On Friday, May 20, ONE Championship brought a 13-bout event to the world with ONE 157: Petchmorakot vs. Vienot.
Atop the bill was a thrilling featherweight Muay Thai battle. ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Petchmorakot Petchyindee squeezed past Jimmy Vienot to retain his gold by split decision. However, the rest of the card was just as exciting as the main event.
Across kickboxing, Muay Thai, submission grappling, and mixed martial arts, fans got everything their hearts could desire. And the athletes performed up to the task with nonstop action from bell to bell.
Miss the event? Here are four things we learned from the action inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Four Key Takeaways from ONE 157
More Muay Thai Craziness
We have seen some wild action as of late in Muay Thai, and after coming off the heels of Liam Harrison’s epic comeback, we were treated to a little more at ONE 157 when Joseph Lasiri stunned the world.
Lasiri’s title bid was well-earned, but Prajanchai PK.Saenchai has the heavy favorite going into the match. Everything pointed to Prajanchai being a longtime ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion.
Nobody told that to Lasiri.
The Italian took the action right to the champion and, in the second round, opened a cut on the Thai star’s face. Lasiri kept the aggression going into the third round and left the champion battered on his stool. The bout was called before the fourth round could begin as Prajanchai could not answer the call.
The Muay Thai action we have seen lately has been nothing short of absurd in the greatest possible way, and the upset at ONE 157 only highlights why the sport offers continuous must-see action.
Muay Thai World Grand Prix Semifinals Will Be Electric
The ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix quarterfinals got underway at ONE 157, and the favorites held serve in their four matches.
Rodtang Jitmuangnon, Walter Goncalves, Superlek Kiatmoo9, and Savvas Michael all showed out in dominant performances that set up compelling semifinal action that should deliver insane action.
Savvas Michael will meet Rodtang, and Goncalves will match up against Superlek when the semifinals take place later this year.
The first round showed the spectacular skills of the elite of the division. The semifinals will showcase how well-matched they are at the top of the mountain. The hype should begin building right away as the two semifinal bouts are nothing short of championship-caliber bouts offered up in the stacked tournament.
The Ruotolo’s Are Next-Level
Kade and Tye Ruotolo have set the grappling world on fire, and they brought that flame to ONE’s global stage at ONE 157.
Kade grabbed a unanimous decision victory over Shinya Aoki and came close to securing a submission against the Japanese legend. The performance showed how well the teenage star could perform against elite veterans, and he flashed innovation by taking Aoki’s back after pushing off the Circle wall.
The following match pitted Tye against Garry Tonon. The match was highly-anticipated, but it ended in under two minutes when Tye locked up a D’Arce choke against his fellow American. The shockingly quick finish left jaws on the floor and earned Tye a $50,000 bonus.
The two performances showed the world how exciting grappling could be with aggressive, submission-seeking athletes. The Ruotolos also announced their presence to the world in a big way as they are just getting started with their martial arts careers.
Wondergirl Has Arrived
Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak has already shined in the Muay Thai world, but now she has brought that shining light to mixed martial arts.
The talented youngster made her long-awaited mixed martial arts debut against Zeba Bano on the lead card and wasted no time showing off her grappling skills by submitting the Indian athlete in the first round.
Wondergirl immediately put the strawweight division on notice in her post-match interview, and why not? She has elite striking and has clearly added quality grappling to her arsenal. As she continues to mature and develop, she will only get more dangerous inside the Circle.
There is no rush in Wondergirl becoming a contender, but she already looks the part. With more experience under her belt, look for Wondergirl to become a mainstay of the strawweight division and be one of the sport’s most engaging stars.
Main Image via ONE Championship.
