ONE Championship delivered another incredible year of finishes in 2023, from its weekly ONE Friday Fights event series to U.S. primetime ONE Fight Night action. In the end, the promotion revealed its knockouts of the year through three martial arts disciplines highlighted by the organization. Here are the three winners for kickboxing, MMA, and Muay Thai Knockout of the Year.
ONE Championship’s Top Knockouts of 2023
Kickboxing KO of the Year
Superbon Singha Mawynn did not have the start to 2023 that he wanted. In January, the Thai star lost the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title to Chingiz Allazov. However, he returned five months later with one of the cleanest knockouts anyone will ever see.
Tayfun Ozcan tried to replicate Allazov’s success with a high-pressure attack. The first three minutes gave Ozcan confidence to continue marching forward, but Superbon drew him into a trap. After experiencing what his foe had to offer, Superbon was ready to counter in the second round.
As Ozcan threw a combination, Superbon countered with a picture-perfect left high kick that landed flush. Ozcan was out cold from the moment of the connection. The KO blow could be taught on tape for years to come; it was perfection, with no possible way for Ozcan to defend what he never knew was coming.
MMA KO of the Year
When ONE made its U.S. debut in May, one of the most exciting additions to the card was Stamp Fairtex’s domestic debut. She was paired against Alyse Anderson, whose wrestling and athleticism posed interesting stylistic problems for the Thai athlete. Stamp proved herself and punched her ticket to a title shot later in the year with a victory.
Stamp’s entire arsenal was on display, but her striking was clearly far superior to that of the American’s. Anderson attempted another takedown in the second round by pressing Stamp toward the Circle wall but was stuffed by the Thai’s stout defense. When they broke free, Stamp closed the show in a memorable fashion.
The former ONE Atomweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion showed the world her power with a kick to the body that shot daggers of pain through Anderson’s body. The American Top Team athlete crumpled to the mat and was saved by the referee as Stamp went in for more ground and pound. The highlight-reel finish ignited the Denver, Colorado, crown and elevated Stamp to global superstar status.
Muay Thai KO of the Year
Jonathan Haggerty told the world his move to bantamweight would end in gold. While many may have doubted his claims, he served them a whole smorgasbord of crow when he met Nong-O Hama at ONE Fight Night 9. He emphatically began a new era with an incredible knockout in less than a round.
As soon as the bout began, both men exchanged heavy leather. Haggerty was immensely confident, and Nong-O was riding a string of knockout wins into his latest defense of the gold. With both men seeking the KO, it was only a matter of who landed first.
The Brit stunned Nong-O with a right cross that marked the first knockdown. Although he answered the call, the Thai superstar was put back down on the mat again with another right hand. After rising one more time, “The General” scored the massive upset KO victory with a right hand that made Nong-O faceplant for good.
