Aung La N Sang hopes Leandro Ataides comes to fight: ‘My last couple of fights felt like a grappling match’

Aung La N Sang didn’t get to show much at all in his most recent setbacks.

[autotag]Aung La N Sang[/autotag] didn’t get to show much at all in his most recent setbacks.

Frustrated from getting heavily out-grappled in his two straight losses to Reinier de Ridder, former dual-champion N Sang (26-12-1) hopes he gets to bang it out with [autotag]Leandro Ataides[/autotag] (11-4) when they square off in the co-main event of ONE Championship: Battleground, which takes place July 30 at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

“This is one of the ones that it’s not gonna go to a decision,” N Sang told MMA Junkie Radio. “He’s explosive, and I hope he comes to fight because last couple of fights felt like a grappling match, but this one is gonna be different. I’ve been working on things to negate it and also he likes to throw down to hopefully the judges won’t be involved in this fight.”

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N Sang had no answer for de Ridder’s wrestling but remains undeterred despite the lopsided loss. History has shown N Sang’s ability to bounce back strong from losses and that’s exactly what he plans on doing starting with Ataides.

“That fire in me is still there and it’s burning deep,” N Sang said. “Stylistically with a taller guy you have to close distance and this is a one-trick pony who’s a high-level grappler, and so I had issues there and he was tall. But you always gotta learn from your losses, and I like to learn and grow from my losses and every time I’ve had a loss, I’ve always come back and gotten into a good winning streak, and hopefully, that happens again. It really doesn’t matter to me, I just want to go out there and put on a show for the fans and put on an exciting finish.”

Watch the full interview with N Sang in the video above.

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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

ONE Championship 108: ‘Warrior’s Code’ live results

Stay up to date with MMA Junkie’s live results as ONE Championship returns to Jakarta for its latest offering: “Warrior’s Code.”

ONE Championship returns to Indonesia for “Warrior’s Code,” as one of the organization’s most dangerous middleweight contenders, Brazil’s [autotag]Leandro Ataides[/autotag], makes his long-awaited return in a bid to book himself into a title fight with reigning champion Aung La N Sang.

Ataides (11-3) takes on unbeaten Dutchman [autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] (11-0) in a pivotal middleweight matchup at Istora Senayan in Jakarta with the possibility of a shot at “The Burmese Python’s” middleweight title awaiting the winner. But his isn’t the only matchup on the card with potential title implications.

Former ONE featherweight champion [autotag]Marat Gafurov[/autotag] (17-2) is looking to battle his way back to the belt he lost to reigning champ Martin Nguyen two years ago, and the Dagestani grappling ace will be keen to impress when he takes on undefeated Moldovan [autotag]Iuri Lapicus[/autotag] (13-0) in their main card matchup.

He’s not the only man looking to position himself for another crack at Nguyen, either. Japanese contender [autotag]Koyomi Matsushima[/autotag] (11-4) was finished by the Kiwi champion in his last outing at ONE: “Dawn of Heroes” last August and, with a first-round knockout of featherweight rival Gafurov already on his record, he’ll hope to outperform the former champion in Jakarta with an impressive performance against South Korea’s [autotag]Kim Jae Woong[/autotag] (10-3) to push himself back towards the front of the featherweight queue.

ONE Championship 108: “Warrior’s Code” live results include:

MAIN CARD

  • Leandro Ataides vs. Reinier de Ridder
  • Marat Gafurov vs. Iuri Lapicus
  • [autotag]Eko Roni Saputra[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khon Sichan[/autotag]
  • Koyomi Matsushima vs. Kim Jae Woong

PRELIMS

  • [autotag]Nyrene Crowley[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Itsuki Hirata[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Yang Fei[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sunoto Peringkat[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Egi Rozten[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Fajar[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Abro Fernandes[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Achman Eko Priandono[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Antonis Muyak[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Oscar Yaqut[/autotag]