Kairat Akhmetov Outpoints Danny Kingad in One ‘Winter Warriors 2’ Headliner

One Championship ended its year with a pre-recorded event that saw many Team Lakay standouts take on fighters from all over the world.

In the “Winter Warriors 2” main event, Kairat Akhmetov upended Danny Kingad (14-3, 10-3 One) after three rounds of combat. One-time flyweight titleholder Akhmetov (25-2, 6-2 One) made the most out of the very first kick thrown by Kingad, taking Kingad down immediately. From there, “The Kazakh” kept heavy pressure while landing shots and control time for practically the entire round. The Team Lakay representative may not have gotten up in the first round, but he managed to get off some offense in Round 2 as he staved off relentless takedown efforts from Akhmetov. Eventually, Akhmedov did get “The King” down on his back, where he again reigned in top position until the round concluded.

The all-grappling attack of Akhmetov appeared to fatigue him going into the third frame, and Kingad took advantage of this by landing at will on the feet. The Filipino fighter even looked to shake his opponent up as he landed, but he instead settled for clinching against the fence rather than searching for a finish. Before long, Akhmetov drew upon his energy reserves to secure another takedown, where he ended the round and fight on top of his foe, scoring with a slow but effective bombardment of punches. Ultimately, all three cageside judges saw it in favor of the fighter out of Kazakhstan. The contest was announced as title eliminator for Adriano Moraes’ belt, but Akhmetov instead called out Demetrious Johnson in his post-fight interview. “The Kazakh” will ride a four-bout winning streak in his next assignment.

Kwon Won Il FOLDS Kevin Belingon with a picture-perfect liver shot to score the TKO! #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship#ONEWinterWarriors2 | How To Watch: https://t.co/TP1EQ96v6z pic.twitter.com/TK4xWrSv7P

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 17, 2021

The co-headliner featured a One bantamweight battle between Kwon Won Il and Team Lakay’s Kevin Belingon. Former kingpin Belingon (20-9, 11-9 One) looked good in the first half of Round 1, showcasing his trademark spinning attacks to decent effect. Il (10-3, 6-3 One) kept his composure and forced his opponent to fight off his back foot, applying as much pressure as possible to prevent the Team Lakay fighter from getting off his most devastating strikes. In the second frame, Il caught Belingon with a devastating liver shot that immediately silenced “The Silencer.” The official time indicated 52 seconds.

Earlier on the card, one-time middleweight titleholder Vitaly Bigdash (11-2, 4-2 One) submitted Fan Rong (14-3, 2-2 One) with a guillotine choke 41 seconds into the third frame; Murad Ramazanov (11-0, 3-0 One) outwrestled former divisional champion Zebaztian Kadestam (12-7, 4-4 One) en route to a unanimous decision in their One welterweight clash; Brave Combat Federation alum and Team Lakay ensign Stephen Loman handed Yusup Saadulaev an emphatic defeat after putting “Maestro” away with punches at the 4:09 mark of Round 1; Team Lakay up-and-comer Jhanlo Mark Sangiao (4-0, 1-0 One) scored his first victory under One’s banner by tapping Paulus Lumihi (7-6, 0-5 One) via rear-naked choke in 101 seconds; ex-Glory kickboxer Arian Sadikovic outpointed Mustapha Haida via unanimous decision in their lightweight kickboxing affair; in One’s bantamweight division, Fabricio Andrade (6-2, 3-0 One) scored his fifth consecutive victory by stopping Li Kai Wen (10-5, 9-3 One) with punches at 4:41 of Round 1.

In the first fight on the bill, former WBC muay Thai titleholder Joseph Lasiri spoiled Asahi Shinagawa’s promotional debut with a punch and knee combination that stopped the contest at the 2:05 mark of the first round.