Thrilling bouts kick off ONE: WARRIORS OF THE WORLD in exciting fashion

There were three thrilling bouts on the preliminary card of ONE: WARRIORS OF THE WORLD in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, 9 December.

As the last card in a huge year for the promotion, every athlete was eager to end it on a high, and the preliminary competitors got the ball rolling with fittingly explosive performances.

Sityodtong Powers Through Mardian With One-Punch Knockout

The Thai favorite brought the crowd to a crescendo in the final bout of the preliminary card. Former WBA Super Featherweight Champion Yodsanan “Little Tyson” Sityodtong’s striking credentials are almost unrivaled, and he used them to devastating effect against Indonesia’s Dodi “The Maung” Mardian, finishing with a first round knockout.

It was Mardian who was on the offense early, aiming a kick at the head of “Little Tyson.” But as the 43-year old replied, it was clear the power advantage was in his favor.

“The Maung” would not back down and was brave in his game plan, although it would not be a sensible one. After first getting dropped as he walked into a jab from the southpaw, he was then forced to the fence and penned in by Sityodtong.

Able to limit Mardian’s movement, “Little Tyson” took aim with a simple jab, cross combination, the latter shot landing right on the jaw with pinpoint accuracy, sending Mardian to the canvas. Referee Kemp Cheng had no choice but to step in and stop the match at 1:32 of round one.

With so many years of competing, it is amazing to see Sityodtong still having success in competition, as he moved on to 4-1 in the cage following his incredible 57-3-1 boxing slate.

“I hope to one day fight for the ONE [Flyweight] World Title,” he explained of his renewed motivation.

Kongsrichai Keeps Perfect Finishing Rate With First-Round Stoppage

With the home crowd in his favor, 13-time Thailand wrestling champion Kritsada “Dream Man” Kongsrichai went up against Filipino wushu champion Rabin “The Rock” Catalan in the night’s second contest.

“Dream Man” successfully kept his world championship aspirations alive, registering his sixth first-round finish in as many victories, this time thanks to a sustained ground and pound attack over his durable adversary.

Despite what many predicted, it was Kongsrichai who came out looking to strike, and Catalan who looked to initiate the first takedown. The Filipino’s efforts were in vain, after having his efforts stifled and then being tripped to the canvas himself. Kongsrichai beckoned him back up to his feet, as if to say he had proven his point.

Again, “Dream Man” hunted his man down with strikes, and forced Catalan to attempt a second takedown. Again, Catalan’s single leg attempt was deftly countered, and reversed as he was put on the canvas.

This time, the Thai would not let up on his ground assault. He strategically moved from the knee-on-belly position to mount, where he smiled and landed devastating punches and elbows.

Catalan gave up his back, and Kongsrichai kept up the pressure with his strikes until referee Kemp Cheng was forced to stop the contest at 3:01.

Moving on to 6-3 and with five wins in his last six contests, the Thai finisher is surely among the division’s top contenders.

Tang De Pan Dominant In Defeat Of Asraful Islam

China’s Tang De Pan met Bangladesh’s first-ever athlete to grace the ONE cage, Asraful “Warrior” Islam, in the opening contest at ONE: WARRIORS OF THE WORLD, and the pair engaged in an entertaining three-round bantamweight battle.

It was Tang who would emerge victorious with the unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards, scoring well with ground control and heavy strikes throughout the bout.

Islam used his footwork and boxing ability well at the start of the first round, fending off the attacks of the Chinese athlete and negating his attempts to clinch.

However, Tang’s tenacity paid off, and he landed a big hip throw that sent “Warrior” crashing to the mat. From there, he controlled the rest of the round with relative ease, moving between dominant positions and landing some hard ground and pound.

The second and third rounds were contested on the feet, and it could have been an opportunity for Bangladeshi wushu champion Islam to come into his own. However, the relentless forward pressure of Tang never really allowed the Dhaka man to flourish. Instead, powerful overhand rights and kicks flew in Islam’s direction time after time.

Islam’s chin kept him in the match, and he showed the occasional sign of his boxing skills, but he was outworked by his Chinese foe, ultimately paying the price on aggression and damage.

Tang rallied for a finish, but could not seal the deal, eventually settling for the decision win and moving to 2-0 in the ONE cage.

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