ONE Championship’s Edge of Greatness in Kallang, Singapore saw bantamweight Muay Thai champ Nong-O Gaiyanghadao retain his title in stunning fashion, securing a fourth-round knockout of challenger Saemapetch Fairtex. It was a statement win by Nong-O, who has a chance to reign supreme in the division for some time.

The evening’s co-main event was a much closer affair, however. Amir Khan took a close split decision against Ev Ting, in a fight that even ONE chief Chatri Sityodtong saw going the other way.

“Ev Ting vs Amir Khan was definitely a super close fight, but my personal opinion is that Ev won,” Sityodtong wrote on Facebook following the event. “ONE Championship works with some of the world’s best judges, referees, and officials. I respect their professional judgement. However, I do not think that a fighter who runs away with minimal output deserves to win. Amir was fighting not to lose while Ev was fighting to win. At the request of Ev Ting’s camp, the fight is under official review. The world wants to see a rematch.”

Check out video highlights from ONE Championship: Edge of Greatness above!

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Colbey Northcutt was one of the more curious signings by ONE Championship in the past year. The older sister of former UFC and now ONE athlete Sage Northcutt, Colbey was a promising prospect in her amateur days, but had lost her one and only pro fight under the LFA banner in 2017. She then took an extended hiatus from competition, focusing on her education until signing with ONE earlier this year.

Her first assignment under the ONE banner came at Edge of Greatness in Singapore on Friday, where she took on Indonesia’s Putri Padmi. Padmi, like Northcutt, had lost her one and only MMA contest, just over a year ago at ONE’s Warrior’s Dream card.

When the flyweight contest kicked off, it was clear that Northcutt held a massive size advantage over her opponent. She immediately put that to work, utilizing her long limbs with a high kick and strikes that put Padmi on the defensive. Northcuttt swarmed, and under siege, Padmi changed levels just as Northcutt jump guard for a guillotine. As they landed, Northcutt latched on to an arm, working on an arm-bar. Padmi survived, but Northcutt held on to the limb, even as Padmi stood back up. That dragged Padmi back down, at which point Northcutt switched to a triangle.

That choke became tighter and tighter as Northcutt slowly adjusted. Colbey certainly appeared more comfortable than her brother off her back. Padmi tried to work in some hammer fists, but remained stuck in the triangle until the final minute of round one, when Northcutt switched back to an arm-bar. She then swept and nearly wound up on top. Instead she landed on bottom again, employing a closed guard and trapping her opponent.

Northcutt’s length was a huge advantage both on the feet and on the ground, but whether she had burned either her arms or legs out in the opening frame was a question. She started the second hunting Padmi down on the feet, working her jab, straight rights, and head kicks. Padmi answered back, targeting the body and lead leg of Northcutt, but in terms of volume she was being vastly out-struck. The entire round would play out in this fashion: on the feet, Colbey Northcutt controlling the distance, Padmi unable to find a solution to her opponent’s reach.

A head kick landed for Northcutt early in the third. She continued to control distance with her jab, firing off punches in bunches when openings presented themselves. Padmi was taking some big swings, knowing she was down in the fight and in need of a finish. She finally punched her way in, backing Northcutt up against the ropes, but Padmi simply could not keep her there.

While Padmi turned up the aggression in the third, she was unable to connect with anything that came close to finishing Colbey Northcutt. It was a clear unanimous decision win for Northcutt, and a solid start to her ONE Championship career.

Where Northcutt goes from here could get interesting. ONE does not have a current women’s flyweight champ (also keep in mind their modified weight class rules). Nor do they have much of a division there. However Sovannahry Em takes on Brazil’s Rayane Bastos early next month, so there are signs of life in the weight class.

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ONE Championship’s Edge of Greatness card unfolded in Kallang, Singapore on Friday, less than a month after the UFC’s own excursion to the Asian nation. How would the latest ONE card shape up against the competition? While the UFC brought out Ben Askren, a former ONE star, Chatri Sityodtong and company opted to put a Muay Thai title fight atop their card.

That fight saw champ Nong-O Gaiyanghadao attempt to defend his title against the rising Saemapetch Fairtex. In MMA action, meanwhile, the evening’s co-main event witnessed Singapore’s own Amir Khan go to war against Malaysian-Kiwi Ev Ting.

Also notable, Colbey Northcutt, big sister of former UFC star and current ONE athlete Sage Northcutt, made her promotional debut. She faced off against Putri Padmi of Indonesia.

ONE Championship: Edge of Greatness Results:

Main Card

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao def. Saemapetch Fairtex by knockout, Round 4, 1:46 – For the ONE Muay Thai Bantamweight Championship
Amir Khan def. Ev Ting by split decision
Troy Worthen def. Chen Lei by TKO, Round 2, 4:56
Rahul Raju def. Furqan Cheema by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 3:00
Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke def. Muhammad Imran by TKO, Round 3, 1:21
Colbey Northcutt def. Putri Padmi by unanimous decision
Alex Silva def. Peng Xue Wen by submission (arm-bar), Round 2, 4:45

Preliminary Card

Phetmorakot Petchyindee Academy def. Charlie Peters by knockout, Round 2, 1:48  – ONE Super Series Muay Thai
Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat def. Yuta Watanabe by knockout, Round 2, 0:30  – ONE Super Series Muay Thai
Shuya Kamikubo def. Bruno Pucci by unanimous decision
Liam Nolan def. Brown Pinas by unanimous decision – ONE Super Series Muay Thai

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The UFC is taking a rare multi-week sabbatical, out of action until early December. Which means there’s plenty more time to check out some of MMA’s hottest prospects. From ONE to Bellator to Brave CF, there’s a healthy batch this week, including undefeated featherweight Troy Worthen, and Bellator prospects Soren Bak and Fabian Edwards. Here’s who stands out this week.

One Championship | Friday | Singapore

Featherweight, Troy Worthen (4-0)

Worthen started wrestling in high school and did in college as well. Worthen became an NCAA All-American and a Southeastern Conference Champion for Central Florida University. Going 3-0 as an amateur, Worthen is 4-0 as a pro showing a bit of everything. Despite being such a good wrestler, he’s shown a lot of good work on the feet with knockout power and good technique. He fights Lei Chen (6-1).

Cage Warrior 111 | Friday | UK

Light-heavyweight, Modestas Bukauskas (9-2)

Bukauskas is the current Cage Warriors LHW champion and on a 5-fight win streak. He’s a British kickboxing champion but most of his time in the MMA cage has been on the mat. On the feet, though he does have good kicks and a highlight right cross he throws. His takedown defense needs a lot of work but on top he is active enough to be a threat. Good cardio helps him as well. Not sold on him yet but Bukauskas can be a good prospect. He fights Riccardo Nosiglia (8-1) who seems to be good but footage of him is lacking.

Featherweight, Emrah Sonmez (10-2)

Sonmez has a black belt in kickboxing, a blue belt in BJJ, and many years experience in freestyle wrestling as well as a background in amateur boxing before coming to MMA. With all his backgrounds in other sports, Sonmez brings them all together very well in MMA. Sonmez is no slouch anywhere but his wrestling is outstanding when it comes to the setups and execution. Even the work he does on top is awesome. He fights Daryl Golding (7-1)

Combate 50 | Friday | US

Lightweight, Ignacio Bahamondes (9-2)

Bahamodes is on a five-fight win streak and is the current Lux Fight League champion. He has a background as a pro kickboxer and you see that first hand when watching him fight. He likes to be flashy throwing wheel kicks, sidekicks, and a lot of other diverse kicks. Bahamodes can just use kicks all fight but has a good straight left he utilizes. He fights Salvador Becerra (7-2) who is his biggest test.

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

CFFC 80 | Friday | US

Heavyweight, William Knight (6-0)

Knight lacks technique but is super athletic and has a lot of power. He also lacks takedown defense, but is that guy who lands on top and becomes a nightmare with his ground and pound. He won on the Contender Series this past Summer and earned a development deal so all eyes are on him. He did have a lot of issues, so it will be interesting to see how much he has improved. He fights Tafon Nchukwi (2-0) who we spoke to ahead of the fight.

Brave CF 30 | Friday | India

Bantamweight, Stephen Loman (13-2)

Loman has a background in Wushu Sanda. On the feet, he isn’t too effective but he has power and timing. He has excellent level changes and once on the mat, he is in his world. He thrives in transitions and his six decision wins prove he can fight his fight for three to five rounds. He fights Louie Sanoudakis (8-1).

Bellator London | Saturday | UK

Middleweight, Fabian Edwards (8-0)

Edwards has excellent distance management, using effective footwork and speed to stay on the outside. Edwards throws single strikes at times but makes up for it with crazy explosiveness and athleticism, as well as his speed. That allows him to fire straight punches quickly and with plenty of power. He’s also the younger brother of UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards. His takedown defense is a worry though, at least once he fights a good wrestler. He fights Mike Shipman (13-2) in what should be a good fight.

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

Lightweight, Soren Bak (13-1)

With one blemish on his record, Soren Bak has been an absolute force dominating in all of his wins. He doesn’t have much in the stand-up department, but he’s been improving and has shown glimpses of power in his hands. The wrestling and the grappling though is outstanding with an incredible top game, with vicious ground and pound and natural skills to pass guard. Bak has six submissions and has shown a diverse attack once he gets the fight to the mat. “The True Viking” is also a very smart but aggressive fighter who could have a bright future. He fights Terry Brazier (11-2).

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Colbey Northcutt, who like younger brother Sage Northcutt has been involved in martial arts since she was a child, has signed with ONE Championship. Announcing the news on social media, Northcutt (0-1) revealed that she’ll be making her debut in just a few weeks time, at Edge of Greatness on November 22. The signing reunites the Northcutt siblings under the ONE banner, after they previously competed together in Legacy, as part of their Amateur series.

On Instagram, Northcutt wrote that “I am SO HAPPY to finally announce that I signed with [ONE Championship] and get to make my promotional debut on November 22nd in Singapore for ONE- EDGE OF GREATNESS! So many incredible things are in store and this is only the beginning! So stay tuned!”

Northcutt has competed just once as a pro, under the LFA banner in 2017. She lost that fight, suffering a ground n’ pound loss against Courtney King. Both fighters were in their pro debut; King now competes for Invicta FC.

Per a report by MMA Fighting, Northcutt is expected to face Indonesia’s Putri Padmi (0-1) in her debut. Padmi fought her lone pro bout last year at ONE’s Warrio’s Dream card.

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Having marked their “century” — with ONE: Century in Japan celebrating their 100th major event — ONE Championship is filling out the rest of its year. Taking place in the promotion’s home base of Singapore in November, Edge of Greatness is the latest card announced by the Asian mixed martial arts powerhouse. And it’s getting a Muay Thai title fight in the main event.

In a press release, ONE officials revealed that Edge of Greatness will be headlined by Nong-O Gaiyanghadao defending his bantamweight Muay Thai title against challenger Saemapetch Fairtex. The booking is an all-Thailand battle, featuring two of the biggest Muay Thai stars in ONE Championship.

The co-main event at Edge of Greatness will head back to the MMA world, however. In that, top lightweights Amir Khan and Ev Ting will face off. Khan (11-6) has fought all but one of his professional MMA bouts under the ONE Championship banner. Once knocking on the door of a title shot, Khan has fallen on hard times of late. He’s lost three straight fights heading into Edge of Greatness, and is badly in need of a win.

Ev Ting’s fortunes have been slightly better. Ting (17-6) snapped a two-fight skid last time out, when he defeated UFC vet Daichi Abe at ONE’s Masters of Destiny in July.

ONE Championship: Edge of Greatness takes place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore on November 22.

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