(This story was updated on March 24, 2018, at 10:30 a.m. ET following confirmation that Kritsada Kongsrichai’s win was overturned and declared a disqualification via suplex.)
Bibiano Fernandes continued to be the most successful titleholder in ONE Championship history when he defended his belt yet again in today’s ONE Championship 70 headliner.
Fernandes (22-3) recorded his seventh consecutive bantamweight title defense when he walked away with a split decision against featherweight and lightweight champ Martin Nguyen (10-2) in the headlining bout at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Nguyen came into the fight looking to make MMA history as the first simultaneous three-division champion in a major organization. Fernandes had other plans, though, and extended his winning streak to 14 fights dating back to December 2010. Moreover, the Brazilian further added to his position as perhaps the best fighter in ONE Championship history with a workmanlike performance over the course of five rounds.
Nothing came easy for Fernandes. The challenger seemed to get the better of the striking for much of the bout and even opened a problematic cut on Fernandes’ forehead in Round 3. Despite that, the champion wasn’t deterred.
Nguyen did a good job of defending takedowns and picking his shots, but Fernandes kept searching for his path to the win. He likely stole the victory in the final minutes of the fifth round when he landed a hard punch that buckled Nguyen and put him in danger of being finished, but he survived to the final bell.
Fernandes snapped Nguyen’s six-fight winning streak and at 37 made it clear he still has plenty left to offer in the sport.
“I really needed this challenge for my life right now,” Fernandes said in his post-fight interview. “I’m the champion, and I’m here to stay. I’m the best bantamweight in the world.”
Miado flatlines former champ
Jeremy Miado (7-2) showed that reputation and past achievements aren’t the be all, end all when he knocked out former ONE Championship titleholder and multi-time Muay Thai champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke (8-4) in less than 90 seconds.
Miado, who entered the strawweight bout on a two-fight skid, showed no fear of Sor Amnuaysirichoke’s striking and attacked with combinations that put his opponent on the back foot. Just when it seemed the athletes were settling into the fight, Miado unleashed a flurry of hooks at his opponent. The right hand caught Sor Amnuaysirichoke clean on the chin, and he went down in a heap.
Sor Amnuaysirichoke was down before he hit the canvas, marking the first knockout loss of his MMA career. The crowd was left absolutely stunned as Miado was declared the winner in a upset at the 1:29 mark of Round 1.
Wiratchai scores one-hitter quitter
Shannon Wiratchai (9-2) produced the second fastest knockout in ONE Championship lightweight history when he obliterated Rahul Raju (4-2) in just 21 seconds.
Thailand’s Wiratchai predicted a first-round finish of Raju prior to the fight, and he delivered on his word. Raju came out aggressively at the opening bell and looked to press the action, but as soon as he got within range, Wiratchai made him pay.
Wiratchai pawed at Raju with a right hand before instantly loading up with a follow-up shot that put the lights out. Raju face-planted into the canvas and Wiratchai celebrated to the sound of a thrilled audience.
“I’m ready for anything that’s going to come to me,” Wiratchai said in his post-fight interview. “I hope you guys keep supporting me and support the Thai athletes and we promise we’ll support you and make you proud.”
Sabanal upsets Ishige
The lone women’s bout on the card produced a result that was not appealing to the crowd. Thailand’s Rika Ishige (3-2) was outworked and upset by Angelie Sabanal (1-0) for a unanimous decision loss.
Ishige came into the atomweight contest looking to stand up against a more decorated striker in Sabanal. She largely held her own, but Sabanal found a groove and delivered some productive work during the 15-minute affair.
The latter stages of the fight finally saw Ishige get a takedown and make a late push at something significant. However, she couldn’t do enough to persuade the judges to flip their scorecards in her favor. As a result, it was Sabanal who left with the somewhat unexpected win.
Tonon impresses in debut
Grappling standout Garry Tonon (1-0) competed in MMA for the first time when he met Richard Corminal (4-4), and his performance inspired a lot of hope as a successful crossover competitor.
Although the grappling was what allowed Tonon to establish mount position and finish Corminal with elbows for the second-round TKO, it was the striking that stood out in the lightweight bout.
Tonon not only dropped Corminal with a right hand in the opening frame, a flurry of vicious elbows eventually caused the referee to stop the action at the 3:40 mark of Round 2.
Complete ONE Championship 70 results included:
MAIN CARD
- Bibiano Fernandes def. Martin Nguyen via split decision – to defend bantamweight title
- Jeremy Miado def. Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:29
- Shannon Wiratchai def. Rahul Raju via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:21
- Angelie Sabanal def. Rika Ishige via unanimous decision
- Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev def. Tetsuya Yamada via submission (armbar) – Round 3, 2:51
- Waqar Umar def. Zhao Zhi Kang via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:21
- Garry Tonon def. Richard Corminal via TKO (elbows) – Round 2, 3:40
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Robin Catalan def. Kritsada Kongsrichai via disqualification (illegal suplex) – Round 1, 1:40
- Alain Ngalani def. Ariunbold Tur-Ochir via split decision
- Gilberto Galvao def. Jake Butler via TKO (knee injury) – Round 2, 0:07
- Sunoto Peringkat def. Hisyam Samsudin via unanimous decision
For more on ONE Championship 70, check out the MMA Events section of the site.
