Tawanchai Destroys Niclas Larsen, Fabricio Andrade Wrecks Kwon Won Il at One 158

Tawanchai PK.Saenchai 🇹🇭 wins a ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title shot, finishing Niclas Larsen with a LETHAL left cross!#ONE158 | #ONEChampionship | https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL pic.twitter.com/kribA78sfQ

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) June 3, 2022

One Championship’s latest event ended with not one but two spectacular knockouts at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.

The One 158 main event showcased a muay Thai clash between Tawanchai PK.Saenchai and promotional newcomer Niclas Larsen. Tawanchai proved that his new weight division didn’t affect his usual speed and accuracy. In the early going, the Thai fighter demonstrated his polished technique, dropping Larsen in the first 30 seconds. The Danish contestant survived the referee’s count, but it was fairly clear that he couldn’t match his opponent’s offensive arsenal. In the second period, Tawanchai found his rhythm and scored with a variety of punches, while mixing in occasional body kicks. The end came after the PK.Saenchai standout reached Larsen with a short right hook followed by a devastating overhand left, sending the Danish fighter crashing to the canvas for good this time. The time of the stoppage came at 1:42 in Round 2.

😨 @fabriciowdb 🇧🇷 FOLDS Kwon Won Il in Round 1 with a kick to the liver!#ONE158 | #ONEChampionship | https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL pic.twitter.com/pGIIjmGWjR

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) June 3, 2022

The co-headliner featured the most significant mixed martial arts attraction of the card, as Fabricio Andrade locked horns with Kwon Won Il in a bantamweight encounter. It took only 62 seconds for Andrade (8-2, 5-0 One) to solve the puzzle that is the South Korean with an emphatic knockout. Andrade took a few seconds to measure Il (10-4, 6-4 One) with jabs and body kicks from afar, looking light on his feet and sharp as he stung and moved out of his adversary’s range. A minute into their battle, “Wonder Boy” belted Il in the liver with a picture-perfect kick, one that would make Bas Rutten celebrate. The effect was immediate, as Il backed down and collapsed to the canvas, grimacing in pain. Referee Olivier Coste jumped to save “Pretty Boy” from further damage at 1:02 of the opening frame.

👊 @GutoInocente snaps Rade Opacic's four-fight winning streak with a liver shot in Round 1! #ONE158 | #ONEChampionship | https://t.co/eBUfsOlZOd pic.twitter.com/0xZzQwIVgZ

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) June 3, 2022

Elsewhere, Reece McLaren (15-8, 8-5 One) bounced back on track by submitting Wei Xie (16-4, 8-2 One) with a rear-naked choke at 3:42 into Round 1; former One flyweight champion Kairat Akhmetov (26-2, 7-2 One) outclassed Tatsumitsu Wada (23-12-2, 1 NC; 4-5 One) to get the nod on all three scorecards unanimously; Ultimate Fighting Championship alum Guto Inocente upset Rade Opacic with a barrage of punches 2:33 into the opening period of their heavyweight kickboxing affair; former One strawweight titleholder Alex Silva (12-7, 11-7 One) submitted Adrian Mattheis (10-6, 10-6 One) with a nasty heel hook at 3:34 of Round 1, avenging the second-round knockout defeat he suffered in March at the hands of the Indonesian.

On the preliminary card, flyweight Gurdarshan Mangat (17-3, 4-1 One) did enough to outpoint Yodkaikaew Fairtex (7-5-1, 3-3 One) by a narrow split decision; in a lightweight kickboxing clash, Constantin Rusu imposed his will over Marouan Toutouh en route to a unanimous decision victory; Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Marcus Almeida (3-0, 3-0 One) scored his first knockout victory as he smashed Simon Carson (2-2, 0-1 One) with punches 2:24 into Round 1; Odie Delaney (4-0, 2-0 One) forced Mehdi Barghi (4-4, 0-2 One) to tap to a keylock that halted the contest at the 2:22 mark of Round 2; Jasur Mirzamukhamedov (6-0, 1-0 One) took home a narrow split decision over Duke Didier (8-2, 0-1 One) in their heavyweight affair; Jennifer Olsim (6-3, 4-2 One) eked out a split decision over Julie Mezabarba (9-4-1, 1-2 One) at atomweight; in the card opener, 170-pounder Edson Marques (10-2, 1-2 One) defeated Kyung Rok Kim (3-3, 0-1 One) via unanimous decision.