Entering the night with high hopes, Filipinos April Osenio, Rome Trinidad, Rabin Catalan, and Jimmy Yabo were all sent crashing down hard on Saturday evening during ONE Championship: Warriors of the World, held at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
April Osenio suffers first round TKO loss
Debuting Xiong Jing Nan picked up an impressive first-round TKO against Team Lakay’s April Osenio in a catchweight bout.
Xiong and Osenio both came out looking to make a statement, as they started swinging heavy leather at each other early before getting locked up in the clinch against the cage.
Seeing an opening for a takedown, “The Panda” landed a beautiful outside trip to take the contest to the mat. The Chinese athlete transitioned to a guillotine choke, which looked deep, but Osenio played good defense before slipping free.
The Filipina had had enough of the ground battle and stood back up, but that ultimately led to her undoing, as Xiong pursued her with a barrage of strikes in a furious exchange of punches.
Finally, “The Panda” connected with a devastating right hand that dropped Osenio to the ground, and the referee quickly swooped in at 3:44 of the opening stanza to stop the contest before she took any unnecessary damage.
Rome Trinidad taps to Thai darling Rika Ishige
Photo from ONEFC.com
Rika “Tinydoll” Ishige was looking to get back to winning ways following her first career defeat to Filipina Jomary Torres last August in Macao, but Rome “The Rebel” Trinidad traveled to Bangkok with the intention of spoiling the party.
With the Thai crowd emphatically behind their hometown star, Ishige was determined to get her way. The 28-year-old Thai star showcased huge improvements, as she rallied to a second-round submission victory.
The first round was spent exclusively on their feet, with “Tinydoll” staying true to her pre-bout assertion that she would showcase the striking game she has been working so hard on at Bangkok Fight Lab and Tiger Muay Thai & MMA.
Coming against a Philippine Sikaran national champion in Trinidad, it was a bold move. Ishige was unfazed by Trinidad’s attacks, and looked to land hard low kicks, while “The Rebel” replied with a piston-like straight right hand. There was not much to separate the pair after the first five minutes, as there were good stand-up exchanges throughout.
The second frame started in similar fashion, with both competitors looking to engage on the feet. However, it seemed clear that Ishige had gotten advice from her corner to initiate a clinch sooner, and as soon as the 20-year-old Trindad over-extended with a right hand, the Thai ducked under to secure a takedown. It could have been all over there, as “Tinydoll” attacked with punches, chokes, and an armbar, but the durable Filipino managed to escape.
As they resumed on the feet, Ishige landed a solid left hook that appeared to daze her opponent, and this forced Trinidad to close the distance and drive her to the fence. From there, Ishige used her grappling advantage to sneak onto her opponent’s back and set up the finish, locking in a tight rear-naked choke and forced that tap from “The Rebel”.
Jimmy Yabo stopped by Muay Thai champion
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Sagetdao Petpayathai and the Philippines’ Jimmy “The Silencer” Yabo locked horns in a scheduled three-round featherweight contest, and kicked off the main card.
After a striking masterclass, it was Petpayathai who came out victorious. He made quick work of Yabo, winning via knockout after a well-placed knee exploded on Yabo’s midsection. The contest was stopped at 2:44 of round one, awarding another thrilling knockout victory to the surging Petpayathai – his third straight.
Round one saw both men charge straight at each other. Yabo, a taekwondo and boxing-based martial artist, proved elusive early, as Petpayathai narrowly missed a series of high kicks.
Vowing to pose the Thai stalwart a few new problems, “The Silencer” closed the gap and secured overhooks. Yabo tried to drop levels and take the action to the ground, but the local favorite showed great takedown defense, and was able to circle away from the fence.
With both men throwing caution to the wind and wanting to engage, it was only a matter of time before they got tied up again. In the clinch once more, Petpayathai unloaded with thunderous knees. One of those knees landed square on Yabo’s liver, causing him to crumple in pain.
Referee Olivier Coste needed no further indication that the Filipino was done, and swiftly rushed to call a halt to the bout, giving Petpayathai the satisfying triumph in front of his hometown crowd.
Rabin Catalan overwhelmed Thai wrestling champion
Photo from ONEFC.com
It was the perfect performance by Kritsada “Dream Man” Kongsrichai. The 13-time Thai Wrestling Champion returned to Bangkok, and elevated his profile by defeating the Philippines’ Rabin “The Rock” Catalan via TKO in just 3:01.
Kongsrichai immediately brought the crowd to life by charging at Catalan with a spinning back elbow that barely missed the mark. Although Catalan — a Filipino wushu champion — tried to take the Thai down, the local favorite reversed course and brought Catalan to the canvas in powerful fashion.
Keen to show off his standup, the 26-year-old Thai got back up and invited “The Rock” back to his feet. From there, Kongsrichai rushed in with his steadily improved striking. The 31-year-old Catalan went for the takedown once more, but “Dream Man” successfully reversed it again.
With the crowd screaming for their hero, Kongsrichai placed his knee on Catalan’s belly and went to work. He then transitioned into full mount, took a few seconds to smile, and initiated a calculated ground and pound attack, strategically dropping sharp elbows.
Unable to handle the onslaught, Catalan tapped out, prompting referee Kemp Cheng to stop the contest.
Story lifted from ONEFC.com
