ONE Championship™ (ONE) returned with ONE: 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.
[Official ONE: LIGHTS OUT Photo Gallery]
In the main event, reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion Thanh Le retained his belt after making quick work of #2-ranked featherweight contender and submission grappling icon Garry Tonon, 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, #1 contender John Lineker knocked out Bibiano Fernandes 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 put together a brilliant showcase of power and precision, finishing promotional newcomer Kirill Gorobets 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.
In a ONE Super Series kickboxing matchup, hard-hitting Iranian striker Iraj Azizpour scored a come-from-behind knockout victory over Ismael Londt. Londt dominated the first round, tagging Azizpour with powerful combinations like it was target practice. But the Iranian survived the onslaught and turned the tide at the end of the round. With his opponent still reeling in the second frame, Azizpour imposed his will, knocking Londt down twice to force the referee to call a halt to the contest.
Indonesian strawweight star Adrian Mattheis notched the biggest victory of his career, as he stopped #5-ranked contender and former ONE Strawweight World Champion Alex Silva. 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.
Kicking off the main card of ONE: LIGHTS OUT, ONE Championship debutant Zhang Peimian put forth a blistering kickboxing performance, stopping Josh Tonna inside of two rounds with a relentless body attack. The 18-year-old phenom knocked Tonna down once in the first round and then three more times in the second to score the technical knockout victory.
[READ: ONE: LIGHTS OUT Lead Card: Saputra, Barlow, Nolan Score Quick Finishes, Lin Wins Kickboxing Debut]
Main Card Results
MMA - Featherweight: Thanh Le def. Garry Tonon via knockout at 0:56 of round one
MMA - Bantamweight: John Lineker def. Bibiano Fernandes via knockout at 3:40 of round two
MMA - Featherweight: Martin Nguyen def. Kirill Gorobets via TKO at 2:18 of round three
Kickboxing - Catchweight (123.80 KG): Iraj Azizpour def. Ismael Londt via knockout at 2:01 of round two
MMA - Strawweight: Adrian Mattheis def. Alex Silva via TKO at 0:05 of round two
Kickboxing - Strawweight: Zhang Peimian def. Josh Tonna via TKO at 2:11 of round two
Lead Card Results
MMA - Flyweight: Eko Roni Saputra def. Chan Rothana via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:34 of round one
Muay Thai - Strawweight: Iman Barlow def. Daniela Lopez via TKO at 1:39 of round one
Muay Thai - Catchweight (79.55 KG): Liam Nolan def. Kim Kyung Lock via TKO at 1:02 of round one
Kickboxing - Strawweight: Lin Heqin def. Milagros Lopez via unanimous decision. (PR)