Biggest Winners And Losers From ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY

Fans in Kuala Lumpur were treated to a night of entertaining matches at ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY. There were no titles on the line, but there were several vital bouts that undoubtedly shaped the title picture across multiple divisions and sports. Here is a look at the biggest winners and losers from ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY.

WINNERS

Giorgio Petrosyan

After further review and a mandated rematch, Giorgio Petrosyan is moving on to the semifinals of the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix. His first meeting against Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy was initially ruled in favor of the latter before a review board made it a no-contest, so Petrosyan knew he had to win convincingly in the rematch.

Though he didn't get the stoppage win, Petrosyan won with a busier and more effective performance. All three judges saw the bout in favor of Petrosyan as he seemed to have more energy late in the match. Advancing in the Grand Prix is big, but escaping elimination in the first round is perhaps just as huge considering the hoopla surrounding his arrival with ONE Championship.

Michelle Nicolini

It's hard to find a more significant victory than the one Michelle Nicolini scored over Angela Lee in Kuala Lumpur. The two have a history dating back to their days training at Evolve. Nicolini's grappling and overall strength proved to be too much for Lee, controlling the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion for much of the three-round matchup. Nicolini might have put herself in a position to challenge for the ONE Women's Strawweight World Title because of the win.

Ev Ting

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Ev Ting came into ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY on a two-bout skid, the losses coming by stoppage at the hands of Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev and Shinya Aoki. Ting badly needed to win his bout against Japan's Daichi Abe, and anything less would have been catastrophic. Ting performed in front of his countrymen, so there was an extra-added layer of pressure to do well.

Fortunately, Ting was able to match Abe's striking when he needed to. Ultimately, it was his advantage in grappling -- a second-round submission -- that led to victory, which allows Ting to stay in striking distance of the ONE Lightweight World Title picture.

Gurdarshan Mangat

The Gurdarshan Mangat and Abro Fernandes battle was a meeting between two of the top competitors in the weight class. Mangat was dropped but was able to rise to his feet and show off his array of mixed martial arts skills. He earned a tight and hard-fought unanimous-decision victory which could lead to a match against a top-level contender next.

Jihin Radzuan

Expect Jihin Radzuan to become one of the next serious contenders in the ONE women’s atomweight division after putting on a strong performance in her home country -- a first-round submission win over Jomary Torres. There were a couple of tense moments for Radzuan early, but with poise and a consistent lean on her grappling prowess, she successfully rebounded from a defeat to Gina Iniong in her last outing.

LOSERS

Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy

You've got to feel for Petchmorakot. While there is no question the first match against Petrosyan was close, Petchmorakot was initially deemed the winner. To have a win overturned stings, but getting eliminated from the Grand Prix after losing the second match is a tough pill to swallow.

Angela Lee

When you start your career 9-0 and garner the kind of stardom Angela Lee had at such a young age, a loss is tough to accept. A two-match losing streak is crippling. Lee couldn't overcome her former teammate’s smothering top game and overall ferocity. It won’t help heading into the epic rematch with Xiong Jing Nan on a skid but Lee is going back down to atomweight, where she has had the most success. It’s hard to figure out what is going on in Lee’s mind now that she remains winless in what most feel will be her permanent division moving forward.

Daichi Abe

Both Ting and Abe were on losing streaks heading into their high-stakes match. The stoppage loss to Ting runs Abe's skid to four straight, which includes both of his matches with ONE Championship. Abe has suffered stoppages in each of his losses with ONE. He'll have to find a way to rack up a win soon. If he continues to slide with ONE, there will potentially be a lot of tough questions to answer concerning his career.