"A whole country proud of me" - Romania's Andrei Stoica wins a close decision at ONE 156

Andrei Stoica won his light heavyweight kickboxing fight at ONE 156. The Romanian fighter was victorious via split-decision.

Stoica has held titles in SUPERKOMBAT, among other organizations. He faced off against Giannis Stoforidis of Greece, who has held championships in Enfusion and has been a national boxing champion in Greece. This was a fight between knockout artists, with each man winning over half their fights by way of KO/TKO.

Stoica entered the ONE circle on a winning streak and was proudly representing his country. His only losses in ONE Championship were to reigning champion Roman Kryklia and top-ranked GLORY heavyweight Tarik Khbabez.

In this fight, both Stoica and Stoforidis were cautious of the other's power. The Romanian knocked down his opponent in the second round on the way to a decision win.

On Instagram, Andrei Stoica spoke about the hardships in his life which played a role in his victory:

"The efforts, sacrifices, pains and hardships I have endured, but also what motivates me to get over them and be able to focus on the things that really matter... To get better, to earn and to make my family, friends and a whole country proud of me." [Translated by Google]

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Andrei Stoica defeats Giannis Stoforidis via split decision

In the first round, the two men exchanged kicks from a distance. Stoica caught two kicks and returned fire against Stoforidis. Both men showed tight, careful glove guards.

Stoica stood in the southpaw stance with Stoforidis in orthodox, leaving a large open side for powerful kicks to be thrown. The Greek ended the round with a punch and low kick combo. As the fight wore on, the two were showing bruising on their shoulders that were used to block kicks.

In the second round, the Romanian landed a picture-perfect counter hook which knocked Stoforidis down. He pressed forward to ram home his advantage but could not find an opening. The two exchanged jabs and low kicks until the closing seconds when Stoforidis landed a superman punch.

In the final round, the Greek fighter pressed with powerful kicks and punches. He scored with a one-two low kick combination. The Romanian countered with a body kick before Stoforidis returned the favor with a superman punch. Hooks and leg kicks were traded in the closing seconds of the round.

Stoica had said on Instagram before the ONE 156 fight:

"I will represent Romania again at the highest level! Who's with me?"