Lumpinee Stadium roared through an unforgettable 6 November in Bangkok, Thailand, as The Inner Circle 37 sent a two-division king crashing and ONE Friday Fights 177 saved its biggest drama for the last three minutes of the main event.
The Inner Circle 37 main event began as a war of nerves. Christian Lee, carrying his brother Adrian's grudge, jabbed from a southpaw stance and talked incessantly, while Tye Ruotolo, 23, answered with disciplined footwork, a high guard, and a spinning kick that made Lee pay attention.
With Lee chopping at the legs and his hands drifting low, Ruotolo charged in, landed a right hook, and detonated a left to the chin that put the champion down. Mount, a frantic scramble, an exposed back, and a rear-naked choke ended it at 2:08 of round one.
The ONE Lightweight MMA World Title now belongs to Ruotolo, who is 3-0 in MMA and the first man in ONE history to rule both submission grappling and MMA, and ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong tacked on a US$100,000 performance bonus.
Yodphupa Petkiatpet had lost three times to Komawut FA Group, and the 22-year-old looked like a man done with history in the co-main event, whipping long combinations through the veteran's haymaker-heavy advance and finding a flush overhand right and punches to the ribs.
Komawut turned the screw in round two with elbows and short hooks, but Yodphupa stuck to the plan and punished the entries with step-in elbows. Round three dissolved into a phone-booth brawl of knees, punches, and hooks, and the bantamweight Muay Thai split decision lifted him to 73-15.
Jack Siatanyokkrok PK returned to ONE in the Friday Fights 177 main event against Isannuea Sor Sasiwat and slipped behind on the cards, chopping calf kicks while the 22-year-old countered, then absorbing four-punch flurries and a tomahawk elbow in round two.
Then Jack flipped the switch. Southpaw in round three, he probed with the jab and landed a right hook flush on Isannuea's chin, dropping him near the ropes, and a second storm of punches floored him again before Isannuea survived to the bell. Jack took the unanimous decision at 73-30.
Superball Sitcho was making his first appearance in 4-ounce Muay Thai gloves, and he treated the flyweight co-main event of ONE Friday Fights 177 like a playground, snapping a one-two and leg kick, then mixing in a spinning side kick and a clean elbow against Saksri Superlek Muaythai.
Saksri landed one meaningful shot, a left hook over a caught teep, and it did not matter. Superball answered with a three-punch combination upstairs and a liver shot to the open midsection, ending the all-Thai showdown at 1:42 of round one and lifting Superball to 71-30.
The Inner Circle 37 Results:
- Tye Ruotolo defeats Christian Lee via submission at 2:08 of round one to win the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title
- Yodphupa Petkiatpet defeats Komawut FA Group via split decision (Muay Thai – bantamweight)
- Titus Proctor defeats Maciej Karpinski via KO (body kick) at 1:27 of round three (Muay Thai – lightweight)
- Tantawy Ahmed defeats Kongchai Chanaidonmueang via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – flyweight)
- Dabdam Por Tor Tor Thongtawee defeats Cal Cook via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – strawweight)
ONE Friday Fights 177 Results:
- Jack Siatanyokkrok PK defeats Isannuea Sor Sasiwat via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – bantamweight)
- Superball Sitcho defeats Saksri Superlek Muaythai via KO (liver shot) at 1:42 of round one (Muay Thai – flyweight)
- Chatpet NP Suablackmuaythai defeats Saipetlek Rongsamak Orborjor Udon Thani via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – atomweight)
- Chaisongkram Looksuan defeats Petdam BS Muaythai via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – atomweight)
- Klinphaka Por Thaisong defeats Ran Longshu via KO at 0:57 of round two (Muay Thai – atomweight)
- Kazuteru Yamazaki defeats Phun Suea Muang via unanimous decision (kickboxing – flyweight)
- Bos Chayut defeats Kentaro Okumura via TKO at 1:21 of round three (MMA – bantamweight)
- Yuto defeats Okazaki Silkmuaythai via unanimous decision (kickboxing – atomweight)
- Marat Jankovskij defeats Retsu Sashida via unanimous decision (kickboxing – flyweight)
Leave a comment
Please login to leave a comment.