"I'm just getting warmed up!" - Savvas Michael earns dominant victory in ONE Grand Prix

At ONE 157, the ONE Muay Thai Flyweight Grand Prix hosted the Savvas Michael vs. Amir Naseri contest. Michael dominated the bout with a near-flawless performance. He will next face the winner of Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Jacob Smith.

'The Baby Face Killer' had a slight height advantage. He has held Muay Thai titles in WMC and WBC. His opponent, Naseri, entered this bout on a five-fight win streak and his lone loss in the last five years was to Muay Thai legend Saenchai.

The Cyprus-born fighter defeated Naseri via unanimous decision and will advance to the next round of the Grand Prix.

Following his impressive victory, Savvas said:

"I'm just getting warmed up! This was just a warm up."

Savvas took some time off after his last fight, and in the post-fight interview, he stated:

"After my last loss... Broke my heart, broke my hand... I've been doing this for 17 years... It breaks my heart with this sport. I'm growing up as a man in this sport. For a whole year, I knew I had to work on my weaknesses."

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Savvas Michael vs. Amir Naseri play-by-play

Naseri opened round one by throwing a series of leg kicks against his opponent. The Iranian-Malaysian fighter came forward aggressively, but Savvas countered with better-placed punches. The Cypriot then landed a headkick towards the end of the round. He clearly won the round through his aggression.

In round two, Savvas Michael was able to land a headkick and straight kick which sent Naseri reeling back. When Naseri attempted to enter striking range, his opponent countered with precise and powerful strikes. In seemingly every exchange, Savvas was landing better, faster, and with more power.

ONE Championship commentator Mitch Chilson said:

"Savvas Michael is too clean, too precise, and putting on a good show."

In round three, Savvas landed a thunderous one-two combination which visibly rattled his opponent. The Cyprus-born fighter stayed relaxed and did not rush forward. Instead, he continued to pick Naseri apart. Perhaps realizing that he was down on the scorecards, Naseri pushed forward but was unable to find a home for his strikes.

In the end, Savvas Michael won a clear and dominant decision to move on to the next round of the ONE Muay Thai Flyweight Grand Prix.

The tournament has some of the highest stakes in combat sports, which Savvas acknowledged:

"I know the flyweight division is the biggest, baddest in the world... The fighters in my division are the best in the planet. I knew I had to train very hard."