Lito Adiwang saw his seven-game streak end by a series of takedown moves while Kevin Belingon could not get out of a slump as he got outclassed by a fellow striker during ONE: Inside the Matrix III, a prerecorded event held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, the result of which were broadcasted on November 13, 2020.
Adiwang started the bout fast and caught Minowa with a deep kimura early on, but the Japanese phenom somehow survived. The 21-year-old Minowa then put on a grappling showcase in the second and third rounds, establishing control over Adiwang.
Minowa had to rely on taking down Adiwang in all three rounds by Hiroba Minowa and igniting a last minute flurry to win on two of judges’ scorecards.
Minowa clearly aimed to take advantage of his flawless ground game to tame the “Thunder Kid” from Team Lakay, who was more on channeling his striking prowess early in the match.
Both men clearly respect each other’s strength as Adiwang was tentative in charging in and Minowa stayed clear of Adiwang’s reach.
An urging from the referee to produce action sends Adiwang to charge in and connect a combination. That however, allowed Minowa to grab a leg and set his first take down that will become a trend throughout the fight.
While on the ground, Adiwang made a great counter by working on Minowa’s arms and looked to have locked in his patented kimura. The Shooto champion, however, did not tap and rolled over to wiggle out of the hold.
Minowa executed another takedown in the second off an Adiwang botched spinning kick and occupied the dominant position for majority of the round while raining short elbows and hands to his adversary.
The fight was up for grabs late in the third but Minowa again steared clear of Adiwang’s reach and took him for a ride to the mat. He maintained control of the ground and pound until both men exchanged hits to end the round with Adiwang firing lying on the mat.
Adiwang’s first loss in a ONE circle dropped him to 11-3 while Minowa improved his record to 12-2.
On the other hand, Belingon succumbed to a body shot delivered by John Lineker to absorb the first knockout loss of his career with 1:16 left in the second.
The battle of powerful strikers started with exchange heavy leather, Belingon firing a mix of hands and feet to Lineker’s flurry of punches in a round that lived up to its billing.
It took a minute for both men to engage, but once they did, it was clear that a fight like this involving two striking dynamos won’t go the distance.
Belingon connected kicks to Lineker’s lead leg and ribcage but those hits seemingly didn’t bother the stocky Brazilian.
About two minutes into the bout, “The Silencer” did attempt a spinning back kick at Lineker’s liver, the same one he finished Andrew Leone with two-and-a-half years ago, but the Brazilian wisely curled up and deflected it with his right elbow.
The action on their feet continued as both mern engaged in a fearless exchange of punches that could’ve crumbled either competitor had they connected cleanly. Lineker landed a right uppercut but Belingon stepped in to answer with a side kick that should have decapitated the Brazilian.
The Team Lakay knockout star, however, was already showing signs that the fight was wearing on him and backpedaled around the Circle for the remainder of the round.
The “Hands of Stone” went to the body more at the start of the second. The move paid dividends as a he connected a flurry of them that bothered Belingon.
A four-shot flurry by Lineker in a matter of seconds found their target and took tool on Belingon’s midsection.
An uppercut that didn’t do significant damage but landed on Belingon’s head finally send “The Silencer” crumbling to the canvass. A few shot later, the referee was forced to stop the fight, completing the KO by former UFC fighter.
Belingon suffered his third straight loss since holding the bantamweight title. His career fight record drops to 20-8.
Lineker improves to 33-9, now with 15 knockouts. He is surely going to climb up the ONE rankings.
He quickly called out fellow Brazilian and defending champion Bibiano Fernandes after the fight. “This is the reason I came here, for the knockout. I want the champion. Hey Bibiano Fernandes, I’m coming for you baby!”, he said.
Full results of ONE: Inside the Matrix III
Mixed Martial Arts – Bantamweight: John Lineker defeats Kevin Belingon by TKO (Punches) at 1:16 of Round 2
Mixed Martial Arts – Catch Weight (64.0 KG): Geje Eustaquio defeats Song Min Jong by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Mixed Martial Arts – Welterweight: Murad Ramazanov defeats Hiroyuki Tetsuka by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Mixed Martial Arts – Middleweight: Fan Rong defeats Yuri Simoes by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Mixed Martial Arts – Strawweight: Hiroba Minowa defeats Lito Adiwang by Split Decision (SD) after 3 rounds
By Armando M. Bolislis
