bludgeoning right hands connected for the Vietnamese-American, separating Tonon from his senses just under a minute into the bout.

In the co-main event, No. 1 contender John Lineker (35-9) knocked out Bibiano Fernandes (24-5) to claim the ONE bantamweight world championship. It was a furious start in the first round, with both men trading wild hooks at the center of the Circle. Fernandes mixed it up well, taking Lineker down to the mat after hurting him on the feet. But “Hands of Stone” was a man on a mission, and in the second round, his unbridled power proved too much for the longtime world champion to handle. After pushing Fernandes up against the circle wall, Lineker connected with a huge left hook that ended matters abruptly. 

Former two-division ONE world champion Martin Nguyen (14-5) put together a brilliant showcase of power and precision, finishing promotional newcomer Kirill Gorobets (11-2) in the final stanza of a three-round war. Gorobets was elusive and problematic for Nguyen early, as he used his speed to land strikes from the outside. But it wasn’t long before Nguyen started to take over. An overwhelming flurry from the Vietnamese-Australian had Gorobets on unsteady footing in the final moments of the second round. Nguyen sealed the deal in the third round with an endless volley of right hands to score the TKO.

Indonesian strawweight star Adrian Mattheis (10-5) notched the biggest victory of his career, as he stopped No. 5-ranked contender and former ONE strawweight world champion Alex Silva (11-7). Silva was dominant from the opening bell, showcasing his superior wrestling and grappling skills in the first five minutes of the contest. But Mattheis survived the constant ground attack and then dropped Silva with a monstrous right hand just five seconds into the second round. The TKO was the Indonesian’s ninth finish in ONE’s strawweight MMA division, an all-time record.

MAIN CARD RESULTS

• Thanh Le def. Garry Tonon via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:56 to retain featherweight title
• John Lineker def. Bibiano Fernandes via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 3:40 to claim bantamweight title
• Martin Nguyen def. Kirill Gorobets via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:18
• Adrian Mattheis def. Alex Silva via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:05

PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

• Eko Roni Saputra def. Chan Rothana via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:34