The iconic Lumpinee Stadium hosted yet another blockbuster event in Bangkok, Thailand, as the world’s greatest martial artists stepped into the ONE Championship ring to showcase their skills this past Friday, July 11.
Reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues delivered an explosive knockout performance, finishing former WBC Muay Thai World Champion Johanna Persson to retain her gold in the headline attraction.
Several more elite Muay Thai and MMA fighters stepped onto the global stage to delight fans from around the world, including top-five contender Abdulla “Smash Boy” Dayakaev, who authored the fastest knockout in ONE’s Muay Thai history.
As the dust settles, we step back to review the five biggest takeaways from ONE Fight Night 33: Rodrigues vs. Persson.
#1 Rodrigues Evolves Into A Terrifying Knockout Machine
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues continues to improve with each fight, as the longtime atomweight Muay Thai queen has now posted back-to-back knockout victories in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
Just four months after finishing Team Knowlesy’s Marie McManamon, Rodrigues took care of business by stopping aggressive Swedish challenger Johanna Persson with a left hook to keep the coveted belt around her waist.
The Brazilian mom-champ is steadily emerging as arguably ONE’s best female striker, and the list of legitimate challengers to her throne keeps dwindling.
That said, a showdown with atomweight kickboxing titleholder “The Queen” Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom is now more enticing than ever, as the two stars seem destined to meet in the ring.
#2 Shadow And Rabah Need To Run It Back
Just as things were getting good, the featherweight Muay Thai battle between #3-ranked contender Shadow Singha Mawynn and 6-foot-2 Algerian monster “The Eagle” Mohamed Younes Rabah met an abrupt and unfortunate end in the co-main event.
Fans were clearly in for a treat, with things beginning to heat up between the two rivals as the fight progressed.
However, an accidental eye poke by Shadow in the midst of a fiery second round unceremoniously forced a halt to the battle. With Rabah unable to continue, the action was stopped and the bout resulted in a no contest.
These two need to run it back as soon as possible to settle their unfinished business.
#3 Dauev Could Become A Problem For The Featherweight MMA Elite
Despite the odds being stacked against him, Ibragim Dauev has become a legitimate threat to the featherweight MMA elite.
After taking out previously unbeaten Magomed Akaev just last month, the Russian stalwart made a quick turnaround to face yet another undefeated talent in second-generation MMA fighter Pedro “Guerreiro” Dantas.
Despite getting caught in a couple of dangerous submissions early on, Dauev persevered to secure a comprehensive unanimous decision win, proving that he’s the real deal.
The featherweight MMA division in ONE is absolutely stacked with killers, but Dauev has proven once again that he has the ability to grind out tough victories against highly regarded opponents. Could a top-five berth be on the horizon for Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin‘s protege?
#4 Dayakaev Is Planting The Seeds For A Two-Division Run
Fifth-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Abdulla Dayakaev claimed his biggest scalp yet in ONE with a first-round knockout of Thai superstar Nontachai Jitmuangnon in his featherweight debut.
The hard-hitting Russian made quick and seemingly effortless work of his talented opponent, stopping the Jitmuangnon-trained athlete with a monstrous left hook just 24 seconds into the bout.
That performance earned him a US$50,000 bonus and put him in the history books for the fastest knockout in ONE’s Muay Thai history.
Dayakaev is already in the bantamweight Muay Thai rankings, having defeated former ONE World Title challenger Saemapetch Fairtex in May. Now, he also has featherweight gold in his sights.
#5 Sawada And Sangiao Display Resilience In Bounce-Back Wins
Fifth-ranked atomweight MMA contender Chihiro Sawada and Filipino MMA prodigy Jhanlo Mark “The Machine” Sangiao electrified their fans by showing incredible resilience in the face of adversity.
Both fighters were coming off heartbreaking setbacks in their previous bouts, which meant their ONE Fight Night 33 assignments carried much more weight than usual. But Sawada and Sangiao rose to the occasion, and they authored inspiring performances.
Sangiao finished dangerous Mongolian fighter Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg with a third-round rear-naked choke, while the Japanese atomweight contender followed suit with an armbar victory over Argentina’s Macarena Aragon in the first stanza.
These MMA stars proved they have the ability to come back even stronger after a loss. They learned valuable lessons following their first career defeats, and it showed on Friday night.
