Shadow's Spinning Backfist Stuns Kouyate, Ruotolo Shines In MMA Debut At ONE Fight Night 35

ONE Fight Night 35: Buntan vs. Hemetsberger on Prime Video got off to an explosive start this past Friday, September 5.

All the competitors scheduled for action at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium were noticeably fired up, as every MMA, Muay Thai, and kickboxing match leading up to the headline attraction ended in highlight-reel fashion.

It was a breathtaking start to the U.S. primetime event. Here is everything that went down in the first seven battles of ONE Fight Night 35.

Shadow Finishes Kouyate With Explosive Spinning Backfist

Never count out a man who is fighting for something bigger than himself. Third-ranked featherweight Muay Thai contender Shadow Singha Mawynn proved this in his co-main event battle against #2-ranked Bampara Kouyate.

From the get-go, it seemed like Kouyate’s strategy was to play it safe and counter the straight right punches coming from the son of a former potato picker. But that only gave Shadow confidence, as nearly all of Kouyate’s counters failed to land.

As the fight wore on, Shadow kept pressing and attacking. At the same time, the Malian-Frenchman kept retreating and defending.

Then in round two, Shadow launched his left leg at Kouyate, who evaded by swaying backward. The Thai then used the miss to step into a spinning backfist, which crashed into his foe’s temple.

Kouyate stumbled backward, paused, and then fell to the canvas. He was able to regain his footing during the eight-count, but the referee decided to stop the bout at the 1:20 mark of round two as the Malian-Frenchman tried to re-enter the fight but stumbled sideways.

In victory, Shadow improved his record to 81-13 and made a strong case to challenge for Tawanchai PK Saenchai‘s ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title. He also earned a US$50,000 performance bonus as he celebrated the victory alongside his lifelong inspiration – his mother.

Abdullaev Demolishes Dauev, Maintains Perfect Record

Top-ranked featherweight MMA contender Akbar Abdullaev showed why he is one of the most feared athletes in the world’s largest martial arts organization, as he stopped Ibragim Dauev in the waning moments of their three-round clash.

Dauev imposed his wrestling in the opening frame, driving the Kyrgyz finisher to the canvas and even threatening with a triangle choke. Abdullaev, however, escaped and turned the tables with heavy strikes.

The Russian shot for another takedown in the second, but Abdullaev sprawled to secure a dominant position, where he hammered Dauev with punches and elbows from above.

In the final round, Abdullaev showed even more urgency to get the finish. He landed a left high kick, followed by a crisp left hand and a sharp right that sent Dauev tumbling to the mat. Smelling blood in the water, he pounced on his rival and unloaded relentless ground strikes until the referee stopped the contest at the 3:49 mark.

With the win, Abdullaev moved his record to 13-0 and maintained his flawless 100 percent finishing rate.

Rambolek Continues Destructive Run Against Kovtun

Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon promised to stop the Russian takeover in ONE Championship, and the Thai warrior made good on his promise in his bantamweight Muay Thai banger with Dmitrii “The Silent Assassin” Kovtun.

It wasn’t all one-way traffic, however.

Kovtun punished Rambolek in the opening stanza with inside low kicks and crisp boxing combinations, forcing the #4-ranked contender to adjust on the fly – and adjust he did.

In the second round, the man with the hardest hands in the division came out with a refined game plan that included counter-attacking the Russian’s punches. Kovtun, in the midst of backing up Rambolek with an accurate combination, left himself open for one of those counters. The Thai twisted into a left hook and planted “The Silent Assassin” on his backside.

Though Kovtun slowly got back to his feet, he was still visibly on dream street, so the referee stopped the contest at the 2:01 mark of round two. With the win, Rambolek improved his record to 66-14.

Ruotolo Submits Lee In MMA Debut

ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo made his lightweight MMA debut against the previously undefeated Adrian “The Phenom” Lee – and the outcome was everything the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu prodigy expected.

Both competitors threw themselves straight into the flames when the match started. Chin-clipping punches, single-leg takedowns, and near-submissions filled round one, as the fans inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium cheered for their favorite fighter during every monumental shift in action.

Ruotolo and Lee once again took turns controlling the pace of the bout in round two, but when the duo hit the canvas, the former sunk in a rear-naked choke and squeezed with the force of a vice. “The Phenom” had no choice but to tap out at the 4:14 mark of the second frame.

The California native celebrated his first MMA victory alongside his twin brother Kade, the reigning ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion who has also made a name for himself in MMA. Making the occasion even sweeter is the US$50,000 performance bonus he earned for his outstanding highlight-reel finish.

Ghazali Secures Much-Needed First-Round TKO Over El Jamari

Johan “Jojo” Ghazali launched himself back into the win column with a first-round TKO of Zakaria El Jamari in their flyweight Muay Thai showdown.

As soon as the bell for round one reverberated off the walls of Lumpinee Stadium, the two strikers stood in the center of the ring where they traded punches and elbows.

Ghazali began to get the better of the Moroccan, who backed himself into a corner and shelled up amid the whirlwind of attacks from the 18-year-old sensation.

The American-Malaysian teen star continued to batter his opponent until a final right elbow dropped El Jamari, forcing the referee to wave off the contest at the 2:10 mark of round one.

The first-round victory improved Ghazali’s all-striking record to 26-9.

Salcedo Stuns Aragon With First-Round Submission

Unbeaten American star Natalie Salcedo enjoyed a successful promotional debut, as she forced Argentine judoka Macarena Aragon to tap out at the 2:42 mark of the opening stanza.

Once the bell rang to begin the atomweight MMA battle, Aragon darted out of her corner, fired off punches at the Colorado resident, and dragged her to the canvas. Salcedo tried to bring the action back to the feet, but Aragon was determined to keep the fight on the mat.

Salcedo utilized her BJJ black belt expertise and hunted for a triangle choke. Aragon defended well, but in the midst of a chaotic scramble, the American locked in an armbar. She pulled and twisted on the Argentine’s limb like it was made of rubber, and the latter succumbed to the pain and tapped out.

With the win, Salcedo remains undefeated and proved she’s an instant threat in the division.

Hyu Rallies Back To Stop Estupinan

Undefeated warriors Hyu Iwata and Jordan Estupinan threw down in flyweight kickboxing action, but only one man walked away with his perfect record still intact.

It seemed like everything was going according to plan for Estupinan in rounds one and two, as he used his trademark spinning and jumping attacks to confuse the Japanese star.

But in the third frame, Hyu finally found his rhythm and timing. Nearly 40 seconds into the stanza, he smacked the Colombian with an overhand left, which sent his foe back on shaky legs into the ropes. It was enough to warrant a standing eight-count, but Estupinan answered the call.

Moments later, Hyu leapt into the air and cracked his rival with a jumping knee to the chin. Estupinan crashed onto the canvas, but again, he answered the referee’s eight-count. Once the action resumed, the Japanese star wouldn’t give him a chance to breathe, as he pummeled the Colombian with one-twos until the referee was forced to stop the contest at the 1:45 mark of round three.

The TKO victory improved Hyu’s record to 12-0 and earned him a US$50,000 performance bonus. Estupinan, meanwhile, suffered his first career loss.

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