In a stunning display of skill and technique, Jhanlo Mark Sangiao of Team Lakay submitted Matias Farinelli with a kneebar in just 58 seconds of their 149.75-pound catchweight bout on the undercard of ONE Fight Night 9.
The fight, which took place at the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday morning was once again a showcase of the La Trinidad, Benguet native’s incredible talent and ability to finish fights quickly.
From the opening bell, Sangiao came out firing, looking to establish himself as the dominant competitor opposite his Argentinian counterpart as he teed off with shattering strikes.
With Farinelli nowhere to go along the ring ropes, Sangiao marched forward and managed to take him down to the mat with ease. From there, the Team Lakay stud quickly moved into position to apply the kneebar.
“El Rasta” tried his best to free himself from the clutches of the Filipino, but Sangiao was relentless. “The Machine” added more pressure to the submission hold, eventually compelling Farinelli to wave the white flag in just under a minute.
Sangiao remains unbeaten in his professional mixed martial arts career with a record of 6-0, while Farinelli tasted his first loss and dropped to 5-1.
With the scintillating victory over Farinelli, Sangiao received a $50,000 reward from company head honcho Chatri Sityodtong – his second performance bonus in ONE Championship.
(C) ONEFC.com
Later in the day, Denice Zamboanga delivered a masterful performance to defeat Julie Mezabarba in a pivotal women’s atomweight encounter.
The No. 3-ranked atomweight contender from Quezon City demonstrated her mastery of the stand-up trade from the get-go, clobbering a plethora of overhand rights that left Mezabarba scrambling for ways to respond and negate the attacks.
Although Mezabarba had her moments with her clinch game and dirty boxing in the midway point of the first frame, “The Menace” made some necessary adjustments in the second stanza as she found a way for her right hand to stifle the Brazilian.
Mezabarba, to her credit, tried to change the complexion of the duel by leaning on her grappling pedigree, but Zamboanga’s takedown defense was simply too much for her to overcome.
The third and last round saw Mezabarba coming out with renewed energy, looking to land a big shot to turn the tide of the fight but ultimately dragging Zamboanga to the canvas to fasten a guillotine choke.
However, Zamboanga remained composed and stuck to her game plan, and as soon as she made the escape and returned to her feet, the 26-year-old sister of Drex forced Mezabarba to swap blows with her again on the feet.
As the period wore on, it was clear that Mezabarba was running out of time to mount a comeback, prompting Zamboanga to cruise to a clear-cut unanimous decision win.
Zamboanga has now won two straight matches with an improved slate of 10-2. On the other hand, Mezabarba lost her third consecutive fight with a downgraded 9-5-1 standing.
