ONE Fight Night 34 Results: Rungrawee Defeats Assouik, Alyshov Finishes Pacatiw

Several mixed martial artists and Muay Thai practitioners continued their climb toward World Title gold on the supporting card of ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs. Jarvis on Prime Video, which aired live in U.S. primetime on Friday, August 1.

One athlete moved closer to a crack at the ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Championship, an undefeated Russian-Azerbaijani fighter may have earned a spot in the bantamweight MMA rankings, and a former ONE World Title challenger rebounded with a dramatic victory.

It was an exciting start to a momentous evening. Here is everything that went down at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Rungrawee Outshines Assouik In Muay Thai Masterclass

Rungrawee “Legatron” Sitsongpeenong snapped the six-year winning streak of Youssef Assouik and may have earned the next crack at the ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Championship that was up for grabs in the main event of ONE Fight Night 34.

The Sitsongpeenong representative displayed his high-level striking IQ throughout the three-round thriller, using his smarts to shut down the reach advantage of his 6-foot-3 Danish-Moroccan opponent.

Every time Assouik fired off rangy punches, Rungrawee blasted his body with kicks. If not that attack, then he closed the distance and roughed up his adversary with knees from the inside. His output was enough to convince all three judges to give him the nod.

The 29-year-old improved his all-striking record to a whopping 158-48 and may have entered the World Title conversation.

Alyshov Gets It Done In Two Against Pacatiw

Elbek Alyshov had a promotional debut to remember. The 26-year-old kept his flawless record intact and elevated his nearly perfect finishing rate as he took out #5-ranked bantamweight MMA contender Jeremy “The Juggernaut” Pacatiw in the second round.

The undefeated Russian-Azerbaijani fighter displayed controlled aggression from the get-go. As soon as the opening bell rang, he dragged Pacatiw to the canvas and hunted for the submission throughout the first stanza. He may not have found it then, but in the next canto, Alyshov hit the target.

In round two, he slammed the Filipino to the canvas and immediately sunk in an arm-triangle choke. The Russian-Azerbaijani dynamo squeezed with all his might, giving Pacatiw no choice but to tap at 1:17.

Alyshov improved to 9-0 and made a strong case to take Pacatiw’s #5 spot in the rankings.

Takeuchi Runs Through Kang In Wild Heavyweight Battle

Ryugo Takeuchi proved that with a full training camp he can be the heavyweight MMA division’s next biggest threat. The 22-year-old Japanese rising star brilliantly bounced back from a tough loss in his short-notice promotional debut four months ago, as he decimated “Mighty Warrior” Kang Ji Won in just 98 seconds.

Seconds after the opening bell rang, Takeuchi came out swinging sledgehammers at Kang. The South Korean, eating shots and overwhelmed with pressure, fell into the fetal position. The Japanese fighter rained down punches, but he got a warning for hitting “Mighty Warrior” on the back of the head.

When the action continued, Takeuchi went right back on the attack, flooring his foe with a flurry of punches. He then jumped on Kang and blasted him with hammerfists until the referee stopped the contest.

With the devastating finish, Takeuchi nudged his MMA record to 5-1 and earned a US$50,000 performance bonus from ONE CEO and Chairman Chatri Sityodtong.

Barboza Stuns Adukhov With Come-From-Behind TKO

“El Jefe” Ellis Badr Barboza survived an early scare to score a third-round TKO victory over Shamil Adukhov in their strawweight Muay Thai opener.

The 25-year-old from Team Mehdi Zatout took an eight-count in the first frame after getting snuffed with a spinning elbow. He got back to his feet, survived the round, and began to rally back in the second. But in the third stanza, that’s where the British fighter took control.

Barboza dropped Adukhov with a straight right punch to the body. The Russian regained his composure, but moments later, “El Jefe” dropped him again with a flurry of punches and a knee, forcing the referee to wave off the action at the 2:08 mark of the round.

With the victory, Barboza improved to 18-6 and put himself back in the win column after failing to capture Prajanchai PK Saenchai‘s ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title in February.

Gasanov, Grishenko, And Suakim Emerge Victorious At ONE Fight Night 34

In other action on the supporting card of ONE Fight Night 34, #3-ranked featherweight MMA contender Shamil “The Cobra” Gasanov avenged his only career loss. The Dagestani evened the score against former tormentor Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon, defeating the American by unanimous decision in a grueling three-round war.

Former ONE Interim Heavyweight MMA World Title challenger Kirill Grishenko inched closer to another shot at gold after he handed previously undefeated Canadian wrecking machine Ben “Vanilla Thunder” Tynan the first loss of his career. Shockingly, the two wrestlers chose to stand and trade for most of the 15-minute clash, resulting in a unanimous decision win for the Belarusian.

And in his U.S. primetime debut, Thailand’s Suakim Sor Jor Tongprajin defeated Turkish striker Zafer Sayik by unanimous decision after the two lit up Lumpinee Stadium in a bantamweight Muay Thai firefight.

Source