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ONE 161: Petchmorakot vs. Tawanchai saw the end of a dynasty when Tawanchai PK. Saenchai scored a stunning unanimous decision win over Petchmorakot Petchyindee to become the new ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion.
The bout was a heated back-and-forth between the two striking masters, but it was Tawanchai’s night as he ended Petchmorakot’s lengthy reign this Thursday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The main event of ONE 161 started with Tawanchai trying to look for an early finish right before the first round ended, and that became the overall theme of his approach against Petchmorakot throughout the contest.
Tawanchai was on the offensive for most of the fight while Petchmorakot picked his spots and waited for the 23-year-old to miss before landing some accurate counterstrikes.
Petchmorakot’s methodical approach, though, backfired on him as Tawanchai continued to look for that match-ending sequence for the entire five rounds.
In the end, it was Tawanchai’s aggressiveness that proved to be a vital component as he got the nod from all three judges.
Tawanchai said at the end of ONE 161:
“I’m very excited and exhausted as well but I’m really proud of myself. Finally, I became a world champion in ONE Championship tonight.”
Tawanchai added that his goal was to take Petchmorakot out but he was surprised that the 28-year-old was able to withstand all the punishment he threw.
“Well since round one I started and tried my hardest, my best, to fight with Petchmorakot because he’s the toughest I’ve fought. Then I did it, I’ve gone through all the five rounds with exhaustion but it was worth it.”
Roman Kryklia, Iraj Azizpour get tournament wins at ONE 161
ONE 161 also saw a rivalry being rekindled after Roman Kryklia and Iraj Azizpour took care of their respective assignments in the semifinals of the ONE heavyweight kickboxing world grand prix.
The two power hitters already have a win over each other, having fought prior to signing with ONE Championship. Considering their history, their rivalry will hit a crescendo in the tournament final.
At ONE 161, Kryklia secured a stunning first-round knockout win over Brazilian brawler Guto Inocente. Meanwhile, Azizpour fought his way to a dominant unanimous decision win against Bruno Chavez.
Azizpour moved like a featherweight and tagged Chavez any way he wanted during the three-round fight. The third round was barely a fight since Chavez failed to land any significant strikes, while Azizpour continued at his aggressive pace to take the victory.
Kryklia, meanwhile, was power personified when he blasted Inocente with a couple of thunderous one-shot power strikes.
The 6ft7 Ukrainian striker first knocked Inocente down with a crisp right hand mere seconds into the fight. Inocente managed to get back up but was instantly met with a textbook roundhouse kick that wobbled him.
Although Inocente pleaded that he was fine, the referee had to stop the contest for fear of any further damage.
Check out the results for the entire ONE 161 card below:
1.Tawanchai PK.Saenchai defeats Petchmorakot Petchyindee via unanimous decision to claim the ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title
2. Roman Kryklia defeats Guto Inocente via TKO at 0:52 of round 1 (ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix semifinals)
3. Iraj Azizpour defeats Bruno Chaves via unanimous decision (ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix semifinals)
4. Saygid Izagakhmaev defeats Zhang Lipeng via unanimous decision (MMA – lightweight)
5. Tiffany Teo defeats Ritu Phogat via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:52 of round 1 (MMA – atomweight)
6. Oumar Kane defeats Batradz Gazzaev via TKO at 2:15 of round 2 (MMA – heavyweight)
7. Alaverdi Ramazanov defeats Capitan Petchyindee via split decision (Muay Thai – bantamweight)
8. Sangmanee PK.Saenchai defeats Zhang Chenglong via split decision (Muay Thai – bantamweight)
9. Ferrari Fairtex defeats Han Zi Hao via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – featherweight)
10. Rodrigo Marello defeats Ruslan Bagdasarian via submission (ankle lock) at 0:15 of round 1 (submission grappling – bantamweight)
11. Ali Foladi defeats Matheus Felipe via knockout at 4:20 of round 1 (MMA – middleweight)
