Chen Lei Digs Deep To TKO Ahmad Qais Jasoor At ONE: SPIRIT OF A WARRIOR
The bantamweight contest between undefeated athletes Ahmad Qais Jasoor and “Rock Man” Chen Lei will be remembered for big swings in momentum, which made for a scintillating battle at ONE: SPIRIT OF A WARRIOR on Friday, 29 June.
Despite a strong showing from his opponent in his ONE Championship debut, it was Chen that left the cage with his perfect record intact thanks to a third-round TKO in Yangon, Myanmar.
However, Jasoor came closer than anyone before him in his attempts to stop the Chinese martial artist’s momentum.
“Rock Man” opened up by trying to throw off his Afghan opponent with feints and a wide guard, but Jasoor replied with low kicks, and then a takedown.
The Kabul native kept the pressure on Chen with his clinch and takedowns, and sent him to the canvas with a thunderous right hand at the end of a furious exchange of punches.
Chen’s unbeaten record was looking vulnerable as the first round ended.
Coming out for round two with a renewed vigour, the Equilibrium Beijing product stepped inside with punches and knees, before taking the sambo stylist to the mat. “Rock Man” looked strong, controlling the action from half guard and pounding away with punches and elbows for the whole round.
Jasoor spent his time between rounds slumped on the mat, which raised questions about whether the TGFC Top Team athlete would be able to continue.
However, he answered the bell and came out swinging despite clearly being fatigued. Chen took advantage of this weakness with a takedown, eventually forcing Jasoor to succumb to a flurry of right hands on the ground for a third-round TKO victory.
Chen Lei extends his perfect record to 8-0, and can now set his sights on the top of the division. Serious talk of a World Title shot will be in his future if he can record another impressive win or two.
Jasoor came close to making a huge impact in his promotional debut, but ultimately slides to 4-1 – losing his undefeated record. Despite the defeat, he seems certain to be a tough opponent for whoever he faces in his next contest.
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