That headliner saw Sitthichai taking on Tawanchai in a featherweight Muay Thai showdown, after both fighters had their original opponents fall through. A former Lumpinee Stadium Welterweight Champion and Glory Lightweight Champion, Sitthichai was looking to bounce back after suffering a third loss at the hands of Superbon Banchamek.

One of the higher-stakes fights, however, came earlier on in the night. In an women’s atomweight MMA bout, Bi Nguyen was matched up with Jenelyn Olsim — with the winner promised an alternate slot in the upcoming atomweight grand prix.

Nguyen, a former KOTC fighter, was entering the bout off the biggest win of her career, which saw her win a split decision against Indian wrestling standout Ritu Phogat, who had previously been undefeated.

Also on the Battlground III card, Tial Thang, a student of ONE Championship star Aung La N Sang.

ONE Championship’s Battleground III broadcast kicks off at 8AM ET. Where available, a stream of all the action is available above. Full results can be found below.

ONE Championship: Battleground III Results

Sitthichai def. Tawanchai by split decision – Muay Thai
Dejdamrong def. Banma Duoji by TKO, Round 2, 3:31
Xie Wei def. Dae Hwan Kim by TKO, 1:46
Jenelyn Olsim def. Bi Nguyen by unanimous decision
Song Min Jong def. Tial Thang by unanimous decision
Purev Otgonjargal defeats Ben Royle by knockout, Round 1, 0:49

The post ONE Championship: Battleground III Results and Video appeared first on Cageside Press.

The event, which will air live on August 27, will see Nguyen taking on Team Lakay athlete Jenelyn Olsim. ONE Championship officials confirmed the news to Cageside Press following an initial report by MMA Fighting.

Nguyen’s split decision victory over Indian star and Commonwealth Wrestling Championship gold medalist Ritu Phogat was unquestionably an upset. Phogat, then undefeated, was expected to be a shoo-in for ONE’s women’s atomweight grand prix. Opting to take the fight against Nguyen prior to the tournament, originally slated for late May and now postponed to September, Phogat came up short short against the “KillHer Bee.”

For Nguyen (6-6), the victory marked her second under the ONE banner, not counting a Muay Thai win against Puja Tomar in 2019. It also snapped a two-fight losing streak.

Olsim (4-2), from The Philippines, previously competed for WSOF, before fighting twice under the ONE: Warrior Series banner. Her last fight, at Fists of Fury III, saw Olsim pull off a third-round guillotine choke against Maira Mazar.

ONE Championship: Battleground III is also expected feature a featherweight Muay Thai contest featuring two of Thailand’s best in Sitthichai vs. Tawanchai. The event goes down in Kallang, Singapore at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The post ONE Championship: After Phogat Win, Bi Nguyen Gets Jenelyn Olsim at Battleground III appeared first on Cageside Press.

ONE Championship made it’s debut in Vietnam Friday, hosting Immortal Triumph in Ho Chi Minh City. It did so, however, without any MMA bouts on the card, due to regulations still prohibiting the sport from being practiced unencumbered in the Asian nation.

That meant a card full of kickboxing and Muay Thai action, but including a smattering of MMA fighters including KOTC veteran Bi Nguyen.

Note: Saemapetch Fairtex vs. Adam Noi was cancelled due to medical reasons regarding Noi.

The card kicked off at 5:45 PM local time, with action streaming on the ONE Championship app. Check below for results from the event.

ONE Championship: Immortal Triumph Results

Main Card

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao def. Brice Delval by split decision – for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship
Kulabdam Sor. Jor. Piek Uthai def. Bobo Sacko by unanimous decision – Muay Thai
Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat def. Azwan Che Wil by knockout, Round 3, 2:45 – Muay Thai
Anderson Silva def. Beybulat Isaev by knockout, Round 1, 2:19  – kickboxing
Chris Nguyen def. Yukinori Ogasawara by unanimous decision – Muay Thai
Bi Ngueyn def. Puja Tomar by split decision – Muay Thai

Preliminary Card

Panpayak Jitmuangnon def. Masahide Kudo by unanimous decision – kickboxing
Mongkolpetch Petchyindee Academy def. Joseph Lasiri by majority decision – Muay Thai
Santino Verbeek def. Juan Cervantes by majority decision – kickboxing
Momotaro def. Singtongnoi Por Telakun by knockout, Round 1, 0:41 – Muay Thai
Viktoria Lipianska def. Amber Kitchen by split decision – Muay Thai
Michael Pham def. Mohamad Fakri Bin Yusoff by unanimous decision – Muay Thai

The post ONE Championship: Immortal Triumph Live Stream and Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

ONE Championship is heading to Vietnam in September, and on Thursday, the promotion revealed the full lineup for the event. Entitled Immortal Triumph, the card will feature a ONE bantamweight Muay Thai title fight in the main event, as champ Nong-O Gaiyanghadao will take on Brice Delval.

The co-main event will also feature Muay Thai action in the bantamweight division, as Saemapetch Fairtex will face off with Rafi Bohic. The rest of the card, meanwhile, will be comprised of kickboxing and Muay Thai action, with not a single MMA fight included. That’s a first for the Asian martial arts promotion, who have frequently included ONE Super Series kickboxing and Muay Thai bouts on MMA cards, and even boxing. However, ONE has never before excluded its bread and butter.

Getting licensed in Vietnam likely played a factor. Earlier this year, ONE’s debut in the nation was billed as the first time an MMA show had come to the nation. However, it was noted at the time that “the event will have its format adjusted to ensure it fit Vietnam’s regulations.” Removing MMA entirely, mind you, removes the prestige of being the first MMA show in the nation.

Hong Kong’s Just MMA had attempted to host an MMA event in Vietnam this past June. However, the promotion was forced to scrap plans for the card. In a statement, Just MMA officials wrote that they had “received tremendous support by the local community, and with their great effort, we were able to obtain an approval from the Vietnam Sports Authority to host a “semi-MMA” event in June 2019. Since MMA is not an approved combat competition format in Vietnam, the authority has allowed some fights to be competed under adaptive MMA rules. The majority of the fights will still be carried out in traditional format, like Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Grappling…etc.”

Unfortunately, the adaptive MMA rules soon became an issue. “The number of fights under adaptive rules, and our flexibility in adopting these rules have further been restricted since the approval was given. We believe the new restriction would not allow the event to offer our spectators the exciting experience of MMA, and our fighters to demonstrate their true ability as an MMA fighter. And this would not have fulfilled JUST MMA’s commitment to bring professional MMA events to our fans, and fellow promoters and fighters.”

While ONE’s press release Thursday did not mention the rules issue directly, it seems clear that it is keeping true mixed martial arts out of the nation. That said, Immortal Triumph will feature a number of MMA stars competing in single disciplines, including former KOTC fighter Bi Nguyen in her striking debut.

ONE’s first trip to Vietnam will take place September 6 at the Phu Tho Indoor Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City.

ONE Championshi: Immortal Triumph Full Card

Main Event
ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship
Nong-O Gaiyanghadao (C) vs Brice Delval
Muay Thai: 65.8kg

Saemapetch Fairtex vs Rafi Bohic
Muay Thai: 65.8kg

Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat vs Azwan Che Wil
Muay Thai: 61.2kg

Beybulat Isaev vs Anderson Silva
Kickboxing: 102.1kg

Kulabdam Sor. Jor. Piek Uthai vs Bobo Sacko
Muay Thai: 65.8kg

Chris Nguyen vs Yukinori Ogasawara
Muay Thai: 61.2kg

Bi Nguyen vs Puja Tomar
Muay Thai: 52.2kg

Panpayak Jitmuangnon vs Masahide Kudo
Kickboxing: 61.2kg

Mongkolpetch Petchyindee Academy vs Joseph Lasiri
Muay Thai: 61.2kg

Santino Verbeek vs Juan Cervantes
Kickboxing: 83.9kg

Singtongnoi Por Telakun vs Kohei Kodera
Muay Thai: 61.2kg

Amber Kitchen vs Viktoria Lipianska
Muay Thai: 56.7kg

Nguyen Thanh Tung vs Shahzaib Rindh
Kickboxing: 70.3kg

Michael Pham vs Mohamad Fakri Bin Yusoff
Muay Thai: 70.3kg

The post ONE Championship: Immortal Triumph in Vietnam Full Card Revealed, With Zero MMA Bouts appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Friday, ONE Championship was back in action in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Masters of Destiny featured a ONE Super Series Kickboxing Featherweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final match-up between Giorgio Petrosyan and Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy in the main event. The pairing was a redo after the duo’s original meeting was overturned to a No Contest by ONE’s Competition Committee due to referee errors.

So the pair would throw down again, topping a card that would also feature star Angela Lee — curiously already booked for a title fight rematch later in the year. Lee was set to face Brazil’s Michelle Nicolini in a strawweight battle, despite having already been granted another shot at Xiong Jing Nan — albeit in her natural weight class.

Also on the ONE Championship: Masters of Destiny card, ONE standout Ev Ting would take on former UFC fighter Daichi Abe of Japan. And Bi Nguyen would make her sophomore appearance for ONE against Bozhena Antoniyar.

Check out the live stream above (where available), while full results for the event can be found below!

ONE Championship: Masters of Destiny Results:

Main Card

Giorgio Petrosyan def. Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy by Unanimous Decision – ONE Super Series Kickboxing Featherweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final 
Michelle Nicolini def. Angela Lee by Unanimous Decision
Ev Ting def. Daichi Abe by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in Round 2 (4:44)
Gurdarshan Mangat def. Abro Fernandes by Unanimous Decision
Jihin Radzuan def. Jomary Torres by Submission (Triangle Choke) in Round 1 (3:07)
Troy Worthen def. Chen Rui by TKO in Round 2 (3:29)
Hiroko Akimoto def. Kenny Tse by Unanimous Decision

Preliminary Card

Janet Todd def. Kai Ting Chuang by Unanimous Decision – ONE Super Series Kickboxing
Dae Sung Park def. Kimihiro Eto by TKO in Round 2 (1:59)
Aleksi Toivonen def. Akihiro Fujisawa by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in Round 1 (3:27)
Mohammed Bin Mahmoud def. Saiful Merican by Unanimous Decision – ONE Super Series Muay Thai
Adrian Mattheis def. Li Zhe by TKO (Ground-and-Pound) in Round 2 (1:51)
Bozhena Antoniyar def. Bi Nguyen by Split Decision
Sorgraw Petchyindee Academy def. George Mann by Split Decision – ONE Super Series Muay Thai
Josh Tonna def. Yoshihisa Morimoto by Unanimous Decision – ONE Super Series Kickboxing

The post ONE Championship: Masters of Destiny Results and Live Stream appeared first on Cageside Press.

Returning to the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on Friday, ONE Championship held Roots of Honor. It’s first post-New Era show, the event saw a pair of title fights topping the card. And for those who read into such things, everything went according to plan.

That is, featherweight champion and promotional stalwart Martin Nguyen retained his title, defeating challenger Narantungalag Jadambaa via knockout in the second round. Nguyen had been sidetracked by pursuits in other weight classes in recent years, having held the ONE lightweight title for a time, while trying for a third belt at bantamweight. Now, with just a single championship, he has an opportunity to establish a legacy, and lengthy reign, in the featherweight division.

In the co-main event, again, the best possible turnout if you consider the booking. Joshua Pacio was rematching Yosuke Saruta for the strawweight title the Filipino fighter lost just months ago. The hometown hero of the night, Pacio knocked Saruta out in the fourth, reclaiming the title.

For full results from ONE Championship: Roots of Honor, be sure to check out our results page for the event. You can also check out highlights from the show below, courtesy of ONE Championship!

The post ONE Championship: Roots of Honor Photo Highlights appeared first on Cageside Press.

ONE Championship’s next trip to the Philippines continues to take shape. Among the key additions announced for ONE Championship: Roots of Honor on Tuesday, Brazil’s Luis Santos, a one-time rival of Ben Askren, will take on James Nakashima at welterweight. Additionally, in the women’s atomwieght division, newly signed Bi Nguyen, a King of the Cage veteran, will take on Dwi Ani Retno Wulan in Nguyen’s promotional debut.

The ‘KillHer Bee’ or just plain Killer Bee (4-2) has also fought for Legacy FC, and split a pair of fights with current RIZIN FF star Andy Nguyen. The second was an unsuccessful bid for the KOTC atomweight title.

The current ONE Championship: Roots of Honor card breaks down as follows:

(c) Martin Nguyen vs Narantungalag Jadambaa (ONE Featherweight World Championship)
(c) Yosuke Saruta VS Joshua Pacio (ONE Strawweight World Championship)
Leandro Issa VS Fu Chang Xin (mixed martial arts – 68-kilogram catch weight)
Ibrahim El Bouni VS Andrei Stoica (ONE Super Series kickboxing – light heavyweight)
Luis Santos VS James Nakashima (mixed martial arts – welterweight)
Edward Kelly VS Sung Jong Lee (mixed martial arts – featherweight)
Andre Meunier VS Anderson Silva (ONE Super Series kickboxing – heavyweight)
Eric Kelly VS Tang Kai (mixed martial arts – featherweight)
Saemapetch Fairtex VS Ognjen Topic (ONE Super Series Muay Thai – bantamweight)
Niko Soe VS Eko Roni Saputra (mixed martial arts – flyweight)
Lerdsila Phuket Top Team VS Kohei Kodera (ONE Super Series Muay Thai – flyweight)
Bi Nguyen VS Dwi Ani Retno Wulan (mixed martial arts – women’s atomweight)
Ramon Gonzales VS Akihiro Fujisawa (mixed martial arts – strawweight)

The post More Bouts Announced for ONE Championship: Roots of Honor appeared first on Cageside Press.