ONE Fight Night 21 ‘Eersel vs. Nicolas’ Play-by-Play & Results

MMA: Jeremy Pacatiw (144.25) vs. Shuo Wang (142.75)

Round 1

Herb Dean is the referee for tonight's first fight. Wang fends off a takedown attempt from Pacatiw and lands some solid knees in the process. However, Pacatiw gets an underhook and is able to bring Wang to the floor. Pacatiw takes the back with a slick transition. A tight body triangle from Pacatiw is effective. Pacatiw sinks in a rear-naked choke and gets the tap! Impressive grappling.

The Official Result

Jeremy Pacatiw def. Shuo Wang via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke); R1, 2:07.

Muay Thai: Songchainoi Kiatsongrit (120.25) vs. Nicolas Leite Silva (125)

Round 1

Our first muay thai fight of the night begins with Kiatsongrit eating a steep from Silva. Kiatsongrit is composed and fires back with a hard leg kick. Both men are having success with kicks. Kiatsongrit starts firing to the body more with punches and is hurting Silva. An explosive 1-2 lands for Kiatsongrit. Silva seems outgunned as the power differential is clear. Big right hand for Kiatsongrit lands. Two right hands land for Kiatsongrit. 10-9 Kiatsongrit.

Round 2

The second round starts with Kiatsongrit feeling confident and throwing heavy shots. A right hand gets through cleanly and sits down Silva! Our first knockdown of the night. Silva still coming forward and trying to work his jab. Every punch from Kiatsongrit backs up his opponent. Lots of combination hooks are being thrown by Kiatsongrit. Silva gets cornered and eats a right hand and then an elbow. The two clinch and Kiatsongrit throws down Silva. This is getting one-sided. 10-8 Kiatsongrit.

Round 3

Powerful leg kicks land for Kiatsongrit, who then throws a jumping switch kick that lands. Silva trying to jab but isn't doing anything to force the action with only one round left. Silva misses an overhand right. Kiatsongrit counters with a right hand that lands. Some nice knees from Silva, who is then thrown down by Kiatsongrit. Nice body kicks from Kiatsongrit land. One minute left. Silva lands a leg kick but then eats a punch. Kiatsongrit looks extremely fresh and fires off body kicks. Silva comes up short with an elbow. They clinch and the fight is over shortly afterward. 10-9 Kiatsongrit (30-26 Kiatsongrit).

The Official Result

Songchainoi Kiatsongrit def. Nicolas Leite Silva via Unanimous Decision.

MMA: Hiroyuki Tetsuka (183.75) vs. Valmir da Silva (183.5)

Round 1

Tetsuka shoots in for a takedown, but it is stuffed by da Silva. A big right hand from the Brazilian drops Tetsuka. Da Silva lands a heavy leg kick. Tetsuka lands an overhand right, and da Silva throws him to the ground. Tetsuka gives up half-guard. Da Silva does some slight damage before standing up. It's a measured pace on the feet, with neither man throwing recklessly. Tetsuka gets a takedown after a leg kick is thrown by da Silva. A guillotine choke is attempted by da Silva, but it's more to stall and nullify than submit. 10-9 da Silva.

Round 2

Tetsuka immediately gets a takedown to start the second frame. Da Silva again uses a guillotine choke to nullify, although Tetsuka is in half-guard and is in no danger. Tetsuka gets out and lands a few shoulder strikes and short elbows to the body. The referee warns Tetsuka to work as we hit the halfway mark. Some nice elbows to the ribcage of da Silva. Tetsuka transitions and then locks in a north-south choke. Da Silva struggles to get out and taps! This is over.

The Official Result

Hiroyuki Tetsuka def. Valmir da Silva via Submission (North-South Choke); R2, 3:34.

Kickboxing: Dedduanglek TDed99 (136) vs. Taiki Naito (134.25)

Round 1

The first of two kickboxing matches begins with TDed99 and Naito trading leg kicks. Naito is getting the better of the early exchanges as he's a bit quicker. Both men land kicks to the body. Nice right hand from TDed99. Naito eats a right hand. TDed99 is throwing more punches than his foe and is finding success with it. A nice push kick by TDed99. The head of TDed99 jars back after a nice 1-2 from Naito. Very close round. 10-9 Naito.

Round 2

Nice left hook lands for Naito. Both exchange leg kicks. TDed99 aggressively misses a body kick and eats a leg kick afterward. Naito doing a great job timing his blows. Nice body kick for Naito, who is also throwing more punches than in the first round. A solid body kick lands for TDed99, who is the more physical fighter of the two. Naito goes down during an exchange, but it is ruled a slip. TDed99 lands a body kick but then eats a 1-2 combination. TDed99 ends the round strongly with an aggressive combination. 10-9 TDed99.

Round 3

The final round opens with both men exchanging body kicks. Naito is much more aggressive and is swinging hooks. Naito finding some success, although counters from TDed99 slip through. Nice push kick from Naito to find his distance. The Japanese kickboxer has the sharper hands now that he is letting go. Nice punches to the body by Naito. TDed99 is taking a lot of shots to the body but isn't slowing down. Damaging low kicks from TDed99. Naito eats a body kick and then comes forward with punches. This is a very close fight. Hooks from Naito find their mark as the fight comes to the end with evenly-paced action from both men. 10-9 Naito (29-28 Naito).

The Official Result

Dedduanglek TDed99 def. Taiki Naito via Unanimous Decision; R3, 3:00.

Submission Grappling: Kade Ruotolo (178.25) vs. Francisco Lo (176.5)

Round 1

The night's first grappling match has a 10-minute time limit. Both men attempt to take the other down with no success. Lo tries to jump into a triangle but misses. Eventually, Ruotolo gets a takedown and winds up in guard. Lo has a body triangle. Largely a stalemate on the ground. Lo is trying to isolate an arm with no success. Ruotolo grabs the neck only to let it go immediately afterward. Lo gets out and works his way back to his feet. Six minutes left. Lo jumps guard and looks for a heel hook. Ruotolo scrambles and instantly gets the back of Lo. The American is looking for a rear-naked choke and gets it. Lo taps! Ruotolo is incredible.

The Official Result

Kade Ruotolo def. Francisco Lo via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke); R1, 4:48.

Muay Thai: Jacob Smith (135) vs. Denis Puric (134.5)

Round 1

Smith takes the center of the ring and fires off a body kick. Nice leg kicks from Puric, who has a speed advantage. Smith is clearly more powerful and is throwing with bad intentions. Nice leg kick by Smith. Puric answers with two of his own. Redness developing on Smith's legs. Nice knee by Puric, who is the busier fighter. Smith hits Puric low, and the fight is paused momentarily. The fight resumes. Puric comes out with some nice knees, but Smith clinches and lands several thudding elbows. The round ends with Puric catching a kick and throwing a spinning back kick in return. 10-9 Puric.

Round 2

A wild start to the round sees Puric toss Smith off of him after catching a knee. Smith is very aggressive and clinches. They get tangled up, and Puric falls. Smith lands a sweep on Puric. Nice straight right from Puric lands, which is followed up with a left hook. Smith is moving forward nonstop. Puric lunging in and then moving away. Overhand right for Puric lands. Smith gets caught reaching. Puric is using his jab and lands a right hook. Wow! A perfectly timed uppercut puts down Smith. It's ruled a knockdown, which Smith protests. He pops back up and is put down again at the very end of the round with a right straight and a left hook. 10-7 Puric.

Round 3

The right side of Smith's face is bloodied. Puric is forced to fight defensively, as Smith is extremely aggressive. An illegal elbow lands from Smith, which lands on the back of the head. Smith protests, but it was clearly illegal. No point is taken. Smith lands a body kick and eats one in return. Smith tosses down Puric and then knees Puric to the back in frustration. Smith is once again warned. Smith is a terribly sore loser. It's pretty embarrassing to watch. Puric lands a nice 1-2. 30 seconds left. Smith throws his opponent down and Puric is happy to eat time. Smith lands a body kick and throws an elbow as the bell rings. 10-9 Smith (29-26 Puric).

The Official Result

Denis Puric def. Jacob Smith via Unanimous Decision; R3, 3:00.

MMA: Ben Tynan (259.25) vs. Duke Didier (251)

Round 1

This is our lone heavyweight fight of the night and the final mixed martial arts fight. Tynan gets taken down immediately by Didier and looks for a guillotine choke. Didier is safe from the submission and gets out of it. Tynan scrambles back to his feet but is taken down again. Tynan finally gets back to his feet and lands a heavy straight left hand. They clinch in the corner. Didier eats a few short uppercuts. A huge elbow from Tynan downs Didier. Tynan takes the back and starts unloading punches. Didier is face down and just eating elbows. Tynan throws a series of punches that aren't being blocked, which causes referee Herb Dean to step in. This is over.

The Official Result

Ben Tynan def. Duke Didier via TKO (Punches); R1, 2:36.

Muay Thai: Suablack Tor Pran49 (145) vs. Vladimir Kuzmin (146.5)

Round 1

This is the final muay thai fight on the card. Pran49 lands a nice straight left. Kuzmin is coming up short on his arm strikes, although he's landed a few low kicks. Pran49 catches a kick and misses a right hook. Kuzmin clips his foe with an elbow. Nice push kick by Kuzmin. A huge left hand puts down Kuzmin, but a knockdown isn't called. Pran49 slips the guard and tags Kuzmin with a straight left. 10-9 Pran49.

Round 2

The power of Pran49 is the difference maker. Kuzmin eats a push kick. Pran49 counters a leg kick with a well-timed left hand. Kuzmin eats a left hook well. Pran49 tosses Kuzmin to the ground and sweeps him again a few seconds later. Pran49 is in control, punishing Kuzmin with left hands before tossing him to the ground. Kuzmin is still in this, though, and landing some solid kicks. However, the hands of Pran49 are doing too much damage. 10-9 Pran49.

Round 3

Kuzmin starts the final round more aggressively. A nice right hand lands for Kuzmin. Pran49 is picking his shots and mostly countering with kicks early on. Pran49 ducks under a spinning back fist. Kuzmin throws Pran49 to the ground. Pran49 lands some knees to the body after they clinch. Pran49 is clinching and largely coasting this round. Kuzmin lands a few low kicks. Pran49 catches his opponent with a quick left hand. The fight ends with Pran49 kneeing the body while clinching before they are separated. 10-9 Kuzmin (29-28 Pran49).

The Official Result

Suablack Tor Pran49 def. Vladimir Kuzmin via Unanimous Decision; R3, 3:00.

Submission Grappling World Title Fight:
Tye Ruotolo (184) vs. Izaak Michell (184)

Round 1

The first championship fight of the night. Ruotolo shoots in and is stuffed by Michell. The Australian looks for a takedown himself but Ruotolo defends well. Neither is having any success taking the other down after two minutes. Michell is clearly the stronger man. Michell tries to take the back of Ruotolo, but the American trips his opponent and gets into mount. Ruotolo takes the back and is looking for a rear-naked choke. The American sinks the choke in, and Michell taps. Yet another Ruotolo submission win.

The Official Result

Tye Ruotolo def. Izaak Michell via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke); R1, 4:43.

Kickboxing World Title Fight:
Regian Eersel (169.5) vs. Alexis Nicolas (169.5)

Round 1

Sherdog.com experienced technical issues during the main event, and we apologize for the inconvenience. We conclude the evening with a championship collision, but this one for a kickboxing title instead of the previous submission grappling belt. Eersel (61-4, 10-0 ONE), the two-sport titleholder at 170 pounds in muay thai and kickboxing, puts the latter on the line against an unbeaten opponent. Fresh off his triumphant promotional debut in January, Nicolas (23-0, 1-0 ONE) skipped the line to vie for the throne and all the marbles. Comparatively, Eersel’s current win streak exceeds the number of pro victories in the career of his opponent, but anything can happen in combat sports. Ahead of their five-round encounter, referee Olivier Coste checks the two men in. They bump gloves, and Nicolas quickly commences the battle with a number of inside leg kicks. Eersel steps in with a power right hand, and this does not deter Nicolas from kicking at him. Nicolas gets backed off with a right, but Nicolas’ body kicks and low kicks continue to add up. Eersel snaps the head back with a jab, and he follows it with an overhand right. Nicolas backpedals and chips away with low kicks on both sides of the leg. Eersel crowds him, but he hits little but the guard until Nicolas springs away. Eersel digs a straight right hand to the body, and Nicolas settles down and kicks him with both of his legs. Eersel grabs hold of the back of the challenger’s neck and drives a knee into his chest, and Coste sternly warns him for clinching like that. Eersel acknowledges the foul and plows forward, swinging his mighty fists while Nicolas is happy to pick at him from kicking range. Eersel swings and misses, and he gets caught coming in with a clean right hand. Nicolas gest cracked with a right hand over the top, and this spurs him into action as he lets his hands go. Eersel strings several punches to the midsection into a knee, and Nicolas scurries out of the way to rest. Eersel chases after him, kneeing him flush to the body and landing punches up top until the bell. It was a close one. 10-9 Eersel.

Round 2

The second round opens much like the first, with Nicolas popping away with low and body kicks. Eersel is faster to go after him, and he slams his knee in the gut as Coste is about to warn him for clinching and pulling. Nicolas recovers, and he backs off and kicks the side as Eersel swarms him. Eersel gets a little reckless throwing hands, and Nicolas intercepts him with two clean left hands. The second sends the champion down to the canvas, and Coste starts the count. Eersel easily gets back up and is ready to re-engage, and Nicolas welcomes him up as he kicks away with impunity. Nicolas finds his body kick almost cannot miss, and Eersel barely makes an effort to check the ones low. Eersel plants a one-two on the chin, and Nicolas whips a pair of low kicks on either side of the limb. Nicolas times a body kick from his opponent to smash his shin on the plant leg, and Eersel’s knees buckle. Eersel gathers himself and leaps forward with a knee, and he flies wide. Eersel comes up close to land a knee to the torso, and they get separated. Nicolas prods with body kicks, and Eersel swings punches and a high kick at him. Nicolas counters, and he blocks a jump knee but gets cracked with a right hand. They get separated when coming a little too close, and Nicolas delivers an uppercut and a body kick to his targets. Eersel checks a kick, and the bell rings. 10-8 Nicolas.

Round 3

Nicolas paws out with his left hand to engage in the third round, and Eersel chambers and fires a low kick. Nicolas gives him one right back and follows quickly with one to the body. Eersel relies more heavily on punches, while the mixed bag from the Frenchman is giving him some pause. Eersel loads up on right hands, and Nicolas sees some of them coming. Nicolas leaps to the side and springs forward with a right hand when a high kick from Eersel misses the mark, and he sits down on a right hand to come after it. Eersel advances, and Nicolas kicks him off-balance as the leg kicks are having an effect. When Nicolas throws a few in rapid succession, Eersel launches a head kick that slides off the temple. Nicolas feints and then throws a head kick back, and he is always busy chipping away with leg kicks and body shots when not otherwise putting everything behind a strike. Eersel bullies his way in, lobbing power strikes, and he gets into a groove and lines up several punches to the body and head. Eersel is warned for a clinch as he knees the chest, and he backs off and jumps forward with a knee to the sternum. Nicolas blocks a knee to the body that comes after, but Eersel is able to find the mark with it again as he continues aiming for it. Eersel digs two to the body and three up top, and he gets Nicolas to trade with him while displaying sharper hands. Eersel lands a clean left on the break, and he charges forward and knees Nicolas. The two topple to the mat, and when Nicolas climbs back up, the round concludes. 10-9 Eersel.

Round 4

Nicolas offers a glove touch, and when it is answered, Eersel comes behind it with punches. Nicolas backs away and lands a low kick, leaning back to let a big right hand fly by him. Eersel swings and hits air, and he checks a low kick and digs a left to the liver. Eersel puts an uppercut on the chin, and Nicolas comes back at him but is beaten to the punch and gets kneed for his effort. Coste warns Eersel once more for clinching and pulling, and Eersel nods and goes back to action, stalking the challenger down. Eersel digs a knee to the ribs and then puts two more on the same target, before Nicolas can answer. Nicolas picks and pokes with kicks, but Eersel’s power is the difference maker as Nicolas moves when he gets hit. Eersel blocks a high kick and a body kick, and he jabs his way into attack. Eersel connects with a solid right hook, and Nicolas’ chin is on full display. Eersel looses a head kick over the top, and Nicolas lets it fly by and spins with a fake. Eersel laughs and takes a bow when falling for the spin, and Nicolas shares a grin as well. Eersel lands two punches and a knee, and Nicolas retaliates with a jump knee. Nicolas backs off, spins with a back fist that finds the temple, and the two trade it out until the bell. 10-9 Eersel.

Round 5

There is a tap of the gloves to initiate the final frame, and they both fight behind their jabs early. One lands, the other fires back. Eersel snaps the head back with a crisp uppercut, and he bats Nicolas around the ring. Nicolas ties him up to slow the swinging champion, and Coste separates them. They deliver kicks at the same time, and Eersel has a knee land on the beltline. Nicolas punches his way out, and he jabs and kicks. Nicolas backs off and bounces off the ropes with landing a body kick, and Coste allows him to recover. Nicolas spins with a back fist, and Eersel blocks it and unloads a hefty left hand. They proceed to smack one another with head kicks as if it were nothing, and Eersel continues to plod forward, where he swipes his foe’s cheek with a right hook. Eersel keeps his guard up to block ta high kick, and he lands a left and then a right. Nicolas escapes and tosses out a head kick that gets Eersel’s attention, but Eersel continues to move forward and shrugs his shoulders at the challenger. Nicolas unloads a power right hand and a jump knee, and he spins to land a back fist on the top of his opponent’s head. Eersel walks his man down and slugs him in the chops with a series of punches, and Nicolas shouts at him. Eersel answers with a few flying knees, and the tense and exciting fight ends. 10-9 Eersel (48-46 Eersel).

The Official Result

Alexis Nicolas def. Regian Eersel via Unanimous Decision (No Scores Given)