Tag: Iuri Lapicus

Former ONE Championship title challenger Iuri Lapicus dead at 27

Former ONE Championship title challenger Iuri Lapicus died Monday after a motorcycle crash in Italy.

Former ONE Championship title challenger [autotag]Iuri Lapicus[/autotag] died Monday after a motorcycle crash in Italy.

Lapicus was 27. According to reports in Italy, Lapicus crashed his motorcycle into a car driven by a woman in Milan last week. According to Milano Today, Lapicus was in a coma until Monday.

His death was confirmed by the promotion in a statement.

“The ONE Championship team is heartbroken over the tragic passing of Iuri Lapicus. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones at this difficult time.”

Lapicus (14-2), a welterweight who was born in Moldova, started his career 14-0. He made his ONE debut in 2019 with a third-round submission of Shannon Wiratchai. He followed that up with an early 2020 67-second submission of Marat Gafurov and got a title shot against champion Christian Lee.

That title fight was delayed after the COVID-19 pandemic, but happened later in 2020. In that bout, Lapicus suffered the first loss of his career when Lee put him away with a first-round TKO.

In a fight six months later, Lapicus was stopped by Alvarez – but Alvarez was disqualified for punches to the back of the head. Later, that DQ loss was flipped to a no contest. This past August, Lapicus was knocked out by Zebaztian Kadestam in what now stands as his final fight.

Heartbreaking video shows Eddie Alvarez distraught after he was disqualified at ONE on TNT I

It was tough to see Eddie Alvarez hurting after he was disqualified for illegal strikes on Iuri Lupicus.

[autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] hadn’t fought since August 2019, and he entered ONE on TNT I rejuvenated and ready to make a run at another title.

Alvarez’s fight with [autotag]Iuri Lapicus[/autotag] was going well on Wednesday night, too. In the early going, the former Bellator and UFC lightweight champion had secured a dominant top position and began raining punches on Lapicus. The only problem is that, while Alvarez believed his punches landed to the side Lapicus’ head, the referee ruled they were striking the back of his head.

The result was a disqualification at the 1:02 mark of the first round. Not a warning, not a point deduction, the referee was quick to disqualify Alvarez.

Afterward, ONE Championship shared video of a Alvarez absolutely distraught backstage at Singapore Indoor Stadium (via Twitter).

It’s absolutely tough to see Alvarez in this emotional state, and we could only imagine the frustration and heartbreak he must’ve been feeling in that moment. To lose more than a year of his career because of the COVID-19 pandemic only to come back and have his first fight end in this fashion? Brutal. It also may not have helped to see Lupicus getting carted off on a stretcher. Being so emotional about the situation was understandable.

In his post-fight interview, Alvarez made it clear that he would like ONE Championship to overturn the result.

“I just need to sit down and talk to ONE, make sure they correct this,” Alvarez said. “It’s not right. What happened was not right.”

Hard to disagree.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

ONE on TNT I results: Eddie Alvarez disqualified for illegal punches

ONE Championship’s run on primetime in the U.S. got off to a rather frustrating start, with Eddie Alvarez disqualified in the first round.

ONE Championship’s run on primetime in the U.S. got off to a rather frustrating start, with [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] (10-8) disqualified in the first round of his lightweight contest with [autotag]Iuri Lapicus[/autotag] (15-1).

After a brief feeling-out process to start the fight, Alvarez shot inside for a takedown and was able to drag the action to the canvas in the opening minute. Seated near the cage and with his opponent in a dominant position, Lapicus turned his face toward the fence, leaving only the back of his head exposed. Alvarez threw a few right hands that landed to the base of the skull – and Lapicus screamed out before falling back to the canvas.

Referee Justin Brown immediately intervened as Alvarez turned to hammerfists. Following a brief moment of confusion, Brown presented Alvarez with a red card.

After the call was made, a clearly emotional Alvarez said he thought the blows were legal but apologized for the transgression and expressed concern for his opponent’s well-being as he was carted off in a stretcher.

“You guys put me in a cage,” Alvarez said. “The referee, he’s in there. Whatever call he makes, that’s it. I apologize. I hope Iuri is OK.”

ONE on TNT I took place at Singapore Indoor Stadium and aired live on TNT in the U.S.

ONE flyweight champion Adriano Moraes faces former UFC champ Demetrious Johnson in the night’s main event, which is still to come.

How to watch ONE on TNT 1: Fight card, start time, results, odds, live stream for Moraes vs. Johnson

Here’s how to watch the Adriano Moraes vs. Demetrious Johnson flyweight title bout from Singapore.

ONE Championship kicks off the most prolific month in its history this week with the first of four straight events on TNT.

Here’s how to watch the Adriano Moraes vs. Demetrious Johnson flyweight title bout from Singapore.

Eddie Alvarez unfazed by Iuri Lapicus’ threat to end his career at ONE on TNT I

Eddie Alvarez isn’t impressed by rival Iuri Lapicus’ threat to end his career at ONE on TNT I, and said he’s ready to challenge Christian Lee for the ONE lightweight belt.

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If you come at [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag], you better not miss.

The former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion is preparing to face former title challenger [autotag]Iuri Lapicus[/autotag] at ONE on TNT I, and noted comments from the Moldovan contender during their pre-fight conference call, where he stated his intention to end the career of “The Underground King” career in Singapore.

Reacting to the comments, Alvarez pulled rank on the 25-year-old and told the young contender to slow his roll with the pre-fight trash talk.

“I think if you ever threaten me with ending of my career, at first, you have to get a career,” Alvarez laughed. “You haven’t been around long enough to even have a career to threaten to take mine away. That’s how I feel about that. I think he’s green, I think he’s young, and I don’t think he’s been through the situations in my career in fourth and fifth rounds where I just think the experience level is too much. If I drag him into any kind of a fight (like) that I’ll beat him.”

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Lapicus (14-1) surged into title contention with an unbeaten record and a string of first-round finishes but was TKO’d in the first round by champion Christian Lee at “ONE Championship 121: Inside the Matrix” last November. Now he’s looking to bounce back into title contention by defeating Alvarez (30-7), whose last outing saw him defeat former two-time lightweight champion Eduard Folayang in 2019.

Alvarez has captured championship gold in every major organization he’s fought for and plans on continuing that remarkable trend by adding the ONE Championship lightweight title – which is contested at 170 pounds – to his already packed trophy cabinet. He also said his pedigree speaks for itself and that, once he gets past Lapicus, he should be next up to challenge lightweight champ Christian Lee.

“I don’t feel I need to prove myself to anyone,” Alvarez said. “I can beat any champion in the world, just give me my title shot. I don’t know why we’re wasting time. After I beat Iuri Lapicus, then I’ll get my title shot. If this promotion sincerely thinks Christian Lee is the best welterweight in the world and that he can beat me, then prove it.

“I always thought champions came from everywhere, and I’m the guy who proved that right. I went to every organization and became champion. So the best in the world, as far as I’m concerned, it’s where I’m at.”

ONE on TNT I takes place Wednesday, April 7 at Singapore Indoor Stadium. The event airs on TNT and B/R Live.

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Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez set for primetime ONE Championship show on April 7

Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez will take center stage when ONE Championship hits primetime U.S. TV on TNT on April 7.

Former UFC champions [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] will take center stage as ONE Championship gets set to host a big primetime show for U.S. fans.

Former UFC flyweight champ Johnson will challenge reigning ONE flyweight champion [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag] in the main event of ONE Championship: Moraes vs. Johnson, which takes place April 7 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore. The event will be aired live on TNT.

Johnson (30-3-1) has been perfect since he departed the UFC in 2018, and picked up a hat-trick of victories over Yuya Wakamatsu, Tatsumitsu Wada and Danny Kingad in 2019 to capture the inaugural ONE flyweight grand prix title.

Now “Mighty Mouse” is all set to go for his second ONE Championship belt as he gets set to challenge three-time champion Moraes (18-3), who reclaimed the title from Geje Eustaquio in his last outing back in January 2019.

Also set for action on the card is former UFC lightweight champion Alvarez (30-7), who will take on Moldovan former lightweight title challenger [autotag]Iuri Lapicus[/autotag] (14-1), who suffered his first career defeat last time out against reigning ONE lightweight champion Christian Lee.

Alvarez, meanwhile, is looking to build momentum as he works his way toward a title shot. His ONE debut ended in a first-round knockout loss to Russia’s Timofey Nastyukhin, but he bounced back in style with a first-round submission finish of former lightweight champion Eduard Folayang in August 2019.

The card will also feature one of the organization’s biggest Muay Thai stars, ONE flyweight muay Thai champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon, who takes on British striker Jacob Smith in a non-title muay Thai fight.

Confirmed MMA bouts for ONE Championship: Moraes vs. Johnson include:

  • Champion Adriano Moraes vs. Demetrious Johnson – for flyweight title
  • Eddie Alvarez vs. Iuri Lapicus

‘ONE Championship 118: Inside the Matrix’ set for Oct. 30, features four title fights

ONE Championship 118 is now official for Oct. 30, and four championship fights headline the card.

ONE Championship 118 is now official for Oct. 30, and four championship fights headline the card.

ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong recently revealed the promotion’s plans, though he declined to name a location for the behind-closed-doors event, which will stream live on B/R Live.

In the night’s main event, two-division champion [autotag]Aung La N Sang[/autotag] (26-10) puts his light heavyweight title on the line against undefeated Dutch challenger [autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] (12-0).

Additionally, welterweight title holder [autotag]Christian Lee[/autotag] (13-3) puts his belt on the line against undefeated challenger [autotag]Iuri Lapicus[/autotag] (14-0), lightweight champion [autotag]Martin Nguyen[/autotag] (13-3) faces “The Ultimate Fighter 22” cast member [autotag]Thanh Le[/autotag] (11-2), and women’s flyweight champ [autotag]Jing Nan Xiong[/autotag] (14-2) faces [autotag]Tiffany Teo[/autotag] (9-1).

Additional fights are expected to be announced shortly.

“You know, I hate to sound trite but the show must go on, and what I have learned personally is that my team at ONE Championship, the resilience, the passion, the excellence, has far exceeded my expectations,” Sityodtong said on a recent media call promoting the event. “I will tell you that the morale internally in ONE Championship is at all-time high. People are just fired up.

“I always say that in crisis, you really discover who you are as a person, who you are as an individual, and as a team, and one quote that comes to mind, always is, you know, ‘Ships are not made for the calm waters of the harbor, ships are made for the rough seas in search of new horizons,’ and, ‘Great captains are made in rough seas, never in the calm of the harbor.’ That’s why I said, you know, I think, I genuinely believe that the best companies in the world will not only survive, they will thrive in the same way ONE Championship is thriving in this environment. The show must go on.”

ONE Championship hasn’t hosted a title fight since January’s ONE Championship 107 event in the Philippines.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced ONE Championship officials to halt live events from March until late July, when the company set up shop for a string of six fight cards in Thailand.

Ahead of the Oct. 30 event, the promotion will host two cards in Singapore, starting with Friday’s “ONE Championship 116: Reign of Dynasties,” which streams on B/R Live.

The lineup for “ONE Championship 118: Inside the Matrix” currently includes:

  • Champ Aung La N Sang vs. Reinier de Ridder – for light heavyweight title
  • Champ Christian Lee vs. Iuri Lapicus – for welterweight title
  • Champ Martin Nguyen vs. Thanh Le – for lightweight title
  • Champ Jing Nan Xiong vs. Tiffany Teo – for women’s flyweight title
  • [autotag]Antonio Caruso[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Eduard Folayang[/autotag]

Brandon Vera to defend ONE heavyweight title against Arjan Bhullar at ONE Infinity 2

Brandon “The Truth” Vera tops the bill in Manila as he puts his heavyweight title on the line at ONE Infinity 2.

ONE Championship’s second “Infinity Series” event has a heavyweight main event, with two familiar names to UFC fans set to go head to head for championship gold.

Reigning ONE heavyweight champion [autotag]Brandon Vera[/autotag] will put his title on the line against Canada’s [autotag]Arjan Bhullar[/autotag] in the main event of ONE Infinity 2 at the Mall of Asia, Manila, Philippines on Friday, May 29. The event will be streamed live on B/R Live following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Vera (16-8) is undefeated as a heavyweight in ONE Championship, with all four of his victories coming via first-round knockout. He captured the ONE heavyweight title in his second fight for the promotion, against Paul Cheng at “ONE Championship 35: Spirit of Champions” in November 2015, and has since defended it with first-round finishes of Japanese judoka Hideki Sekine and Italian former Cage Warriors heavyweight champion Mauro Cerilli.

Now he is set to face former Olympic wrestler and UFC fighter Bhullar (10-1), who claimed a unanimous decision win over Cerilli on his promotional debut at “ONE Championship 100: Century – Part 2” in October 2019. The 33-year-old heads into the title fight riding a three-fight win streak, with UFC wins over Marcelo Golm and Juan Adams joining his victory over Cerilli on his recent slate.

The co-main event in Manila sees a second title up for grabs, as [autotag]Christian Lee[/autotag] puts the ONE lightweight belt on the line against undefeated Moldovan [autotag]Iuri Lapicus[/autotag].

Lee (13-3) had unsuccessfully challenged for the ONE featherweight title in 2018 when he moved up a weight class to take on Japanese icon – and Lee’s occasional training partner – Shinya Aoki for the lightweight belt at “ONE Championship 96: Enter the Dragon” in May 2019.

Lee stunned Aoki with a blistering performance to claim the title via second-round TKO then, five months later, captured the ONE lightweight grand prix title with a dominant decision victory over Turkey’s [autotag]Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev[/autotag] at “ONE Championship 100: Century – Part 1.”

Now “The Warrior” takes on a new challenge in the form of Moldova’s Lapicus (14-0), who surged into title contention with back-to-back submission finishes of Shannon Wiratchai and former featherweight champion Marat Gafurov. His win over the latter particularly caught the eye as he finished the former featherweight champion with his own signature move, the rear-naked choke, in just 67 seconds at “ONE Championship 108: Warrior’s Code.”

Also set to star in Manila is former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, who returns to action against grand prix finalist Arslanaliev in a lightweight matchup.

Alvarez (30-7) endured a nightmare start to his ONE Championship career when he was knocked out inside a round by Russian power-puncher Timofey Nastyukhin in the quarterfinals of the lightweight grand prix tournament. But “The Underground King” showed his fighting spirit in his next outing, as he bounced back with a come-from-behind win over former lightweight champion Eduard Folayang at “ONE Championship 99: Dawn of Heroes” in Manila in August 2019.

Alvarez returns to the scene of that victory, The Mall of Asia Arena, for his next test as he takes on dangerous finisher Arslanaliev (8-2), whose blistering run of finishes in ONE Championship came to an end against Lee in the lightweight grand prix final. Prior to that loss, “Dagi’s” only defeat came via disqualification. All eight of Arslanaliev’s wins have come inside the distance, with seven of them coming inside the first round.

ONE Infinity 2 confirmed fights:

  • Brandon Vera vs. Arjan Bhullar – for heavyweight title
  • Christian Lee vs. Iuri Lapicus – for lightweight title
  • Eddie Alvarez vs. Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev

ONE Championship 108 highlights: Watch Reinier de Ridder book his middleweight title shot

Check out the video highlights from ONE Championship 108, where Reinier de Ridder earned himself a middleweight title shot.

Dutch middleweight contender [autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] picked up a crucial win at “ONE Championship 108: Warrior’s Code” to earn a shot at reigning champion Aung La N Sang.

De Ridder’s decision victory over Brazilian contender Leandro Ataides in the featured MMA bout of the night was one of the highlights at Istora Senayan as the Dutchman battled past the former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and noted knockout artist over three rounds in Jakarta, Indonesia.

His next big test comes against two-division champ N Sang, who holds the middleweight and light heavyweight title, as well as a TKO victory over heavyweight champion Brandon Vera. As tasks go, they don’t get much bigger for “The Dutch Knight.”

Check out the best of the action from his victory, as well as highlights from the other big winners of the night, including a big muay Thai knockout from Australia’s Josh Tonna, a hometown victory for [autotag]Eko Roni Saputra[/autotag], a superb submission finish by [autotag]Iuri Lapicus[/autotag] and the best of the main event, which saw Thailand’s Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy win the inaugural ONE featherweight muay Thai title.

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ONE Championship 108 results: Reinier de Ridder claims title shot after bloody war

Dutch contender Reinier de Ridder earned a shot at the ONE middleweight title after edging Leandro Ataides in a three-round war.

Dutch middleweight contender [autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] booked himself into a ONE middleweight title fight with a victory over Brazilian contender [autotag]Leandro Ataides[/autotag] at “ONE Championship 108: Warrior’s Code” on Friday in Jakarta, Indonesia.

De Ridder (12-0) extended his perfect professional record after three bloody, hard-fought rounds against heavy-handed former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Ataides (11-4) to earn his shot at the ONE middleweight title held by two-division champion Aung La N Sang.

De Ridder held the edge through the first round as he used his southpaw jab to good effect before closing the distance and sapping the Brazilian’s gas tank with extended clinch work and takedown attempts against the ring ropes.

Both men were bloodied up in Round 2, with de Ridder sporting a cut above his left eyebrow and Ataides bleeding from the mouth as the pair went into the trenches and fought toe to toe for much of the round. It set up a tense final frame as both men battled back and forth in a vain search for a late finish, but it was de Ridder whose pressure proved crucial as he earned the unanimous decision after three punishing rounds at Istora Senayan.

The victory means that de Ridder will be the next man to challenge Nsang for the ONE middleweight title, and “The Dutch Knight” had a message for “The Burmese Python” after his victory.

“Aung La! Are you ready?” he asked. “You pick the place, you pick the time, you pick the date. You deserve it. But keep that (expletive) belt shining, because I’m coming for it!”

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Lapicus chokes out the choke master

Former ONE featherweight champion [autotag]Marat Gafurov[/autotag] had a well-earned reputation as being the promotion’s king of the rear-naked choke. Between 2014 and the end of 2016 the Dagestani grappler had registered six rear-naked choke finishes in a row as he captured the title and dominated the division.

But, after moving up a weight class, Gafurov (17-3) was given a rude welcome to the ONE lightweight division by undefeated Moldovan contender [autotag]Iuri Lapicus[/autotag], who maintained his 100% finish rate with a stunning 67-second submission finish of the Russian, using Gafurov’s favorite technique.

Lapicus (14-0), who trains with kickboxing legend Giorgio Petrosyan, showcased his powerful striking as he hammered Gafurov’s legs with a succession of thumping leg kicks. Then he moved in and, after connecting with some solid punches, took Gafurov to the mat. Once there, he swiftly moved to the former featherweight champion’s back and locked up a rear-naked choke and put “The Cobra” to sleep for the most impressive performance of the night.

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Saputra brings the house down

Local hero and national wrestling champion Eko Roni Saputra went on the hunt for a submission finish against Cambodia’s Khon Sichan and, after a few attempts, he got what he wanted.

The Indonesian flyweight headed into the bout determined to register an impressive victory after his last performance saw him handed victory via an unfortunate injury to his opponent. But there were no asterisks over his victory in Jakarta as Saputra (2-1-1) took Sichan (3-6) to the mat and worked relentlessly for an opening, before eventually locking up a rear-naked choke for the win.

Matsushima stakes his claim for featherweight title rematch

Former featherweight title challenger [autotag]Koyomi Matsushima[/autotag] delivered the perfect response to his stoppage defeat to champion Martin Nguyen in his last outing as he returned to action with a hugely impressive victory over South Korean contender [autotag]Kim Jae Woong[/autotag].

Matsushima (12-4) held the edge in all departments during a breathless first two rounds, but it was the Japanese fighter’s punch power that proved the difference-maker as he rocked his rival toward the end of the second round.

It gave the former Pancrase athlete all the confidence he needed to load up at the start of the final round and, after stunning Woong (10-4) in the opening exchange of the round, he finished his man with powerful strikes to score a crucial TKO victory and keep himself firmly in the featherweight title picture.

Hirata impresses with third successive stoppage

Twenty-year-old Japanese atomweight prospect [autotag]Itsuki Hirata[/autotag] showed both promise and personality in abundance as she claimed her third straight finish in ONE Championship with a third-round stoppage of gritty Kiwi [autotag]Nyrene Crowley[/autotag].

After finding herself in the receiving end of Crowley’s snapping strikes for the first half of Round 1, Hirata (3-0) closed the distance and dragged the action to the mat. After fending off Crowley’s attack from the back, the Japanese fighter finished the round in dominant position, landing heavy ground strikes.

A beautiful judo throw from Hirata sent Crowley (3-3) to the canvas at the start of the second stanza, and “Strong Heart Fighter” kept the action on the canvas for the rest of the round as she searched first for a submission, then for a late-round TKO stoppage. Somehow Crowley survived, but the momentum was clearly with Hirata, who danced her way back to the corner and even mean-mugged for the camera between rounds.

Hirata landed the early takedown once again in the final round as she turned up the pressure in pursuit of a finish. Crowley battled gamely off her back to fend off the Japanese fighter as she looked to create openings for an armbar and a Kimura, but she was powerless to prevent the finish as Hirata postured up and landed a succession of powerful ground strikes to force the TKO stoppage – the first of her young MMA career – with less than two minutes to go.

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Fajar fires up the fans

There was also a glimpse of a potential Indonesian star of the future, as combat sambo specialist [autotag]Fajar[/autotag] opened the night with an impressive first-round TKO finish of fellow countryman [autotag]Egi Rozten[/autotag].

Fajar (4-1) quickly gained the takedown with a smart outside trip, moved from side control to full mount, then rained down a barrage of ground and pound that left Rozten (2-4) with a cut above his right eyebrow and forced referee Kemp Cheng to end the bout at the 2:39 mark.

Official “ONE Championship 108: Warriors Code” results include:

MAIN CARD

  • Reinier de Ridder def. Leandro Ataides via unanimous decision
  • Iuri Lapicus def. Marat Gafurov via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:07
  • Eko Roni Saputra def. Khon Sichan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:45
  • Koyomi Matsushima def. Kim Jae Woong via TKO (ground strikes) – Round 3, 0:24

PRELIMS

  • Itsuki Hirata def. Nyrene Crowley via TKO (ground strikes) – Round 3, 3:23
  • [autotag]Sunoto Peringkat[/autotag] def. [autotag]Nurul Fikri[/autotag] via unanimous decision
  • [autotag]Abro Fernandes[/autotag] def. [autotag]Achman Eko Priandono[/autotag] via unanimous decision
  • Fajar def. Egi Rozten via TKO (ground and pound) – Round 1, 2:39