SHINYA AOKI DEFEATS KOJI ANDO TO RETAIN ONE LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
PLUS: DEJDAMRONG SOR AMNUAYSIRICHOK IS CROWNED THE INAUGURAL ONE STRAWWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION
ALSO: MARAT GAFUROV VICTORIOUS OVER EV TING IN A FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT
22 May 2015 – Singapore:Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization with a 90% market share, ONE Championship™ (ONE), made a triumphant return to Singapore with another spectacular evening of world-class mixed martial arts. ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST delighted fans to a night of heart-thumping action, as the best fighters from all across Asia and the entire world went to battle inside the ONE cage. In the main event, Shinya Aoki defeated Koji Ando to remain the ONE Lightweight World Champion. Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichok became the ONE Strawweight World Champion after beating Roy Doliguez of the Philippines.
Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki retained his ONE Lightweight World Championship with a victory over Japanese compatriot Koji “The Commander” Ando. It was a calculated start from both fighters in the first two rounds, but action picked up in the third when Aoki shot for a takedown and a near-submission. The fourth round was all Aoki as the seasoned grappler spent five minutes smothering Ando on the ground. The fifth round saw much of the same action as Aoki cruised to a unanimous decision.
In a contest for the inaugural ONE Strawweight World Championship, Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichok overcame his toughest challenge yet, in the form of Filipino Boxing champion Roy Doliguez. For the entire fight, both Dejdamrong and Doliguez blasted each other with powerful strikes. Dejdamrong found consistent success with his Muay Thai while Doliguez opted to shoot for takedowns while countering with his world-class Boxing. By the end of the fourth, both fighters were completely exhausted but somehow found a way to fight on. In the fifth, the heated exchanges proved too much for Doliguez as he was deemed unable to continue. Dejdamrong was crowned champion after the fight went to a decision.
A highly-anticipated matchup between featherweights Ev Ting and Marat Gafurov ended in spectacular fashion, with Gafurov continuing his unbeaten streak with another tremendous submission victory over a high-level opponent. Gafurov made quick work of Ting, completely dominating the Malaysian fighter with his incredible skills on the ground. Towards the end of the first round, Gafurov was able to lock in a very deep rear naked choke that sealed the deal.
Hawaii’s Lowen Tynanes dominated Kuat Khamitov for three rounds in a gruelling lightweight bout. A fairly timid first round saw Tynanes stalk an overly defensive Khamitov. Action picked up in the second as Tynanes was able to close the gap on Khamitov with a few successful takedowns. In the third, Tynanes banked on his superior wrestling ability to smother Khamitov on the mat with vicious ground and pound. All three judges were in favor of Tynanes via unanimous decision.
In a close-quarters battle, elite mixed martial artists Eddie Ng and Ariel Sexton went to war inside the ONE cage in an absolute epic. The end result was an impeccable submission victory by the tenacious Sexton, who put his entire offensive arsenal on display against his toughest opponent yet. In the first round, Sexton pressed Ng against the cage as Ng remained dangerous, countering with quick punches and kicks. As the tension built up in the second, Sexton turned to his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and after taking Ng to the mat, secured a rear naked choke to force Ng to tap out.
In an intense featherweight encounter, Shannon Wiratchai and Amir Khan took to the cage to go shot for shot, bringing the crowd to the edge of their seats in excitement. In the end, Wiratchai did just enough to defeat Khan, earning a hard-fought split decision. All three rounds were immensely heated as Khan and Wiratchai traded devastating blows, with each fighter having their moments. Although Khan scored on a couple of takedowns, Wiratchai showcased a tremendous variety of strikes and did just enough to claim victory.
Angela Lee made a successful ONE Championship debut with an electrifying submission finish over Aya Saeid Saber. The highly-regarded fighter from Hawaii showcased her powerful striking to the delight of the hometown crowd. It also didn’t take long for Lee to prove her mettle on the ground, as she took Saber down with a Koshi Guruma and transitioned into an armbar that caused Saber to tap out.
In an impressive display of striking and wrestling, A La Teng Hei Li defeated Singapore’s Stephen Langdown by referee stoppage, using multiple takedowns to dominate the first round while doing damage on the ground. In the second, Li increased his aggression with his striking, leaving the referee with no choice but to stop the bout as Langdown could not defend against the onslaught. Li was awarded with the TKO victory.
Making his professional MMA debut, 19-year old Benedict Ang figured in a tough scrap against opponent Waqar Umar, putting in three solid rounds en-route to a unanimous decision victory. Ang took the fight straight to Umar, scoring on various takedowns and near submissions. Umar played defense most of the fight while Ang used his superior wrestling to control the action and earn the judges’ nod.
Two energetic flyweights kicked off the action at ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST. Yang Jian Bing defeated Ali Yaakub in the second round, after using his mat skills for the majority of the fight to secure an armbar submission.
Official results for ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST
ONE Lightweight World Championship bout: Shinya Aoki defeats Koji Ando by Unanimous Decision
ONE Strawweight World Championship bout: Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichok defeats Roy Doliguez by Unanimous Decision
Featherweight bout: Marat Gafurov defeats Ev Ting by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:30 minutes of round 1
Lightweight bout: Lowen Tynanes defeats Kuat Khamitov by Unanimous Decision
Lightweight bout: Ariel Sexton defeats Eddie Ng by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:10 minutes of round 2
Featherweight bout: Shannon Wiratchai defeats Amir Khan by Split Decision
Women’s Strawweight bout: Angela Lee defeats Aya Saeid Saber by Submission (Armbar) at 1:43 minutes of round 1
Bantamweight bout: A La Teng Hei Li defeats Stephen Langdown by TKO (Strikes) at 0:51 minutes of round 2
Featherweight bout: Benedict Ang defeats Waqar Umar by Unanimous Decision
Flyweight bout: Yang Jian Bing defeats Ali Yaakub by Submission (Armbar) at 0:49 minutes of round 2
