Anar Mammadov needed one punch and barely two minutes to knock out Superlek Jitmuangnon in Muay Thai at ONE Friday Fights 178 on Friday, Nov. 13, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. Combat Press logged the knockout at 2:09 of Round 1. Cageside Press had it a second earlier at 2:08. Either way, the fight was over before most of the YouTube audience had settled in. beIN SPORTS led its card recap with Mammadov’s knockout.
On the same broadcast, Shimon Yoshinari beat Ramadan Ondash by unanimous decision in a quarterfinal of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix. MiddleEasy reported that ONE has confirmed Yoshinari’s semifinal opponent: Nong-O Hama.
How the Grand Prix bracket got here
The tournament opened earlier that morning on The Inner Circle 38, where Nong-O took a unanimous decision over Rodtang Jitmuangnon. That pairing had been a year in the making. The two former champions were booked for the vacant flyweight title at ONE 173 last November, and the bout collapsed when Rodtang fell ill after making weight, according to Combat Press. Rodtang came into Friday off the first stoppage loss of his ONE career, a fifth-round finish against Takeru Segawa in their April kickboxing rematch. Nong-O had his own setback this year, a March knockout loss to Asadula Imangazaliev in a flyweight title fight, before he rebounded in June by beating Kongthoranee Sor Sommai in their third meeting.
Yoshinari arrived as a former WBC Muay Thai world champion who was unbeaten in seven ONE appearances. He earned his contract by beating Johan Ghazali, then knocked out Suablack Tor Pran49 in Japan in September. Ondash had also beaten Ghazali. He signed with ONE at strawweight and had won both of his fights since moving up to flyweight, over Suriyanlek Por Yenying and Ghazali. Friday was his first real measuring stick at 135, and Yoshinari kept the unbeaten ONE run going over the full distance.
Elsewhere on the card
Mammadov wasn’t the only fighter who finished early. Ali Al-Kinani knocked out Kumanngern Jitmuangnon with a punch at 1:24 of Round 2. Superchamp Wutdychonburipraleasing dropped Superjung Sor.Rungsak with punches to the body inside the first round (1:58 per Combat Press, 1:57 per Cageside). Kyaw Swar Win took a unanimous decision over Sherzodi Sadullo, and Cihan Dogu did the same against Pek PorTorThor.Thongtawee. Nongnuk Sor.Dechapan outpointed Giorgia Pieropan. In the MMA bouts, Nattakorn Kesorn edged Mathew Gesto and Kim Su-hyeon got past Takumi Fukamachi, both by split decision.
Quick take
A one-punch knockout at Lumpinee is the cleanest ending this sport offers, because nobody has to wonder whether the referee stepped in too soon or too late. That’s what Mammadov delivered, and his next booking will be worth watching. The bigger story for the division is the semifinal. Nong-O has spent his career winning fights without matching anyone’s volume, and Yoshinari just went the distance with a guy who’d also beaten Ghazali. ONE hasn’t announced a date for Yoshinari vs. Nong-O. I’d make the former WBC champ a slight favorite. He’s younger in the bracket sense, he’s unbeaten in ONE, and he doesn’t have a knockout loss from this year sitting on his record.
