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ONE Championship: Only The Brave is officially in the bag and boy did it deliver in spades. Though 2 of the 11 scheduled bouts were canceled due to health protocols, the event saw 7 finishes out of 9 fights. Everyone delivered high-octane action and we're here to list down the best of the night.
Three fighters earned $50,000 performance bonuses: Rade Opacic, Chingiz Allazov, and Zhang Lipeng. While we feel like there are quite a few more performances that should have earned bonuses, these three stood out from the rest.
Before we get on with the list, here are some notable mentions. ONE Championship strawweight Jarred 'The Monkey God' Brooks did well on his promise to dominate Hiroba Minowa. The outspoken 125-pound fighter out-wrestled and out-grappled the bewildered Japanese star en route to a unanimous decision win.
Also, in the main event, Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong did a masterclass in kickboxing against his semifinals opponent, Davit Kiria. The favorite to win ONE's featherweight kickboxing Grand Prix tournament showed everyone why he earned that favored spot. Sitthichai methodically dismantled Kiria from bell-to-bell, not letting the Georgian have any room to gain momentum.
Now, let's get on with our top performances from ONE: Only The Brave.
#5. ONE Championship featherweight kickboxer Ivan Kondratev knocks out Dovydas Rimkus
One of the biggest surprises of the night was Ivan Kondratev's knockout win over the sensational showman, Dovidas 'Rimkenzo' Rimkus. The flamboyant Lithuanian Rimkus is one of the fighters we're keeping an eye on and the Russian Kondratev just stole his thunder.
"Steal his thunder" might not be the most apt statement as Kondratev pretty much stole Rimkus' soul with one punch. What's even more remarkable is that the Russian kickboxer was a late-notice replacement. Kondratev stepped in after Rimkus' original opponent, Jo Nattawut, got bumped into the co-main event.
Early on, Rimkus was true to his unorthodox striking style as he used a lot of footwork and movement with his hands down. While this style invites catastrophe, it does allow him to throw power shots from unpredictable angles. It didn't work, however, as Kondratev stuck to his basics.
In the third round, noticing that Rimkus tends to avoid strikes by leaning back with his chin up, Kondratev threw a stepping left overhand that dropped the Lithuanian for the count.
Watch the full fight highlights here:
#4. ONE Championship heavyweight kickboxer Rade Opacic overwhelms Françesko Xhaja
Serbian ONE Championship heavyweight kickboxer Rade Opacic demolished his foe, Françesko Xhaja inside two rounds, earning him a performance bonus. Opacic utilized lockdown defense with his hands firmly guarding his face while stalking Xhaja.
As he threw his combinations, Opacic wowed onlookers with his high level of technique mixed with power. Watching him throw his strikes is like watching him hit pads in training. No wind-up or extra movement; everything thrown from inside the chamber with perfect technique.
The Serbian kickboxing savant earned a total of four knockdowns, one in the first round and three in the second. His combinations almost always end with a left hook to the liver that would make boxing icon 'Irish' Micky Ward proud. This proved too much for Xhaja as he fell for a third straight time, earning Opacic the automatic TKO win.
Watch the full fight highlights here:
#3. ONE Championship welterweight Hiroyuki Tetsuka earns another late-game knockout
If The Hulk ever decided to quit The Avengers and start MMA, he'd probably fight exactly like Hiroyuki 'The Japanese Beast' Tetsuka. Everything the Japanese warrior throws seems to have the intention of smashing his opponents to pieces. His punches are heavy and his blast double leg is so powerful you'd think he'd break through his opponent's torso.
Everything has power and it's remarkable how Tetsuka maintains his cardio till the final bell. This was on full display in his fight against Brazilian Edson Marques. Similar to Tetsuka's third-round stoppage of Agilan Thani last year, he caught Marques with a stepping left hook that ended the fight in the final round.
After the fight, the Japanese wild man called out former ONE Championship welterweight champion Zebastian Kadestam and Yoshihiro Akiyama. Now, those two fights are going to be barnbuners for sure.
Watch the full fight highlights here:
#2. ONE Championship lightweight Zhang Lipeng makes a statement
Former Ultimate Fighter China winner and UFC lightweight Zhang 'The Warrior' Lipeng put ONE Championship's lightweight division on notice. The already stacked weight class might be looking at its new dark horse as Lipeng crushed Ruslan Emilbek Uulu inside one minute.
His pull-back left hook counter landed flush and he followed it up with a right hook to separate Uulu from his senses. The knockout earned Lipeng a performance bonus and we believe he more than earned it. It was a statement win after Lipeng dominated former ONE Championship lightweight champion Eduard Folayang last year.
We're excited to see who this Chinese dynamo faces next. Perhaps Dagi Arslanaliev or Eddie Alvarez could be great match-ups.
#1. ONE Championship featherweight kickboxer Chingiz Allazov eliminates Jo Nattawut via spectacular knockout
Georgian-born Belarusian kickboxer Chingiz Allazov enters the finals of ONE Championship's featherweight kickboxing Grand Prix with a resounding knockout. Against late replacement 'Smokin' Jo Nattawut, Allazov didn't bother adjusting to a new opponent as he blasted out of the gate with heavy combinations.
Allazov overwhelmed Nattawut early with nifty combinations both in and out of the pocket. After an initial knockdown caused by a left-uppercut-right-hand-left-knee combination, Allazov went for the kill. In the middle of an exchange, Allazov pulled back and connected with a flush left cross to Nattawut's jaw, putting the Thai fighter down for the count.
Allazov will now face Sitthichai for ONE's featherweight kickboxing Grand Prix belt which will determine who faces the champion, Superbon. We can't wait for this epic clash to happen at ONE: X.
Watch the full fight highlights here:
