ONE Friday Fights 100 served up the most exciting edition of the hottest weekly combat sports showcase yet when it took over the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 14.
The 12-fight card was nothing short of spectacular, and it saw a record-breaking number of fighters earn a coveted US$100,000 contract to compete on ONE Championship’s global roster.
In case you missed any of the intense action at this week’s centennial show, here’s what went down live in Asia primetime.
Muangthai PK Saenchai unleashed his signature style to stop Ibragim Abdulmedzhidov in the third round of their 137-pound Muay Thai affair.
Abdulmedzhidov took control of the early going with big knees and axe kicks, but Muangthai remained relaxed and used the opening minutes to study his unorthodox foe.
In round two, the former Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai World Champion utilized his clinch game to down Abdulmedzhidov with an onslaught of punches and elbows. He then swarmed the Russian in the third frame, draining what was left of his gas tank with knees, elbows, and sweeps.
An accidental slip saw both men hit the mat, where Abdulmedzhidov failed to answer the referee’s count. As a result, “Elbow Zombie” was handed the TKO win at 1:06 of round three, pushing his career slate to 206-46 overall.
After falling to a knockout loss in their Muay Thai bout, Nieky “The Natural” Holzken returned the favor against Sinsamut Klinmee when they ran it back in 175-pound kickboxing.
Holzken started strong by beating up the Thai star’s lead leg and wobbling him with a spinning back kick.
“Aquaman” let his hands go in response and unloaded a pinpoint right cross that sent the Dutch legend crashing to the canvas.
But Holzken rose to his feet and immediately pushed forward. He cornered Sinsamut and unleashed a hellacious right hand that connected with his temple and sent him to the shadow realm at 1:58 mark of round one.
With highlight-reel reel KO win, Holzken pushed his career slate to 95-18 and took home a cool US$50,000 performance bonus.
Suakim Sor Jor Tongprajin put on a masterful performance en route to stopping Komawut FA Group in their 140-pound Muay Thai war.
The former three-division Lumpinee Stadium World Champion absorbed several overhand rights in the opening round. But he soon cracked the code.
Komawut pressed forward and cornered Suakim in round two. However, in doing so, he walked into a slicing elbow from his Thai compatriot that opened a deep cut and sent him to the mat.
The FA Group man beat the count, but Suakim immediately closed the distance with a flying knee that he followed up with four crushing elbows to secure the TKO at 0:30 of round two.
The victory was Suakim’s fourth in a row in ONE Championship. It moved his career slate to 153-59 secured him a US$100,000 contract to compete on the promotion’s main roster.
Jaosuayai Mor Krungthepthonburi passed the toughest test of his career with flying colors when he knocked out Denis Puric in the second round of their flyweight Muay Thai contest.
Knowing his foe’s style, the 23-year-old immediately took the fight to Puric. He landed clean, crisp high kicks and punching combinations to dominate the first frame.
Jaosuayai pushed the pace in the second round, despite Puric lunging in with intent. He pinned the Bosnian-Canadian veteran against the ropes and dropped him with a fiery frenzy of punches.
Puric answered the count, but the Sor Dechapan star shot straight in straight and ended proceedings with a beautiful teep kick to the body at 1:37 of round two. The KO win moved Jaosuayai to 59-22 overall and earned him a coveted US$100,000 main roster contract.
“The Angel Warrior” Panpayak Jitmuangnon returned to winning ways in his flyweight Muay Thai encounter with Majid “Rod Tai” Seydali.
The seven-time Muay Thai World Champion found a rhythm early and landed lethal body kicks that left Seydali unable to mount an offense.
The Iranian briefly gained traction via a heavy left hook in round two, but it turned out to be his only significant shot of the fight.
He desperately pushed forward in the final frame, but Panpayak countered with perfect left hook to score a knockdown.
Seydali answered the count but then became target practice for “The Angel Warrior’s” front kicks. Knowing it was going one way, the referee stopped the action and handed Panpayak the TKO victory at the 2:17 mark of round three, pushing his record to 250-43.
Shadow Singha Mawynn delivered a stunning knockout against Hassan Vahdanirad in their featherweight Muay Thai showdown to punch his ticket to ONE Championship’s main roster.
The Thai striker started strong, matching his foe’s low kicks with his own while mixing in sharp counters to stay in control.
Shadow turned up the pressure in round two and pushed Vahdanirad against the ropes. He unleashed multiple body shots, but the Iranian powerhouse fired back with a right hook.
Unfazed, Shadow immediately spotted an opening, and he connected with a devastating elbow that turned Vahdanirad’s lights out at 2:51 of round two.
The stunning finish was the Singha Mawynn man’s fifth straight win in ONE Championship. It moved him to 80-13 overall and earned him a life-changing US$100,000 contract with the organization.
Sangarthit Looksaikongdin lived up to the hype in his ONE Championship debut, as he picked apart Super Yay Chan in their 140-pound kickboxing meeting.
Super Yay Chan started fast, firing off flying kicks, but Sangarthit stayed composed and threw strong body shots to control the opening round.
The debuting star upped the pace in the round two. He blitzed his foe with punching combinations and scored a knockdown with a venomous right hand. But, somehow, the “The Super One” survived.
Sangarthit hunted for the knockout in the final round, but he was unable to find one, so he had to settle for a unanimous decision win, which stood as the 86th victory of his career.
There wasn’t a dull moment between Stephen “El Matador” Irvine and Sornsueknoi FA Group in 130-pound Muay Thai battle, but it was the former who left victorious after three rounds.
Sornsueknoi struck first with a nasty body shot-right hook combination, and he stifled Irvine’s attempts find a home for his right high kick missile.
The FA Group man found further success in round two with his chopping inside leg kicks, but “El Matador” stole the round when a well-placed left hook earned him a knockdown.
Both fighters traded wild haymakers and knees from the clinch in the final frame. However, Irvine shifted to fifth gear to score more damage, which secured him the unanimous decision win and upped his ONE Championship record to 6-1.
Songchainoi Kiatsongrit remained undefeated in ONE Championship with a unanimous decision win over Teeyai Wankhongohm MBK in their 116-pound Muay Thai battle.
The Thai star’s dominance was evident early on as he overwhelmed his compatriot with staggering low kicks and sharp left hooks.
Songchainoi pushed the pace again in round two, landing more vicious body shots, along with a head kick and upward elbow, to establish himself.
The 24-year-old then ramped up the intensity in the final round. He dug a strong right hand into the body of Teeyai before firing off a left hook to mirroring his opponent’s attack.
Though Songchainoi couldn’t end the fight early, he picked up the unanimous decision win to move to 9-0 in ONE Championship and 59-18 overall.
Longtime ONE Women’s Strawweight MMA World Champion Xiong Jing Nan made a successful return to the atomweight division with a win over fellow Chinese star Meng Bo.
“The Panda” used her expert boxing and strong grappling to gain control in the opening frame.
She continued to dominate in round two and unleashed sharp combinations to secure a takedown and remain ahead.
Knowing she had momentum on her side, Xiong hunted for the finish in the final frame. After scoring another takedown, she took Meng’s back and attempted multiple rear-naked chokes.
Though she could find the submission, the Chinese superstar finished strong with a flurry of successful strikes to earn the unanimous decision win and move to 19-2 in her career.
Ali “The King” Koyuncu opened his ONE Championship account on a winning note against Yota Shigemori in their exciting 140-pound Muay Thai contest.
The Turkish striker caught Shigemori’s attention by blitzing him with a wicked four-punch combination, and he showcased breakneck speed while weaving in and out of danger throughout round one.
Shigemori struck back in the second frame, using his length to land punishing teep kicks before scoring big with a right cross.
But “The King” dug deep in the final frame, and he broke through his Japanese foe’s defenses with hard hooks.
That aggression paid off in the end, as he moved his slate to 15-3 via unanimous decision.
Rising star Jang “Sirius” Seon Gyu added to his perfect career slate with a highlight-reel knockout of Katsuaki “Blast” Aoyagi in their bantamweight MMA curtain-raiser.
Aoyagi made an early statement with a crisp right hand, but “Sirius” responded with a sharp one-two combination to close the opening round strong.
Jang carried that momentum into the second frame and stunned his Japanese-Chinese Taipei foe with a calf kick and a well-timed uppercut and knee.
The South Korean’s striking prowess was further evident in the final round. He attacked Aoyagi’s body, landed a short left hook, and sealed the deal with a crushing uppercut at the 1:07 mark.
With the KO win, Jang improved to 2-0 in ONE Championship and earned his fourth career victory overall.