The latest Prime Video card from the martial arts powerhouse featured longtime bantamweight Mauy Thai champion Nong-O, putting his title on the line against former flyweight champ Jonathan Haggerty.

In the co-main event mixed martial arts contest, undefeated lightweight talents Halil Amir and Maurice Abevi threw down. In women’s atomweight action, meanwhile, grand prix alums Denice Zamboanga and Julie Mezabarba were set to collide, while at strawweight, China’s Meng Bo returned to take on Dayane Cardoso.

ONE Fight Night 9: Nong-O vs. Haggerty goes down on Friday, April 21, 2023 in Bangkok and airs on Amazon Prime Video. The action gets underway at 8PM ET; full results can be found below.

ONE Fight Night 9: Nong-O vs. Haggerty Results

Jonathan Haggerty def. Nong-O Hama via R1 2:40 KO  — for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai championship
Halil Amir def. Maurice Abevi via Unanimous Decision
Bokang Masunyane def. Hiroba Minowa via Unanimous Decision
Felipe Lobo def. Saemapetch Fairtex via R3 1:56 KO — Muay Thai
Denice Zamboanga def. Julie Mezabarba via Unanimous Decision
Isi Fitikefu def. Valmir Da Silva via R1 4:15 Submission (RNC)
Meng Bo def. Dayane Cardoso via Unanimous Decision
Asa Ten Pow def. Han Zi Hao by TKO, Round 3, 0:52 — Muay Thai
Jhanlo Mark Sangiao def. Matias Farinelli by submission (kneebar), Round 1, 0:58

The post ONE Fight Night 9: Nong-O vs. Haggerty Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

There would be plenty of reasons to dance following the conclusion of her fight in Singapore on Friday.

Fairtex was paired up with Julie Mezabarba in a semifinal of the ongoing ONE women’s atomweight grand prix. Brazil’s Mezabarba was not Stamp’s original opponent, but the tournament has undergone more than one shakeup. In this case, former UFC fighter and ROAD FC/RIZIN FF champ Seo Hee Ham had advanced from the quarterfinal round, but was forced to withdraw from the fight.

Replacement fighter Mezabarba got the nod to replace Ham after defeating Mei Yamaguchi in their alternate bout earlier in the year.

Mezabarba appeared to bite on several of Stamp’s feints in the opening round Friday, giving the Thai fighter an edge early. That led to a change of game plan in the second, with Mezabarba immediately pursuing a takedown. The ground was expected to be one area where Mezabarba had the edge, but Stamp reversed position and got to mount, allowing her to fire off ground n’ pound.

Mezabarba had no choice but to give up her back, and Stamp was able to get her hooks in. Late in the round, she got the rear-naked choke in place, but only briefly.

Sweep ⏩ Mount ⏩ Ground and Pound #ONENextGen #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/y54dQcpHVA

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) October 29, 2021

The near-finish at the end of the second was the closest the fight came to being stopped early. In the third, Mezabarba appeared to chase the finish at times, but Stamp’s striking was too much. The Muay Thai expert, a former two-sport champ, went on to earn a unanimous decision victory — and clinch her spot in the atomweight grand prix final.

That fight, expected to take place on December 3, will come against Ritu Phogat, who also won her semifinal fight at ONE: NextGen on Friday.

Official Result: Stamp Fairtex def. Julie Mezabarba by unanimous decision

The post Stamp Fairtex Clinchs Spot in Women’s Atomweight Grand Prix Final at ONE: NextGen appeared first on Cageside Press.

It wasn’t the semifinal match-ups originally advertised, however. With both Seo Hee Ham and Itsuki Hirata forced out of the tournament, a pair of tournament alternates were staring down major opportunities.

In the main event, Stamp Fairtex, the crossover Muay Thai and kickboxing star, was looking to advance to the finals against Brazil’s Julie Mezabarba. Alternate or not, Mezabarba had looked strong in her alternate bout against Mei Yamaguchi earlier this year.

Stepping in to replace Hirtata against Ritu Phogat, meanwhile, was Filipino atomweight Jenelyn Olsim.

In heavyweight MMA action, Kirill Grishenko was set to face off with Canada’s Dustin Joynson at Friday’s event. On the kickboxing side, another heavyweight showdown was set between Anderson Silva and Iraj Azizpour.

ONE: NextGen gets underway Friday at 8:30AM ET, with the card going down live in Singapore. Full results from the event can be found below. Where available, a live stream of the action can be viewed above!

ONE Championship: NextGen Results

Stamp Fairtex def. Julie Mezabarba by unanimous decision – women’s atomweight grand prix semifinal
Ritu Phogat def. Jenelyn Olsim by unanimous decision – women’s atomweight grand prix semifinal
Iraj Azizpour def. Anderson Silva by unanimous decision – kickboxing
Kirill Grishenko def. Dustin Joynson by unanimous decision
Jeremy Miado def. Miao Li Tao by TKO, Round 2, 0:50
Beybulat Isaev def. Bogdan Stoica by unanimous decision – kickboxing

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

PFL 2021 #10 | US | Wednesday

Lightweight, Kayla Harrison (10-0)

Harrison is a very accomplished grappler who won the gold medal in judo at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and gold at the 2011 and 2015 Pan-American Games. Along with that she is last year’s PFL million-dollar winner. The judo practitioner holds a black belt in her sport and has won two national championships. Harrison has been dominant thus far in her MMA career. Her wrestling and her judo have been on full display and once on top, she’s a nightmare. Harrison is just dominant on top. Her grappling is high level and she is both a submission threat and has fight-stopping ground and pound. She’s unstoppable. Harrison fights Taylor Guardado (3-1).

Heavyweight, Bruno Henrique Cappelozza (13-5)

Cappelozza may not have a great record nor is he the youngest but he is a nightmare opponent. In the last six years, he’s only lost to Jiří Procházka. Cappelozza is all action and violence. He has some strong wrestling but on the feet is where he’s at best. Everything he throws is with ill intentions whether if that’s with his hands or legs. Right away Cappelozza asserts himself as a big danger win or lose. He fights Ante Delija (19-4)

Heavyweight, Ante Delija (19-4)

Unlike his mentor Mikro Cro-Cop, Delija is a dangerous guy once it’s on the mat. He has no doubt learned from Cro-Cop as well, as he has some solid kickboxing and power in his hands. Delija is a physical guy who powers his foes down to the mat. “Walking Trouble” is indeed trouble on top as he has ferocious ground and pound. His grappling is no doubt pretty darn good and his ground punches are active, heavy, and he attacks the body as well. He fights Bruno Henrique Cappelozza (13-5).

Featherweight, Movlid Khaybulaev (18-0-1)

Khaybulaev is a very solid fighter all around, and he is really technical in his stand-up. He throws a lot of spinning attacks, not overdoing it, but that is a good thing. Khaybulaev uses the flying knee often, which he’s used to knock out opponents. With that said, he also has good wrestling; he is able to shoot in for a double leg or he can lift and slam you to the mat. Khaybulaev can usually get the fight down multiple times in a bout. There is a reason he has the record he has. He fights Chris Wade (20-6).

UAE Warriors 23 | Abu Dhabi | Thursday

Middleweight, Mohamad Osseili (4-0)

Lebanon’s Osseili is a prospect with a lot of hype. He’s a big middleweight standing at 6’5″ and uses every bit of it. Osseili with his reach is always up close in the face but is back far enough to where it’s only him landing at the end of his punches. He’s really good at pressing guys against the cage and letting his hands go. Osseili has really good hands attacking the body and throwing in combinations. In his last fight, he even showed to have a decent ground game and wrestling. His gas tank is a concern though going forward. He fights Glory fighter Yousri Belgaroui (2-0).

ONE Championship | Singapore | Friday

Strawweight, Julie Mezabarba (9-2-1)

Mezabarba made an impression in her last fight beating the 33-fight veteran Mei Yamaguchi. She’s got an impressive record MMA record and a black belt in kickboxing. Her style sees her mainly on the feet. Mezabarba fights well on the outside with her power punches and kicks. She likes to throw the superman punch when closing the distance. Even in the clinch she’s physically strong and has good muay thai. Mezabarba has won her last seven fights. She fights Stamp Fairtex (6-1).

Strawweight, Stamp Fairtex (6-1)

Nong Stamp (Stamp Fairtex) is a world kickboxing and Muay Thai champion, with a Muay Thai record of 63-15-5. Her sole loss in MMA to Alyona Rassohyna; Fairtex won the rematch last month. She’s shown her kickboxing and Muay Thai skills of course, and although she could throw more volume, she picks her shots well. Fairtex does have a submission win and overall has pretty good grappling. She fights Julie Mezabarba (9-2-1).

UAE Warriors 24 | Abu Dhabi | Friday

Bantamweight, Vinicius de Oliveira (16-2)

Oliveira is an absolute wild man when he’s in the cage. He reminds you of a lesser version of fellow Brazilian and UFC fighter Michal Pereira. Oliveira is an all-action freestyle-type athlete who will always put on a show. Being the diverse athlete he is, the Brazilian loves to go for broke throwing a lot of switch kicks, wheel kicks, going off the cage, and flying knees. He really brings that Brazilian capoeira style. Oliveira will also get takedowns and has an underrated ground game. He fights Sylvester Chipfumbu (7-3).

Lightweight, John Mitchell (3-0)

Out of Ireland, Mitchell is a bright prospect in the lightweight division. On the feet, Mitchell fights very well on the outside. He throws a good knee up the middle and has a strong straight jab. Even making guys pay when they plant their feet he’ll lunge in with lead hooks. Mitchell is an even better grappler. I have no complaint about his jiu-jitsu as well. He can open you up with constant ground and pound or take the back and secure the RNC. He fights Konstantinos Ntelis (6-1).

Welterweight, Daniel Skibińsk (18-5)

Since a pair of losses in mid-2016, Skibinski has won his next twelve fights. Outside of MMA, he was an ADCC Polish Championship in 2019 and won gold in No-Gi in Poland. Skibinski has strong wrestling with heavy top control. He’s a grinder with a good gas tank going the distance in ten of his wins. He’s not the flashiest fighter but has a high fight IQ and is really dominant. He fights Tahir Abdullaev (11-1).

Middleweight, Zaakir Badat (3-0)

Badat from South Africa is a serious dude once he gets the fight grounded. He’s ended all three of his pro fights on the mat. From ground and pound in the crucifix to a heel hook to a triangle Badat has “it” on the mat. Badat still has to answer a lot questions, including what his striking and gas tank look like. From what’s been seen his jiu-jitsu is top-notch. He fights Jonathan Wernz (1-0).

Welterweight, Themba Gorimbo (9-2)

A fighter from Zimbabwe Themba Gorimbo is so close to a UFC contract. With two unfortunate losses, Gorimbo is at his best on a three-fight win streak. He’s better on the mat, even off his back. Six of his wins have come by submission. That’s from attacking triangles and armbars off his back and guillotines in scrambles. Gorimbo is very skilled on the feet but his chin is a concern. He does throw straight punches and his hands are really quick and long. Offensively he’s good but defensively there are holes. He fights Handesson Ferreira (16-3-1).

Bantamweight, Soo Young Yoo (7-1)

Yoo does have a 13-second finish on the feet but is more of a wrestler. Yoo is pretty aggressive on his takedowns. At times he won’t get the takedown on the first attempt, but he’s good at re-shooting and getting it down. Yoo has exceptional transitional grappling and has excellent ground and pound. He’s good with transitions and is good at striking his way to a submission. He fights Sarvadzhon Khamidov (11-0).

Hexagone MMA 2 | France | Friday

Lightweight, William Gomis (7-2)

Gomis impressed me in his last fight when he beat a really tough opponent in Tobias Harila. Gomis is a really dangerous guy when he blitzes forward and off his back foot. He’s throws a lot of good kicks and his hands compliment his offensive output. He does a fine job of always staying busy. Not the cleanest on the mat but he can wrestler and grapple when needed. Gonna be tough to figure out Gomis on the feet where he’s so tricky. I really like Gomis and think he can be something one day. He fights Baba Boundjou Nadjombe (7-3).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0Ry6vINBEc

Eternal MMA 62 | Australia | Saturday

Flyweight, Steve Erceg (7-1)

Ecreg can hold his own on the feet. Although he’s fully capable of landing his punches and getting finishes he is hittable. The man can wrestle also and does it at a high level. Ecreg can even chain wrestle very well as shown throughout his career. As good as his wrestling is Ecreg is an even better grappler. Methodically he transitions into dominant positions and no matter where he’s at he’s working to finish. He fights Paul Loga (7-5) who he already beat.

TFL 23 | Poland | Saturday

Featherweight, Sebastian Kotwica (11-2)

Kotwica is making his return from a four year layoff and he was someone I was high on at the time. Kotwica is very dangerous everywhere, as on the feet he has won by a head kick and is a heavy-handed striker. He also has solid wrestling but the ground and pound he throws is great. He has a relentless pace, especially with elbows. If he looks anything like he did when he was active he’s going to be a problem. Kotwica fights Marcos Schmitz (17-7).

GMC Fight Night | Germany | Saturday

Welterweight, Islam Dulatov (5-1)

Since losing his first fight, Dulatov hasn’t lost again winning his next five fights. Dulatov is huge at 6’6″ and uses his length to his advantage. He’s a really rangy guy with a good jab and straight punches. He makes opponents pay coming in with step-in knees and is just difficult to close the distance on. I’m not fully sold on him but lately, he’s been impressive. Dulatov fights Luis Silva (5-9-1).

MMA SERIES 43 | Russia | Saturday

Heavyweight, Oleg Popov (13-1)

Popov is a wrestler who has some decent power in his hands. He’s an aggressive guy constantly shooting and what he lacks in size he makes up for with his strength. Not entirely someone who will blow you away on the mat but he has some heavy top control and a submission game. Popov is getting better and better with each fight. He fights Alejandro Solorzano (9-2).

Heavyweight, Alejandro Solorzano (9-2)

Solorzano does have an impressive record but so far he hasn’t blown me away. “Goliath” is a big man weighing in at the heavyweight limit at 265lbs and standing at 6’5″. Solorzano is purely a striker which is a reason he took a bare-knuckle boxing fight. He’s a technical boxer that keeps his hands high and picks his shots. He could be more active but is someone that counters well and puts it together nicely once he commits. Solorzano fights Oleg Popov (13-1)

WCC 002 | Peru | Friday

Bantamweight, Renzo Mendez (15-6)

Mendez has had a lot of setbacks in his career already with six losses. However, he’s currently on a seven-fight win streak. “El Nene” on the feet is a banger. He loves to let his hands go, going head-hunting with big looping punches and head kicks. He’s super aggressive the entire fight. His takedown defense does need work but off his back his jiu-jitsu is strong. On top or off his back he has shown good grappling. He fights Andy Rios (5-3).

CFFC 102 | US | Saturday

Featherweight, Isa Dalipaj (3-0)

Dalipaj is born out of Cakran, Fier but has been living in the states in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He trains out of Renzo Gracie Philly. Not the most elusive guy as he does get hit and has been dropped. Dalipaj is an action fighter that’s going to press the pace every time. He takes damage to give some but it’s been him being able to withstand the damage and break his opponents with his offense. Dalipaj lands kicks to punches and vice-versa and breaks guys down. Not sold on him but he’s fun to watch. He fights Jose Perez (4-1).

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: Atomweight Grand Prix Continues, UAE Warriors Back appeared first on Cageside Press.

Welterweight, Mohammad Alaqraa (2-0)

Alaqraa wasted no time getting in and out of this fight with no issues. Outside of a good leg kick on the feet, Alaqraa got the takedown quick. Right away he transitioned to the back and was locked on. Alaqraa landed good ground and pound before locking in the RNC for the tap. It would’ve been nice to see the fight go longer so he could show a lot more.
Grade: C+

Welterweight Wisem Hammami (6-0)

Outside of getting taken down twice this fight was all Hammami. Even though he was taken down he got right back up. Noting big really stood out but Hammami fought smart and tactically. Hammami fought outside the jab, landed the one-two, and chopped away at the lead leg. The leg kicks were his best weapon but fighting at his preferred range won him the fight.
Grade: B-

Strawweight, Julie Mezabarba (9-2-1)

Making her ONE Championship debut, Mezabarba was thrown right into stiff competition fighting the 33-fight veteran Mei Yamaguchi. Mezabarba never let Yamaguchi get going taking control of the entire fight. She fought on the outside well and every time Yamaguchi came forward she got caught. That sneaky counter-right uppercut landed a few times. Mezabarba landed a superman punch a few times to close the distance. When Yamaguchi got Mezabarba it was Mezabarba beating her up in the clinch.
Grade: B

Bantamweight, Kevin Cordero (12-2)

Cordero fought Bellator veteran Ricky Bandejas who is very talented. A large portion of the fight played on the outside in kickboxing range. I’d like to say Cordero was getting better of the exchanges landing better with his kicks and throwing more frequently. At the end of the round, Bandejas got the takedown twice. Cordero off his back locked in the triangle and put Bandejas out cold in round one.
Grade: A

Featherweight, Hae Jin Park (9-1)

Soo Chul Kim, a top prospect in 2017, made his return to the cage off a four-year layoff. He was welcomed back with a loss but it was fun while it lasted. Both guys took it to each other right away. In close in a phone booth, these guys were throwing down. Kim was leaving space in the clinch and it was allowing Park to land uppercuts and punches over the top. Park tried to grab hold of the leg to get the takedown but Kim had none of it. As they were exchanging in the clinch Park clocked Kim with a left hand dropping him. Park jumped in on a guillotine and it put Kim out cold. Park took a lot of damage and was failing at a lot of takedowns which takes away from his overall performance.
Grade: C+

Lightweight, Seung Mo Park (3-0)

It only took 25 seconds for Seung Mo Park to move to 3-0. He began light on his feet bouncing around. He missed with a wheel kick but followed up with a left hand that buckled his opponent. He then dropped him briefly with an uppercut and swarmed with punches, dropping him again and sending the ref in.
Grade: C

Bantamweight, Hyun Woo Kim (3-0)

Kim started with a frantic pace bringing it right to his opponent just letting his hands fly. Kim landed a body punch that visibly made his opponent uncomfortable. He let loose going body head rapidly along the fence. Everything was landed all adding up dropping his opponent to his knees where the ref saved him.
Grade: B-

Flyweight, Jung Hyun Lee (5-0)

Lee impressed me in September with an excellent performance. He walked his opponent down peppering him with multiple jabs and finding his range and picking his shots. While walking forward he battered the inside leg kicking it over and over. Lee landed a right hook-left hook on the chin flooring his opponent. The follow-up punches stiffened his opponent and the fight was stopped. Beautiful knockout.
Grade: B

Light heavyweight, Vitor Petrino (6-0)

The young 24-year-old had a huge test in front of him in the form of 27-fight veteran and former UFC fighter Gadzhimurad Antigulov. The Russian Antigulov took Petrino down twice but he got right back up. Early round one Petrino dropped Antigulov with a beautifully timed uppercut. Petrino threw everything at Antigulov tagging him multiple times on the feet. He was finding his strikes as Antigulov came forward. Petrino landed elbows, punches knees, landed a big flying knee at a point before finishing the fight. In round two he landed a nasty left uppercut dropping Antigulov and he put him away.
Grade: A

Welterweight, Ramazan Kuramagomedov (9-0)

This was a blowout performance from Kuramagomedov. He got the takedown right away in round two and dominated top control. His opponent got to his feet at one point but went right back down. Kuramagomedov stayed active with short punches and won every scramble his opponent tried to create. In round two right away he took it right back down with a good double leg takedown. Kuramagomedov stayed busy with ground and pound making it uncomfortable for the guy on the bottom. He eventually transitioned to the back and won with an RNC with seconds left. Pure dominance from Kuramagomedov.
Grade: A

Lightweight, Rahmads Stromanis (2-0)

This was a scrap between two young pros. Stromanis dropped his opponent early with a counter right off a blind kick. He did have to fight through two armbars and got taken down briefly. Round one was close but Stromanis came out even stronger in round two. He dropped his opponent with a left hook. He kept throwing head shots nearly landing every time. It was an awesome superman punch that landed clean for the impressive knockout.
Grade: C+

Strawweight, Josefine Lindgren Knutsson (2-0)

Knutsson continues to impress in MMA staying undefeated. Being a kickboxer her takedown defense was tested. She defended every takedown and landed three brief takedowns of her own. Knutsson did well on the outside but it was in the clinch where she battered her opponent. She was relentless with knees and that’s what she landed in round two to stop the fight. Knutsson put on a one-sided beating over a more experienced MMA fighter.
Grade: B

Welterweight, Roberto Soldić (19-3)

Not the best performance from Soldic but he still looked good nonetheless. Soldic fought veteran Patrik Kincl who is always a tough fight for anyone. He dropped Kincl in twice with a counter punch. He did get taken down in round two and spent a little time off his back. In round three Soldic landed a combination to the body dropping Kincl. From there he got into mount and landed punches until the ref stepped in.
Grade: B-

Flyweight, Paris Moran (5-1)

Moran didn’t do anything spectacular in this fight but he continues to build his resume. Moran fought Contender Series and LFA veteran Nate Smith which was by far his toughest test to date. Smith is a pure wrestler and Moran completely neutralized him. Moran only was taken down once which was briefly. He kept Smith on the outside with his jab and the right hand when he tried to close the gap. Moran fought technical and showed excellent takedown defense. He could’ve pulled the trigger more but he fought smart.
Grade: B-

Heavyweight, Sergey Belostenniy (8-2)

It only took Belostenniy right under a minute to finish tough Brazilian fighter Roggers Souza. Belostenniy started off throwing a lot of hard feints keeping Souza guessing. He tried a little flash landing a spinning kick to the body. Belostenniy let his hands go landing a right-left stunning Souza. He went back throwing and a left hook dropped Souza. Extra grounded punches sent the ref in.
Grade: B+

Flyweight, Alisson Murilo (3-0)

Murilo looked great in this fight, which happens to be the first time I’ve watched him. His striking looked really good throwing frequent combinations. He knocked his opponent down with a slick duck under right to the body and left to the chin. As his opponent got back to his feet Murilo landed a perfectly timed double leg takedown. He quickly transitioned into the mount, landed ground and pound, took the back, and secured the RNC. Superb performance.
Grade: A

Flyweight, Roybert Echeverria (6-0)

Just another easy fight for the Venezuelan Echeverria. He walked his opponent down throwing feints looking for the opening. He threw a good spinning kick up high that was blocked. After a little over a minute, with the first punch he committed to, he knocked his opponent out with the right hand. A really easy fight for Echeverria but fighting a guy that was 0-2 it was expected.
Grade: B-

Bantamweight, Ryan Kuse (5-0)

This was a squash match beating a guy that was 1-12. His opponent rushed forward from the start right into a takedown. Kuse took the back as the guy was getting up and Kuse landed a beautiful high-impact suplex. Kuse stayed on the back threatening the RNC but unloading on the ground and pound until the ref stepped in. A one-sided beating and a fight that shouldn’t have been made.
B+

Flyweight, Victor Dias (10-2)

And still. Titan FC flyweight champion Dias defended his title in what was a good fight. He and his opponent threw heavy shots on the feet including some good kicks from Dias. Dias was taken down but threatened with a guillotine and scrambled to his feet. As the fight went on he got stronger and was driving in on the legs getting the takedown. In round three Dias transitioned nicely to an armbar and after some fight he finally got it extended and the guy tapped.
Grade: B+

Lightweight, Eddy George (4-0)

George was all business in this fight taking care of his opponent with no issues. He came out firing letting his hands go while landing leg kicks. He knocked him down twice with the left hand. Every time he knocked him down he backed off wanting the fight back on the feet. George yet again knocked his opponent down with the left hand and the ref had enough and stepped in.
Grade: C+

Welterweight, Maurice Abévi (4-0)

In my first time watching Abevi, he beat a guy who was on my radar in Kennedy Rayomba. Rayomba was pressing forward the entire time but the footwork and head movement of Abevi were beautiful. Abevi found his range throwing a lot of punches from different angles. He kept throwing that lead uppercut which was coming close at times. Abevi started to mix it up as he got a takedown in round one. He got a takedown in round two right away. The Switzerland-based fighter landed a lot of ground and pound that had Rayomba get up with his neck exposed. Abevi locked in a guillotine and got the win. A really solid performance from Abevi who is now on my radar himself.
Grade: A-

The post MMA Prospect Watch: The Most Impressive Fighters from September appeared first on Cageside Press.

With four quarterfinal bouts playing out, the stage was set for some of the top names in the division to advance towards a title shot against champ Angela Lee. As well, one tournament alternate bout was held Friday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium; that match-up saw Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi take on Julie Mezabarba.

Despite having won three grand prix tournaments earlier in her career, Friday simply wasn’t Yamaguchi’s night. Brazil’s Mezabarba, in her promotional debut, had a clear edge on the feet, and her takedown defense and clinch work was enough to keep the fight where she wanted it more often than not. Yamaguchi tried to work her opponent over along the fence, looking for takedowns, only to more often than not be turned, or eat knees and elbows for her troubles. In the final minute, knowing a finish was required, Yamaguchi let her hands go, but Mezabarba was easily able to avoid serious damage.

The Brazilian took home a unanimous decision victory in the end, locking up the tournament alternate spot in the process.

While one Japanese fighter in Yamaguchi fell at ONE: Empower, another found success in the opening round of the atomweight grand prix.

Itsuki Hirata was paired up against American Alyse Anderson, a larger opponent expected to be the undefeated prospect’s toughest test to date.

Hirata opened the action with a low kick, and immediately had to deal with a left hand from the American. The Japanese fighter held her own on the feet, but a bigger question was answered when Anderson pressed her opponent up against the cage.

Believed to have the edge in size and strength, Anderson found herself thrown to the mat shortly after initiating the clinch. That forced Anderson to work off her back, looking for a triangle while Hirata worked in ground n’ pound. Hirata landed most of the damage in the exchange, but Anderson did hit home with a couple of upkicks towards the end of the round, forcing Hirata off her.

Round two once again had Anderson throwing combos, as she had early in round one. But Hirata was still the fighter walking forward, and this time it was the Japanese fighter who initiated a clinch against the fence. A lovely hip toss planted Anderson on her back, with Hirata moving straight into side control.

Anderson showed impressive flexibility, snaking her body around into a head-scissors position before scrambling back to her feet, but Hirata stayed on her opponent and took the fight right back down, where she again moved to side control. Anderson rolled over her opponent out the back, only for Hirata to get back on top in the next transition. Anderson then attempted to throw knees off the bottom, only to be warned for strikes to the back of the head.

With five minutes remaining in their quarterfinal fight, Anderson almost certainly needed to finish Itsuki Hirtata. The Japanese fighter shot early; Anderson defended the attempt with ease. Anderson fired a spinning back fist, and moments later dropped Hirata with a right! Hirata recovered, and instantly initiated a clinch. She’d get the fight down with a throw; Anderson would work back up, only to be taken down once again.

With the fight going the distance, it went to the scorecards. No surprises there, as Hirata earned the unanimous decision. She’ll move on to the semifinals, with match-ups in that round voted for by fans.

The post ONE: Empower Sees Yamaguchi Fall, Hirata Advance in Atomweight Grand Prix appeared first on Cageside Press.