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Felipe Lobo scored the biggest win of his Muay Thai career, delivering an incredible third-round knockout against No. 1 ranked bantamweight contender Saemapetch Fairtex on Friday night.
Lobo came out and immediately put his powerful push kicks on display, taking Saemapetch off his feet. Both fighters continued to trade heavy kicks throughout the first half of the opening round. Saemapetch began to pick up the pace, stalking his opponent in the final minute, delivering solid leg kicks to the ‘Demolition Man.’
Picking up right where he left off, Saemapetch pushed the pace and went on the attack, landing a perfectly-placed check-left hook that dropped Lobo. Answering the referee’s eight-count, Lobo was ready to go, but Saemapetch smelled blood in the water. Attempting to overwhelm his opponent, Saemapetch rushed in and threw flurry after flurry. Lobo was able to survive the penultimate round despite Saemapetch’s best efforts to get him out of there.
The third round once again saw an aggressive Saemapetch go on the attack, but Felipe Lobo was not about to back down. Firing back every time Saemapetch attempted to close the distance, Lobo was able to deliver a vicious 1-2 that sent the No. 1 ranked contender into the shadow realm.
Official Result: Felipe Lobo defeated Saemapetch Fairtex via KO (strikes) at 1:56 of Round 3
Following the contest, Lobo gave credit to his opponent and knew going into the third round that he likely needed a knockout in order to walk out of the Muay Thai mecca with the win.
“It was a very hard fight,” Lobo said. “He is very strong. In the second round, he found a very good punch so I had to come back. I had to give all my heart and I did.”
“I just changed my mind in the third round because I saw he had a very big advantage, so in the third round I went for the KO,” Lobo continued.
The win will likely put Felipe Lobo near the top of the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai rankings and in prime position for a potential world title opportunity against the ONE Fight Night 9 main event winner. The ‘Demolition Man’ left Thailand with a $50,000 performance bonus courtesy of ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong for his highlight-reel-worthy knockout.
https://twitter.com/Beyond_Kick/status/1649604308114059264
