ONE Championship delivered another night of thrilling action when it brought ONE Friday Fights 89 to Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium on November 29.
The card consisted of 11 thrilling contests across Muay Thai, kickboxing, and MMA, and the crowd in attendance was treated to nail-biting battles and firey finishes from top to bottom.
In case you missed anything from this edition of the most entertaining weekly combat sports showcase around, here’s what went down live in Asia primetime.
Yod-IQ Or Pimolsri extended his winning streak to five outings in ONE Championship when he eked out a split-decision win over Kirill Khomutov in their bantamweight Muay Thai showdown.
Khomutov began hunting for Yod-IQ early on, but the Thai star responded with plenty of teep kicks to ease into proceedings, and he soon took control by landing the better kicks and punching combinations.
However, Khomutov remained relentless, so Yod-IQ had to rely on counter-punches and distance to fend him off. That only worked for so long, as the Russian eventually found success with slicing elbows in the clinch, allowing him to find his way back into the battle.
With the bout in the balance, Khomutov went for Yod-IQ’s head to try and move ahead. But the PK Saenchai Muay Thai Gym striker evaded the heavier strikes and landed solid kicks, which saw him get the nod from two of three judges in the end.
The split-decision victory pushed Yod-IQ to 7-1 in ONE and 122-36 overall.
Pataknin Sinbimuaythai delivered a commanding performance to earn the win over Petnamkhong Mongkolpet in their 122-pound catchweight Muay Thai showdown.
Petnamkhong struck first with a sharp left hook early in round one, but Pataknin answered immediately with a well-placed kick to the body.
The Thai star found his stride in the second frame and utilized precise punching combinations to wear Petnamkhong down.
Pataknin’s dominance peaked in the third round when he floored his Laotian foe with a thunderous one-two combination. He pressed forward to finish but couldn’t find the final blow before the bell.
Nonetheless, all three judges scored the fight for Pataknin, and the win moved his ONE Championship record to 3-0 and his overall slate to 83-18.
Tonglampoon FA Group and Mungkorn Boomdeksean left it all in the ring, but it was the former who earned the nod in their 119-pound catchweight Muay Thai classic.
Tonglampoon set the pace as he entered the pocket with low kicks in the first frame, but Mungkorn answered with heavy counter-strikes to finish the round strong.
The FA Group affiliate baited his Thai compatriot into close-quarters in the second round, then stung him with a looping left hook. But Mungkorn remained standing and came back to rattle Tonglampoon with a sneaky elbow.
The pair fought tooth and nail to get ahead in the final frame. In the end, Tonglampoon’s counterstriking and short elbows earned him the split-decision win, and he moved to 5-0 in ONE Championship and 46-12 overall as a result.
Dionatha Santos Tobias delivered a highlight-reel knockout victory against Mahahin Petkiatpet in their 118-pound catchweight Muay Thai bout.
The 24-year-old Brazilian started as the aggressor, targeting his opposite man’s body throughout the opening round. But Mahahin countered with sharp combinations to keep the exchanges competitive.
Santos Tobias ramped up the pressure in round two with relentless strikes to the midsection. Mahahin showed remarkable resilience and absorbed the punishment while standing his ground, but his opposite man wasn’t going to be denied.
In the dying seconds of the second frame, Santos Tobias landed a perfectly placed left hook to the liver that sent Mahahin down for good.
The fight was waved off, and the Sor Dechapan man secured his first win in ONE Championship and the 36th of his career at the 2:50 mark.
Lothong Kruaynaimuanggym debuted in perfect fashion when he scored a knockout win over Songpandin Chor Kaewwiset in their 128-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle.
The fight was hot and heavy from the opening bell. Lothong landed great elbows and high kicks while Songpandin countered his many strikes to keep the first frame close.
Lothong found his range in the second round, enabling him to land strong kicks that wobbled the Laotian opponent. From there, he shot in with a perfect right hand to send Songpandin tumbling to the mat for good at the 1:22 mark.
With the debut win, the Thai star moved to 55-13 in his career.
Pol Pascual made a thunderous entrance to ONE Championship with a first-round TKO victory over Petkiri Pongsevenfarm in their 126-pound catchweight Muay Thai showdown.
The Spanish newcomer wasted no time asserting his dominance, landing a crisp left hook early on to send his opponent to the canvas.
Petkiri beat the count and looked to recover, but Pascual quickly capitalized on another opening to floor the Thai fighter with a powerful right hand.
Determined to finish, Pascual unleashed a precise one-two combination in the closing moments of round one to score a third knockdown and secure the TKO win at the 2:55 mark.
With his emphatic debut, Pascual improved his record to 23-4 overall.
Khunsuek Superbon Training Camp had an emphatic response to his recent setback as he bested Mohammad Siasarani across three rounds of featherweight Muay Thai.
The Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai World Champion continually found a home for his high kicks in the first round, and he eventually dropped Siasarani with a well-timed counter.
Having found his groove, Khunsuek threw more thunderous kicks in the second round to keep the Iranian on the back foot, and he also snuck in a short elbow inside the clinch to cut Siasarani open.
Khunsuek found himself pressed in the final round, but he stayed evasive and landed a litany of clean counterstrikes to be rewarded with the unanimous decision in the end.
The victory improved his slate to a staggering 100-11 overall, and 2-1 in ONE Championship.
Teenage phenom Rustam “Tomahawk” Yunusov displayed his striking mastery en route to finishing Toufiq “Hurricane” Chabibi in their 138-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest.
The 17-year-old phenom delivered a powerful right elbow in the first round and showcased precision throughout to leave Chabibi struggling to find any rhythm.
Chabibi pushed forward in round two, but Yunusov seized an opportunity to trap him in the corner. once there, he threw a relentless barrage of strikes to the body and head to send the Moroccan to the canvas.
Chabibi beat the count, but Yunusov struck with a sharp elbow and crushing knee to seal the victory at 2:58 of the second round.
The KO win improved his ONE Championship record to 3-0 and 12-0 overall.
Uzair Ismoiljonov made good on his second chance to make a first impression as he outworked Rikito across three rounds of bantamweight kickboxing.
Ismoiljonov was aggressive from the offset as he hit his Japanese opponent with heavy punches while staying on the outside.
Rikito damaged Ismoiljonov’s lead leg with a plethora of low kicks in the second round, but the Uzbekistani talent used his reach to stay out of trouble.
Ismoiljonov saw his lead leg targetted again in the final round. However, he stung Rikito with powerful counter-punches throughout the stanza, and this convinced two of the three judges he had done enough.
With the split-decision victory, the Team Mehdi Zatout star moved to 21-4 in his career.
Tangtang Suansunandhagym dominated fellow ONE Championship debutant Wakana Tsujii to earn the unanimous decision victory in a gripping atomweight Muay Thai contest.
The 20-year-old Thai pressed forward aggressively from the get-go and caught Tsujii’s front kick to counter with sharp, precise punches.
Tsujii utilized her reach advantage to keep Tangtang at bay with kicks, but the Thai fighter absorbed the strikes unfazed and retaliated with swift jabs and elbows to control the action.
Tangtang’s resilience was on full display in the final round as she answered her Japanese foe’s high kicks with a devastating body shot that was enough to secure the judges’ unanimous nod and move her record to 61-12.
Marwin Quirante earned his second win by referee intervention in a row when he submitted Musa Musazade in their strawweight MMA opener.
Early on, Quirante used his lightning-fast kicks to control the distance on the feet, and he stayed loose to execute multiple combinations. Musazade was forced to take the Filipino down, but Quirante’s activity off his back allowed him to nullify his opponent’s advances.
Musazade scored another takedown in the second round, but he gave “Green Goblin” too much space when doing so. This allowed him to take the Azerbaijani fighter’s back and submit him via a rear-naked choke at 4:03 of round two.
With the win, Quirante moved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in ONE Championship.