Team Lakay’s Joshua Pacio, who kayoed Yosuke Saruta in the first round to win their epic trilogy and retain the ONE Strawweight World Title, led the winning performances in ONE: Revolution. His teammate Lito Adiwang, who blasted fellow strawweight Hexigetu with a blitzkrieg of kicks for a unanimous decision victory in the lead card, set the tone for an action-packed main card ofthe event held on September 24, 2021 at Singapore.
Filipino compatriot, however, fell to James Yang via technical knockout.
Yang, training alongside Demetrious Johnson for the last several years, sizzled in his professional mixed martial arts debut, repeatedly sending the fight to the mat and taking the back of Rosauro.
A series of unmolested punches in a ground and pound which Rosauro failed to defend ended the one-sided performance in the second round.
See stories:
Pacio seals Saruta triology with explosive knockout
Adiwang wins lopsided bout, Rosauro kayoed
Also featured was third ranked contender Ok Rae Yoon, who shocked Christian Lee to take over possession of the Win ONE Lightweight World Title in five-round thriller, and Kim Jae Woong, who knocked out former two-division ONE World Champion Martin Nguyen in the first round with concussive right hands.
Ok came out in his usual counterpunching style. Conversely, Lee was fast, sharp, and powerful to start the bout, connecting with a plethora of right hands while scoring on takedowns.
Ok weathered the early storm from the young Singaporean-American, and he got stronger as the bout wore on.
Ok rocked Lee in the third round, sending him reeling across the Circle. A counter right hand from Lee dropped the South Korean, and toward the end of the frame, “The Warrior” took Ok’s back and locked in a rear-naked choke under the chin.
The South Korean survived that submission attempt and turned it into a war for the final two rounds, with both men having their moments.
In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Ok to win by unanimous decision, as the new ONE Lightweight World Champion hoisted the belt up on his shoulders.
Lee, however, set the result under fire as he demanded the ONE Competition Committee not only to review the fight but reverse the decision and declare him winner and still champion.
Kim scored the biggest win of his career when he stopped Nguyen. The two featherweight contenders met at the center of the Circle to start the contest, trading fierce combinations.
Nguyen came forward aggressively, but Kim found a home for his counter right, stunning his opponent on multiple occasions. A final right hand ended the fight at the 3:15 mark. With the victory, Kim earned a crack at ONE Featherweight World Champion Thanh Le.
In other fights, reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Capitan Petchyindee Academy narrowly edged out challenger Mehdi Zatout to capture a close victory on points after five intense rounds in the co-main event.
Capitan was sharp and aggressive, but Zatout was more than willing to engage. The two strikers tagged each other with explosive kicks and punches all throughout the fight.
Capitan hurt Zatout at various junctures, which no doubt earned him credit on the scorecards. In the end, all three judges saw the bout in favor of Capitan to win by unanimous decision and retain the belt.
Russian star Anatoly Malykhin maintained his unblemished mixed martial arts record with a scintillating finish of highly regarded wrestler Amir Aliakbari. Malykhin pressured Aliakbari early, dropping and hurting the Iranian with punches in the first round.
The hard-hitting Russian then closed the show with another thunderous shot to the jaw that ended matters instantly. With the victory, Malykhin earned a shot at ONE Heavyweight World Champion Arjan Bhullar.
Teenage sensation Victoria Lee moved to 3-0 as a professional mixed martial artist, earning a TKO victory behind a dominant performance over promotional newcomer Victoria Souza.
The two atomweights traded strikes to open the first round, but it wasn’t long until the action hit the ground, and Lee once again shined. In the second round, the 17-year-old unleashed a barrage of elbows from top position to force the stoppage.
Kickboxing contender Taiki Naito overcame a knockdown in the first round to battle back and take a split-decision victory over former ONE World Champion Petchdam Petchyindee Academy in their ONE Super Series flyweight Muay Thai contest.
Seventeen-time BJJ World Champion Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida scored a first-round submission in his professional mixed martial arts debut, tapping out Anderson “Braddock” Silva via north-south choke to announce his arrival in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
Petchtanong Petchfergus made a triumphant return to the Circle, dominating former ONE World Title challenger Zhang Chenglong to win a unanimous decision in a kickboxing bout.
Official Results for ONE: REVOLUTION
Mixed Martial Arts – Lightweight: Ok Rae Yoon def. Christian Lee via Unanimous Decision
Kickboxing – Bantamweight: Capitan Petchyindee Academy def. Mehdi Zatout via Unanimous Decision
Mixed Martial Arts – Strawweight: Joshua Pacio def. Yosuke Saruta via TKO at 3:38 of Round 1
Mixed Martial Arts – Featherweight: Kim Jae Woong def. Martin Nguyen via KO at 3:15 of Round 1
Mixed Martial Arts – Heavyweight: Anatoly Malykhin def. Amir Aliakbari via KO at 2:57 of Round 1
Mixed Martial Arts – Atomweight: Victoria Lee def. Victoria Souza via TKO at 3:58 of Round 2
Mixed Martial Arts – Strawweight: Lito Adiwang def. Hexigetu via Unanimous Decision
Muay Thai – Flyweight: Taiki Naito def. Petchdam Petchyindee Academy via Split Decision
Mixed Martial Arts – Heavyweight: Marcus Almeida def. Anderson Silva via Submission (North-south Choke) at 2:55 of Round 1
Kickboxing – Bantamweight: Petchtanong Petchfergus def. Zhang Chenglong via Unanimous Decision
Mixed Martial Arts – Featherweight: James Yang def. Roel Rosauro via TKO at 2:00 of Round 2
By: Armando M. Bolislis
