Three highlights from ONE: Call To Greatness
ONE Championship celebrated a stunning homecoming at the Singapore Indoor Stadium with ONE: Call To Greatness this past Friday, 22 February.
With the crowning of a new World Champion, an explosive pair of ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix quarter-final contests, and several highlight-reel finishes, it was an evening to remember.
Before we head into March for the epic ONE: A New Era, we review the three best moments of Friday evening.
#1 Stamp Fairtex’s Historic Night
ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion Stamp Fairtex made history by becoming the first two-sport ONE World Champion in the promotion’s history.
The Thai dispatched IFMA Pan-American Muay Thai Champion Janet “JT” Todd in their five-round main-event battle to win the inaugural ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Championship.
Stamp started off strong, scoring with several jabs and strikes that connected with Todd’s face. She even managed to dump the American onto the canvas several times during their exchanges. “JT” answered with blistering leg kicks of her own and even scored a sweep, which briefly floored her rival.
The Thailand native’s confidence, however, continued to grow with each powerful right hook finding its mark.
After five hard rounds, it was clear among the three ringside judges that Stamp had been the better competitor and they awarded the Fairtex representative a unanimous decision victory.
In doing so, Stamp became the promotion’s first two-sport World Champion.
#2 Ariel Sexton Spoils Amir Khan’s Homecoming
It was set to be a glorious homecoming for the 24-year-old Amir Khan. Yet that plan was shot out of the water by Costa Rica’s Ariel “Tarzan” Sexton .
The Singapore knockout artist dominated the early exchanges with crisp striking, and his formidable takedown defense stymied attempts by “Tarzan” to take the contest to the ground.
Controlling the stand-up game while evading a relentless Sexton appeared to sap Khan of some strength as the rounds went on.
The BJJ wizard’s resilience would pay off in the third frame when he managed to move onto the Singaporean’s back before slipping in a rear-naked choke to score the upset submission win in front of a stunned home crowd.
#3 Dejdamrong Avenges Prior Loss
The last time former ONE Strawweight World Champion and Singapore resident Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke faced off against Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado at ONE: Iron Will in March, the Filipino scored a surprising first-round knockout that stole headlines.
However, on Friday evening, “Kru Rong” would write his own story with an emphatic come-from-behind TKO victory in the second round.
The speedier Miado wasted little time in controlling the exchanges in the first stanza, settling into a comfortable rhythm of close quarters combat with the Evolve MMA representative.
Although 14 years older than his opponent, the 40-year-old Dejdamrong proved to be a willing dance partner, as he traded kicks and strikes with “The Jaguar.”
In the second round, Miado’s takedown was brilliantly countered by the Singapore-based Thai, who ended up on top of the visiting Filipino. He delivered a barrage of knees, which forced referee Yuji Shimada to stop the contest and award “Kru Rong” the well-deserved redemption win.
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