One Championship staged another successful MMA event yesterday, April 24, 2015 at the MOA Asia Arena in Pasay. Ben Askren of the United States retained his welterweight title, but in a controversial fashion that sent many fans and MMA aficionados shaking their heads.
Ben Askren retains welterweight crown via ‘No Contest’
Luis Santos of Brazil looked like he was on his way to a huge upset over Ben Askren of the United States until an accidental eye poke stopped the fight with two minutes remaining in the first round.
Santos took down Askren several times and even managed to get hold of the top position in several occasions earl on. When both fighters finally stood up, Askren accidentally poked Santos’ right eye. In most cases, fighters continue to fight after being given the time to recover. Santos, however, was unable to open his right eye and could have possibly suffered a scratched cornea.
Santos’ wife, Carina Damm, called out Askren for being ‘unprofessional’ because the American fighter kept urging Santos to fight despite the injury. Askren, on the other hand, thinks that Santos might just be ‘faking’ it. Indeed, there’s no bad blood lost between these two fighters. Fortunately, organizers are working on the possibility of a rematch between the two this July. Check out the short, but controversial fight between Askren and Santos in the video below:
Mark Striegl submits Casey Suire
In the co-main event, Filipino-American Mark ‘Mugen’ Striegl did not disappoint in his first ONE Championship bout when he submitted Casey Suire of the United States via rear-naked choke in the first round. With the win, Striegl improved his record to 15-1 while Suire suffered the first loss of his career.
Anatpong Bunrad escapes with a split-decision win over Geje Eustaquio
Anatpong Bunrad escaped with a split-decision win over hometown boy Geje ‘Gravity’ Eustaquio in the featured flyweight match. Although the Filipino connected cleanly, he appeared to be at the losing end of the majority of the exchanges with Bunrad. Filipino fans were up on their feet when Eustaquio unloaded a huge right kick into Bunrad’s chest in the second round. Bunrad, however, regained his composure and controlled the pace and tempo of the match until the final bell.
Eugene Toquero finishes Brianata Rosadhi via TKO
Filipino fans were treated to an explosive and exciting affair when Eugene Toquero of the Philippines faced Brianata Rosadhi of Indonesia. Toquero executed his game plan perfectly by taking down the smaller Indonesian in the first few seconds of the fight. From that point on, the 34-year old Toquero dominated Rosadhi as he unleashed huge elbows and punches from the top. The referee stopped the fight in the 3:41 mark of the first round when the Indonesian failed to defend himself.
Edward Kelly submits Jimmy Yabo
A match featuring two Filipino fighters in the featherweight class, Edward Kelly had the last laugh as he submitted Jimmy Yabo in the four-minute mark of the first round. It was the first loss of the 33-year old Yabo while the win snapped Kelly’s two-fight losing streak.
Amir Khan stops Bashir Ahmad via TKO
20-year old Amir Khan of Singapore used vicious elbows to wear down Bashir Ahmad of Pakistan in the 150-lb. catchweight fight. Khan used his length and excellent striking skills to keep Ahmad at bay during the fight. The win improved Khan’s record to 3-1 while solidifying his claim as one of the rising stars in Asian MMA.
Xiao Yang Liu KOs Nicholas Lee
Xiao Yang Liu of China started the night’s fireworks with a vicious knockout of Nicholas Lee of Singapore in the first round. Xiao’s highlight-reel knockout came after Lee missed a left straight. Xiao launched a superbly timed right hook that sent Lee crashing to the canvas.
Ya We Wang wins over Sunoto Perkingkat via TKO
In the first match of the evening, featherweight Ya We Wang of China wore out Sunoto Peringkat of Indonesia to take a hard-earned TKO win in the third round. It was a back-and-forth affair in the first two rounds, but Ya unloaded savage punches in the final round to earn a stoppage win.
Pinoy Sports Fan 