ONE Championship continued to deliver intense martial arts action this past weekend at ONE Fight Night 13, and finishes dominated the card once again.
While Chingiz Allazov and Marat Grigorian went to the judges’ scorecards in their main event world title tussle at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, there was a swathe of thrilling fights that didn’t see the final bell.
Here’s a breakdown of three of the best finishes from the August 4 blockbuster.
John Lineker
https://www.instagram.com/p/reel:CvjEem6tVwC
John Lineker (36-10) proved once again that punching power is the great leveler in mixed martial arts.
The Brazilian veteran’s bout with Kim Jae Woong was well on its way to going to points until he finished his South Korean foe with a signature left hook right before the buzzer in the final round.
The former bantamweight king found his way back to the winner’s column with the nail-biting KO victory, and he reminded the world that he’s always a threat in the stacked division.
Tawanchai PK.Saenchai
https://www.instagram.com/p/reel:CvjIsR6tVn8
ONE featherweight muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK.Saenchai showed the world that his skills that have dominated his sport for the last two years transferred perfectly to ONE’s kickboxing ranks on Friday night.
The 24-year-old was utterly ruthless in his demolition of Davit Kiria, as he unleashed a barrage of left kicks on the Georgian kickboxing veteran, and one of those devastating strikes brought an end to proceedings in the third round.
Kiria blocked a kick thrown by Tawanchai, and when it connected with his arm, he instantly waved himself out of action.
Scans of limb later revealed that the impact had broken a bone.
Tawanchai entered the bout hoping to kick off a run at a second world title, and his brutal victory undoubtedly sent a resounding message to the featherweight kickboxing division.
Elias Mahmoudi
https://www.instagram.com/p/reel:Cvi6bm1N6ix
Flyweight muay Thai contender Elias Mahmoudi announced his return to ONE in style at ONE Fight Night 13.
“The Sniper” showed no signs of ring rust from his two-year layoff, and he needed less than two minutes to send Mexico’s Edgar Tabares to the canvas three times en route to a TKO victory.
The ultra-talented Algerian was in scintillating form from the opening bell, and his knees from the clinch ultimately proved too much for Tabares.
Mahmoudi came into Friday’s event ranked fifth in the flyweight muay Thai division, and his latest win showed that he is primed to challenge for the divisional crown once again.
