Petchtanong Upends Akimoto, Kryklia Crushes Azizpour at One Championship 163

What five rounds of fighting Petchtanong does to you 🤕#ONE163
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The latest One Championship installment was headlined by two highly-technical kickboxing affairs.

In the One Championship 163 main event, Petchtanong Petchfergus upset Japanese kickboxing talent Hiroki Akimoto to capture the 145-pound championship. Petchtanong’s most lethal weapon was his swift body kicks that left a visible mark on Akimoto’s ribcage. In the opening frames, the Thai fighter kept his foe at bay with front kicks and jabs. Every time Akimoto looked to shorten the distance, he was met by a knee to the body followed by head punches. Akimoto tapped into his energy reserve in the championship rounds and occasionally took the initiative, but he struggled to deal with his foe’s unorthodox stance. Frustration led Akimoto to land a front kick below the belt in the fifth period. The combat-sport veteran Petchtanong stayed out of danger as the clash went the distance and countered every time he saw an opening. After the dust settled, the ring announcer revealed Petchtanong won the fight on two out of three judges’ scorecards, enough to take home the title thanks to a split-decision victory.

Light heavyweight kickboxing king Roman Kryklia 🇺🇦 wins the ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix and a US$50k bonus!#ONE163
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— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 19, 2022

The co-headliner featured the heavyweight kickboxing grand prix final as Roman Kryklia and Iraj Azizpour locked horns for the third time in their respective careers. Unlike the previous encounters, which resulted in a decision victory for each, the rubber match ended in emphatic fashion after Kryklia finished Azizpour in the second frame. Azizpour enjoyed a strong start and landed several heavy shots in the opening stanza to nearly finish his foe. Kryklia stayed composed and focused and came back stronger in Round 2, where his longer reach, quicker body kicks and cleaner technique made the difference. The current light heavyweight titleholder knocked Azizpour down once after landing more shots to the head of his adversary. Azizpour bounced back following the first count, but he was visibly shaken. Smelling blood, Kryklia followed up with more punches until the referee jumped in to save Azizpour from further punishment. The official time indicated the 1:28 mark.

Aung La N Sang 🇲🇲 dedicates his win to the late Anthony "Rumble" Johnson 🙏❤️#ONE163
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— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 19, 2022

In the main mixed martial arts attraction, Khabib Nurmagomedov pupil and up-and-coming 170-pound prospect Saygid Izagakhmaev (22-2, 3-0 ONE) smashed former One champion Shinya Aoki (47-11, 1NC; 12-5 ONE) with punches at 1:26 in the opening period. Elsewhere, former One two-division titleholder Aung La N Sang (28-13, 1 NC; 13-4 ONE) dispatched Ultimate Fighting Championship alum Yushin Okami (36-15, 1-3 ONE) with heavy punches 102 seconds into their 205-pound contest; Sung Hoon Woo (9-3, 2-1 ONE) smashed former flyweight title contender Yuya Wakamatsu (15-6, 5-5 ONE) with elbows and punches at 2:46 in the opening frame of their 139-pound catchweight bout; and Kwon Won Il (11-4, 7-4 ONE) crushed Mark Abelardo (20-10, 5-5 ONE) with a knee and punches at the 3:44 of Round 3 at 145 pounds.

On the preliminary card, Ahmed Krnjic outstruck Bruno Chaves to secure a unanimous decision victory in a heavyweight kickboxing affair; 170-pounder Ahmed Mujtaba (9-2, 4-2 ONE) submitted Abraao Amorim Magalhaes (9-4, 1-1 ONE) thanks to a triangle choke at the 4:32 mark of Round 1; Asahi Shinagawa edged Rui Botelho thanks to a narrow split decision in their flyweight muay thai clash; in a 125-pound grappling contest, Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Bianca Basilio quickly forced Milena Kaori to tap thanks to a rear-naked choke after 42 seconds and Kirill Gorobets (12-2, 1-1 ONE) outclassed Bruno Pucci (7-6, 5-6 ONE) en route to a unanimous decision in their 155-pound contest.