Black Belt Team 
ONE 161: Petchmorakot vs. Tawanchai took center stage on Thursday, September 29, as ONE Championship was set to return to Prime Video with ONE on Prime Video 2: Xiong vs. Lee III a day later.
The exciting 11-bout card featured submission grappling, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts. But it was striking that took the spotlight at the top of the card with the ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix semifinals and a ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Championship main event.
If you missed any of the action or want to relive the night that was from Singapore, here is your recap of ONE 161.
Main Event: Petchmorakot Petchyindee vs. Tawanchai PK.Saenchai
Main Event
Petchmorakot Petchyindee vs. Tawanchai PK.Saenchai
Tawanchai Winner by Unanimous Decision
Round 5 – 3:00
A new featherweight king was crowned when Tawanchai PK.Saenchai edged out Petchmorakot Petchyindee in the night’s main event after five grueling rounds. The challenger got off to a hot start by keeping Petchmorakot on his back foot, but the champion would not relent.
In the championship rounds, Petchmorakot started to have more success. While Tawanchai was still landing solid shots, the champion was seemingly picking up steam. In the fifth round, both men flashed with moments of brilliance before the final bell. After five rounds elapsed, it was anyone’s match.
The judges all saw it the same way and rendered a unanimous decision in favor of Tawanchai. The victory moved the prodigy to the top of the Muay Thai world. After all of the accolades and hype, Tawanchai backed it all up with a brilliant performance in the face of a formidable champion who still showed his own arsenal in a highly-competitive matchup. A new era may have dawned, but Petchmorakot will surely be back sooner than later to try to regain his belt.
Full Card
Roman Kryklia vs. Guto Inocente
Kryklia Winner by TKO
Iraj Azizpour vs. Bruno Chaves
Azizpour Winner by Unanimous Decision
Zhang Lipeng vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev
Izagakhmaev Winner by Unanimous Decision
Ritu Phogat vs. Tiffany Teo
Teo Winner by Submission
Oumar Kane vs. Batradz Gazzaev
Kane Winner by TKO
Capitan Petchyindee vs. Alaverdi Ramazanov
Ramazanov Winner by Split Decision
Zhang Chenglong vs. Sangmanee PK.Saenchai
Sangmanee Winner by Split Decision
Han Zi Hao vs. Ferrari Fairtex
Ferrari Winner by Unanimous Decision
Rodrigo Marello vs. Ruslan Bagdasarian
Marello Winner by Submission
Matheus Felipe vs. Ali Foladi
Foladi Winner by KO
The ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix got underway with its semifinal bouts, and the two favorites punched their ticket to a rematch. Iraj Azizpour out-gunned Bruno Chaves en route to a decision, while Roman Kryklia quickly established why he’s the favorite in the tournament with a first-round TKO over Guto Inocente. Azizpour was the last man to defeat Kryklia, and now the Ukrainian has even more motivation to take home the crown and exact revenge in the process.
Saygid Izagakhmaev continued to look impressive inside the Circle with a dominant performance against Zhang Lipeng. The Chinese athlete could not stop the takedown and top control from the Russian grappler. While Izagakhmaev could not get the finish, he was never in any danger throughout the bout. It was pure domination and moved him closer to a shot at the gold in the lightweight division.
Tiffany Teo made a statement in her atomweight debut by submitting Ritu Phogat in the first round. Although Phogat flashed her improved stand-up early in the first, Teo’s grappling soon took over against the Indian talent. Teo’s long limbs came into effect as she took Phogat’s back and worked until she could get the rear-naked choke finish.
In the opening main card contest, Oumar Kane picked up a win over Batradz Gazzaev. The Russian tested “Reug Reug’s” wrestling early in the bout, but in the second frame, it was Kane who got the action to the mat. Once he advanced to mount, it was all but over as he dropped heavy ground and pound until the referee stepped in to halt the action.
The lead card was capped off by two outstanding Muay Thai battles in the bantamweight division. Alaverdi Ramazanov got by Capitan Petchyindee and Sangmanee PK.Saenchai squeezed past Zhang Chenglong by split decisions. Both matches were exciting and showcased the high-level depth of the division.
Ferrari Fairtex made his ONE debut in impressive fashion with a unanimous decision win over Han Zi Hao. The rising Thai star entered the Circle with a ton of hype, and he got off to a great start in backing it up with the win over Han. The Fairtex Gym representative began his trek toward the top with a quality win and now looks for the next step up the featherweight ladder.
Rodrigo Marello made history with the quickest win in ONE submission grappling history. The Brazilian immediately pulled De La Riva guard and attacked the foot of Bagdasarian, and the Russian was quick to tap. The lightning-quick submission earned Marello $50,000 in bonus cash.
Ali Foladi opened the card with a massive first-round knockout over Matheus Felipe. The Iranian got the action started the right way and made a statement in his ONE debut. The middleweight’s early victory put the division on notice that a new player has arrived and carries the power to beat any man standing in his way.
ONE 161: Petchmorakot vs. Tawanchai | All Fight Highlights
Relive all the best moments from an incredible night of martial arts action at ONE 161, which featured the crowning of new ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World …
One fc, Mixed martial arts, Mma, One championship
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