Tawanchai P.K. Saenchai Edges Nattawut Somkhun in ONE 167 Main Event

ONE 167's main event saw One Championship featherweight muay thai champion Tawanchai P.K. Saenchai successfully defend his belt against a tough challenger in Nattawut Somkhun.

Saenchai wasted no time establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with by delivering punishing leg kicks and sharp elbows to Somkhun. Standing his ground, the challenger would find his footing and have success with combinations when Saenchai would lower his output, with Somkhun taking over the third and fourth rounds. However, the champion showed his resolve in the final three minutes, as it was a back-and-forth battle that saw both men have their moments.

Breathes were held when the judges' scorecards were read, but ultimately, they preferred the work of the champion, who kept his belt via majority decision.

Rodtang Dominates Puric

The catchweight co-main event saw Rodtang Jitmuangnon outstrike Denis Puric in a hard-hitting kickboxing match.

Jitmuangnon found his mark early, his left hook repeatedly finding the face of Puric. "The Bosnian Menace" never lost his aggression, though, gladly firing back despite taking damage. Ultimately, the pressure of Jitmuangnon overwhelmed Puric over three rounds, with the fight never out of his control thanks to his varied strikes.

After three rounds, Jitmuangnon was given the unanimous decision victory that he earned.

Related » ONE 167 Round-by-Round Scoring

Musumeci Easily Taps Sousa

The lone grappling match on the card saw Mikey Musumeci take on Gabriel Sousa.

Early on, Musumeci was able to get ahold of the leg of Sousa, which led to him having to try to tough out a calf slicer. Sousa spent over a minute in the submission until Musumeci was able to tighten it. The pain was unbearable, and the Brazilian was forced to submit.

The tap from Sousa officially came 3:07 into the match.

Ruotolo Submits Cooper

Decorated grappler Kade Ruotolo made his mixed martial arts debut against Blake Cooper.

Ruotolo immediately looked comfortable on the feet, landing nice kicks to the body. The 21-year-old's impressive grappling was just as deadly, as he was able to take the back of Cooper (2-2) and secure a face crank. The tap officially came at the 3:20 mark of Round 1.

Ruotolo now stands 1-0 as a professional MMA fighter.

Sitsongpeenong Outstrikes Noiri

The night's first kickboxing match saw Masaaki Noiri debut in ONE against Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong.

Sitsongpeenong started strong as his left hand was able to find its mark throughout the first round and keep Noiri from finding his rhythm. Brutal knees and kicks to the body from Sitsongpeenong were the separating factors in the second round, which was more competitive. Noiri was more aggressive in the final round, even throwing back fists, but to no avail.

All three judges scored the fight in favor of Sitsongpeenon, who is now 129-35 in kickboxing.

Zamboanga Cruises Past Grandjean

In the second atomweight MMA fight of the night, Denice Zamboanga took on Noelle Grandjean.

In the first round, Zamboanga (11-2) put her opponent in danger by securing a takedown and threatening with a rear-naked choke attempt. No matter if it was on the feet or on the ground, Grandjean (5-3) was a step behind. After three straightforward rounds, the judges awarded Zamboanga a clear-cut unanimous decision win.

"The Menace" has now won three straight fights.

Early ONE 167 Results:

Welterweight prospect Adrian Lee (1-0) impressed in his MMA debut by submitting Antonio Mammarella (1-1) with a rear-naked choke, notching the submission at 1:56 of Round 1; Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat took a unanimous decision over flyweight muay thai fighter Johan Ghazali; Victoria Souza (8-2) submitted Itsuki Hirata (6-4) with a guillotine choke at 1:31 of Round 1 of their atomweight MMA fight; and Johan Estupinan knocked down Zafer Sayik twice en route to a unanimous decision win in their bantamweight muay thai fight.