Kholmirzaev outclassed Zayundin
Suleymanov on the feet and on the ground before recording a
third-round technical knockout in their
ONE Friday Fights 59 catchweight feature on Friday at Lumpinee
Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Kholmirzaev (6-1, 2-0 ONE)
finished the 128-pound clash 16 seconds into Round 3.
Kholmirzaev, the taller fighter, came out light on his feet and
attempted to pick his opponent off from the outside, occasionally
blitzing with punching combinations. A minute and a half into the
first frame, Suleymanov managed to get a body lock and slam
Kholmirzaev to the mat, eventually securing mount. However, the
Uzbekistani managed to make it back to his feet after offering his
opponent his back and instead shot in for a takedown of his own.
Once Kholmirzaev trapped his opponent against the ropes with back
control, the 23-year-old unleashed a barrage of knees before the
Russian managed to break away and avoid extensive damage. Despite
the shots sustained early in the round, Suleymanov managed to
secure another takedown thanks to a failed hip toss attempt from
Kholmirzaev. Nevertheless, he was not able to do much with the
takedown, with both competitors ending the first stanza on their
feet.
The second frame saw Suleymanov (7-2, 1-2 ONE) take his opponent
down in the opening seconds after eating a step-in knee. However,
Kholmirzaev’s scrambling abilities allowed him to make it back to
his feet safely. The Uzbekistani immediately got back to his
striking attacks, dropping Suleymanov with a thudding low kick.
Keeping the pressure on, the 23-year-old landed a head kick on the
Russian that seemed to land flush. Despite the blow, Suleymanov was
quick enough to catch the kick and take his opponent down to the
mat once again. This time around, not only did Kholmirzaev escape
from the Russian’s mount, but the Team Raqobat product took his
opponent’s back before separating. Keeping the pressure on,
Kholmirzaev utilized jabs and spinning back kick attacks to keep
his opponent at bay. Halfway through Round 2, Kholmirzaev was once
again on the Russian’s back, threatening a rear-naked choke and
forcing his opponent to carry his weight. In another attempt to
take his opponent down with a hip toss toward the end of the frame,
Kholmirzaev got reversed and ended the round on bottom.
Kholmirzaev came out with guns blazing in Round 3, landing a couple
of punishing leg kicks followed by a spinning back kick that
visibly hurt the Russian. He managed to catch the next kick thrown
by Kholmirzaev and attempt another takedown. Wise to his foe’s
intentions, Kholmirzaev was easily able to reverse the position and
rain punches on his foe before being stopped by the referee 16
seconds into the third stanza.
Meanwhile, Su Hwan Oh
required less than a minute to finish Kazumichi
Murai with a lethal right hand counter to a body kick in their
featherweight MMA meeting. Oh (6-1-1, 1-0 ONE) brought it to a
close 28 seconds into Round 1. Murai (5-4, 0-1 ONE) has lost two
straight.
In other action, Yamin PK
Saenchai earned a Round 1 technical knockout victory against
Joachim
Ouraghi due to doctor stoppage in the main event; Yodthongthai
Sor Sommai earned a unanimous decision win against Petnamngam
PK Saenchai in their 130-pound catchweight muay thai bout;
Rambong
Sor Therapat valiantly fought his way to a split decision win
over Petphupa
Aekpujean in their 128-pound catchweight muay thai tilt;
Kaimookkhao Tor Rangmart walked away with a hard-fought unanimous
decision victory against a game
Petparuehat Sitnayoktaweeptaphong in their 121-pound
catchweight muay thai meeting; Pettasuea
Seeopal knocked out Prom Yor
Andaman with a head kick 2:28 seconds into Round 2 of their
118-pound catchweight muay thai contest; Yodkitti
Fiatpathum stopped Luapong
Kaewsamrit 25 seconds into their strawweight muay thai bout;
Siwakorn
PK Saenchai bagged a unanimous decision win against Shakhriyor
Jurayev in their 140-pound catchweight muay thai affair;
Takuma
Ota knocked out Copter
Sor Sommai with a vicious step-in elbow at 1:27 of Round 2 in
their 126-pound catchweight muay thai pairing; Yuki
Kasahara took less than two minutes to finish Petsimok
PK Saenchai in their muay thai clash at 132 pounds; and
Petnamkhong Mongkolpet returned to winning ways with a
unanimous decision over Ikko Ota in
their 122-pound catchweight muay thai contest.
