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ONE Championship: Heavy Hitters delivered intense action and was a great way to kick off 2022. However, Chatri Sityodtong feels that the Muay Thai bout between Supergirl and Ekaterina Vandaryeva should have been judged differently.
Supergirl started strong and most would agree that she won the first round. However, Vandaryeva made the necessary adjustments in the next two rounds. She staggered the Thai fighter and was a few blows away from securing a stoppage.
On the judges' scorecards, Supergirl was proclaimed the winner via a split decision. It was clear from the Belarusian's reaction that she was disappointed.
Fans watching the fight live inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium also expressed displeasure at the verdict. Furthermore, the general feeling on social media was that Vandaryeva had been robbed of her first victory in the promotion.
In a post-event interview, ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong agreed that the judges got the decision wrong:
"I thought Ekaterina won easily and she staggered Supergirl and the judges got it wrong. We are going to have to work with other judges. It’s just they made errors, especially in the striking stuff. People might disagree with me but I thought Ekaterina won. I don’t know what the judges are watching."
Sityodtong would like to see the fighters compete in a rematch soon:
"I would want an immediate rematch between Ekaterina and Supergirl. As being someone who does Muay Thai for 35 plus years, I can tell you, Ekaterina won that fight easily. It was not even close."
Ekaterina Vandaryeva cheered by fans after her match with Supergirl at ONE Championship: Heavy Hitters
A stunned Vandaryeva bravely got through her post-fight interview and answered her questions professionally. She too was surprised by the judges' decision:
"You shouldn’t be asking me, you should be asking the judges because I did more hits, more kicks, and they were more accurate, and I don’t know what I need to do to win here."
This is the first time fans have been allowed inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium since the pandemic started.
About 1,000 fans were able to witness the fights in ONE Championship: Heavy Hitters. They expressed their appreciation for Vandaryeva's performance, and 'Barbie' seemed touched by their cheers:
"Thank you very much. This is really valuable for me. Thank you."
Vandaryeva may have lost the bout but she was granted a $50,000 bonus for her performance against Supergirl.
