The STAR: MMA warriors battle it out and give Malaysians a night to remember

By NEVASH NAIR

ONE Fighting Championship (One FC), Asia’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation, wowed a nearly sold-out crowd at Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil with its One FC: Return Of Warriors.

It was One FC’s second in Malaysia and fans were treated to a night of unforgettable action as One FC warriors battled it out inside the famed One FC cage.

Malaysians Peter Davis and Adam Kayoom emerged victorious in front of a boisterous Malaysian crowd that was definitively behind their compatriots in the cage.

Peter engaged in a back-and-forth battle against Indonesian submission specialist Leo Krishna and was declared the winner after the doctor called a stop to the fight due to an injury in the first round.

Peter dropped a series of thunderous kicks on his downed opponent, which are legal under One FC’s global rule set.

Grinding him down: Lowen (top) utilised his wrestling skills to subdue Vuyisile in the first round, coming close to finishing the contest with several submission attempts.

Adam easily defeated his Indonesian opponent Zuli Silawanto in clinical fashion. Adam used his picture-perfect taekwondo skills and smothered Zuli with his top control while dropping sharp elbows. The opportunistic Adam managed to get back control and slipped in a rear naked choke to finish the fight in round one.

Young and upcoming MMA star Gianni Subba also won his match against fellow Malaysian Saiful Merican via an armbar in the second round. Saiful, who is a Muay Thai veteran, clearly caught Gianni by surprise with his ground defence but the latter’s wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu background proved to be too much for the man they call The Vampire.

In the inaugural four-man Malaysian national featherweight championship tournament, Melvin Yeoh and Jian Kai Chee will now face-off in November after winning their respective matches.

Melvin, a school teacher from Johor, won his match via a triangle choke. He also won fans from across the globe as he bowed down to his opponent Raymond Tiew as a sign of respect and sportsmanship.

In the next bout, Kai Chee and former national silat champion AJ Lias Mansor slugged it out in three rounds before the judges unanimously declared the former as the winner.

One for the album: One FC officials and staff pose for a photograph.

In what many call ‘Fight of the Night’, South African Vuyisile Colossa and American Lowen Tynanes put on a showcase that exhibited the many facets of MMA. Lowen used wrestling to subdue Vuyisile in the first round, coming close to finishing the contest with several submission attempts.

The South African Muay Thai champion Vuyisile came storming back in the second round as he peppered Lowen with leg kicks and elbows. Lowen returned to his wrestling roots in the third stanza as he secured a takedown and eventually tightened a rear naked choke that forced Vuyisile to concede defeat.

In the co-main event of the night, Shinichi Kojima defeated Rey Docyogen via submission. The Japanese veteran showed toughness in defeating his Filipino opponent, who was largely winning the stand-up battle.

Shinichi showed his experience by pulling off a guillotine choke in the clinch and pulled guard to finish the fight. By emerging victorious, Shinichi guaranteed himself a future flyweight title opportunity.

In the main event, a new One FC Featherweight Champion was also crowned that night as Honorio Banario defeated Eric Kelly via technical knockout.

The two Filipino warriors went back and forth in a striking duel. The finish came in the fourth round as Honorio won the striking battle with a punch that staggered Eric.

Local MMA gyms and key sponsors also set up shop at the stadium to showcase their products and create a carnival atmosphere.

“With our sponsorship of One FC, we draw attention to the key message that if you choose to get into physical activities such as martial arts or combat sports, then you should be equally strong, healthy and have the ability to recover fast, and most of all enjoy doing it,” said Origine director Shailesh Waran, who was a key sponsor for the event.

> The Star is the official print partner for One FC: Return of Warriors.

Original link here.