Sam-A Gaiyanghadao proved to the world why he’s recognized as one of the most lethal strikers in martial arts.
Sam-A was as dominant as ever, stopping Josh “Timebomb” Tonna in the second round to successfully defend his ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE: Reign of Dynasties, Friday evening in Singapore.
The Evolve MMA star scored three knockdowns in the second round to put the tough Australian away with seconds to spare in the stanza.
Sam-A parried Tonna’s kick before sending a lightning-quick left hand at him, which dropped his foe to the canvass for the first time. The Thai continued to pummel his opponent, and moments later he got his second knockdown when he swept Tonna and sent him on his backside once more.
Showing great resilience, Tonna sprung to his feet – but that proved to be his last stand.
Tonna tried to push Sam-A back but was rewarded with a left hand that sent “Timebomb” on the canvas for the third and final time as the referee stopped the contest.
The Thai improved his record to 370-47-9 after taking his fourth straight win in the promotion.
In the co-main event, fifth-ranked Filipino-Australian flyweight Reece “Lightning” McLaren was dominant in his return to the ONE Circle after stopping the erstwhile unbeaten Aleksi “The Giant” Toivonen.
In a battle between two submission specialists, the match was eventually settled on the feet, and that ultimately worked in McLaren’s favor.
McLaren’s boxing delivered the goods in the match, as he was always on the prowl with Toivonen backpedaling throughout.
A straight right by “Lightning” floored Toivonen for the first time. While “The Giant” was able to recover, that was the beginning of the end for him.
After a few exchanges, McLaren got Toivonen into the clinch and launched a stinging knee into his body. He sent the Finn crashing to the floor before adding one more punch for good measure.
McLaren improved to 14-7 as he steps closer back to his ultimate goal of getting another shot at the World Title.
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Sam-A Retains ONE Strawweight World Title With TKO Of Josh Tonna
