Mark Abelardo’s insane standing elbow obliterates opponent for KO at ONE Championship 130

Mark Abelardo elbowed right through Emilio Urrutia’s face.

Friday’s ONE Championship 130 event was dubbed “Fists of Fury II.” They didn’t say anything about elbows.

They probably would’ve had they known [autotag]Mark Abelardo[/autotag] would do what he did.

Abelardo delivered an absolutely scintillating knockout of [autotag]Emilio Urrutia[/autotag] in their featherweight bout at Singapore Indoor Stadium. With both men closing in to strike simultaneously, Abelardo obliterated Urrutia by landing a vicious right elbow flush on his chin.

Check this out (via Twitter):

Abelardo elbowed right through that man’s face. From the looks of it, I’d initially thought Abelardo somehow got away with landing a 12-6 elbow from standing position, but upon review – and with an assist from MMA Junkie’s Nolan King – that was more like a 2-7 or 2-8.

The angle of the red line below shows that:

Regardless, THAT. WAS. INSANE.

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 Championship 110 video highlights: ‘Wonder Boy’ puts opponent to sleep

ONE Championship returned to action this past weekend, and “Wonder Boy” took advantage of his time in the ring.

ONE Championship returned to action this past weekend for the first time since February, and while the card was heavy on muay Thai action, “Wonder Boy” did take advantage of his time in the ring.

Not that one – the Brazilian one.

In the first MMA bout of Friday’s ONE Championship 110 event in Thailand, Brazilian [autotag]Fabricio Andrade[/autotag] (4-2) scored a technical submission win over the much more experienced [autotag]Mark Abelardo[/autotag] (19-8). With the result, “Wonder Boy” now owns a three-fight winning streak.

Meanwhile, in the night’s featured MMA contest, undefeated prospect [autotag]Stamp Fairtex[/autotag] (5-0) scored a dominant victory over the previously unbeaten [autotag]Sunisa Srisan[/autotag] (3-1).

Check out highlights of all the action in the video above – as well as the best moments from the night’s featured muay Thai matchups.

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Stamp Fairtex claims easy win at ‘ONE Championship 110: No Surrender’

Thai starlet Stamp Fairtex extended her undefeated start to her MMA career with a first-round stoppage victory at ONE Championship 110.

[autotag]Stamp Fairtex[/autotag] delivered another dominant performance to extend her perfect professional MMA record at “ONE Championship 110: No Surrender” in Bangkok, Thailand.

Fairtex (5-0 MMA) defeated 19-year-old debutant [autotag]Sunisa Srisen[/autotag] via first-round TKO in the featured MMA bout of the evening in the behind-closed-doors event at the Impact Arena to continue her rise up the ONE atomweight ladder.

Fairtex dominated the stand-up and connected with some punishing knees to the midsection when the pair clinched up. But it wasn’t until the fight went to the mat that the 22-year-old secured the victory.

After taking Srisen (3-1 MMA) to the canvas, Fairtex took her opponent’s back, flattened her out, and unloaded a barrage of ground strikes that forced referee Nick Chapman to step in with just over a minute left in the opening round.

Fairtex is already a huge star for the Asian promotion, having captured ONE’s atomweight titles in both muay Thai and kickboxing to make history as their first two-sport champion. The Thai striker recently lost her kickboxing title to America’s Janet Todd, but is now focusing on her MMA journey as she looks to position herself for a title fight with long-reigning champion Angela Lee.

In the night’s other MMA bout, Brazilian debutant [autotag]Fabricio Andrade[/autotag] introduced himself to the ONE Championship fanbase with an eye-catching submission as he finished New Zealand’s [autotag]Mark Abelardo[/autotag] via second-round rear-naked choke.

The 22-year-old Tiger Muay Thai prospect looked at ease on his promotional debut as he happily stood and traded with the heavy-handed Kiwi, but once he took the action to the mat, Andrade (4-2 MMA) shone as he took Abelardo’s back and locked up a rear-naked choke. Abelardo (19-8) refused to tap, but the action was stopped as he slipped into unconsciousness as a result of the debutant’s hold.

“ONE Championship 110: No Surrender” was the promotion’s first major event since the COVID-19 pandemic, with the show held behind closed doors in Bangkok. The show was presented from Singapore, with Michael Schiavello and Mitch Chilson providing commentary remotely from Melbourne and Manila respectively.

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Stamp Fairtex set for MMA return at ‘ONE Championship 110: No Surrender’

Former two-sport champion Stamp Fairtex will look to extend her undefeated record in MMA when she returns to action in Bangkok on July 31.

ONE Championship has announced its full fight card for the promotion’s first event since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“ONE Championship 110: No Surrender” takes place at the Impact Arena in Bangkok on Friday, July 31, and marks the return to action of former two-sport champion [autotag]Stamp Fairtex[/autotag], who will continue her emerging MMA career at the Impact Arena when she takes on [autotag]Sunisa Srisen[/autotag] in a women’s atomweight bout.

Fairtex (3-0), who captured the promotion’s kickboxing and muay Thai titles before switching her attention to MMA, picked up back-to-back victories in 2019, then added a third win with a first-round TKO stoppage of Puja Tomar at “ONE Championship 106: A New Tomorrow” in January. Now the 22-year-old Thai will return to action against promotional newcomer Srisen (3-0).

Also set for action under MMA rules is Bangkok-based New Zealander [autotag]Mark Abelardo[/autotag], who will look to bounce back into the win column against debutant [autotag]Fabricio Andrade[/autotag] in a 148-pound catchweight matchup.

Abelardo (19-7) earned his spot on the ONE Championship roster after graduating from the promotion’s talent-finding series, ONE Warrior Series, and has alternated wins and losses in his four outings as part of ONE’s main roster.

His last appearance saw Abelardo lose a unanimous decision to undefeated American Troy Worthen at ONE’s most recent event, “ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle,” in February. Now he’ll look to get his form back on track in Bangkok against Brazilian newcomer Andrade (3-2).

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The event in Bangkok will feature two muay Thai title fights at the top of the six-fight card, with a quartet of Thailand’s best muay Thai strikers set for action in the two headline matchups.

In the main event, flyweight champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon will put his title on the line against “The Baby Shark” Petchdam Petchyindee Academy, while the co-headliner will see muay Thai legend Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex challenge reigning featherweight muay Thai champion Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy.

The full “ONE Championship 110: No Surrender” fight card includes:

  • Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Petchdam Petchyindee Academy (for flyweight muay Thai title)
  • Champion Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy vs. Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex (for featherweight muay Thai title)
  • Sittchai Sitsongpeenong vs. Superbon Banchamek (kickboxing bout)
  • Stamp Fairtex vs. Sunisa Srisen
  • Mark Abelardo vs. Fabricio Andrade
  • Panpayak Jitmuangnon vs. Superlek Kiatmoo9 (muay Thai bout)

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Tears of joy and defeat: Go behind the scenes at ‘ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle’

Go behind the scenes for instant reaction from the fighters after their respective fights at “ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle” in Singapore.

The most recent ONE Championship show marked the first instance of a major MMA organization taking significant steps to combat the spread of the coronavirus, as the promotion placed “ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle” behind closed doors on Friday, Feb. 28.

The event played out to a virtually empty arena at Singapore Indoor Stadium, as the fighters battled it out inside the ONE Championship circle while the fans stayed in their homes, and Asia began the routine we all now recognize as “self-isolation” and “social distancing.”

The night’s main event featured a rematch for the ONE atomweight women’s kickboxing title, as America’s [autotag]Janet Todd[/autotag] avenged her prior loss to Thailand’s [autotag]Stamp Fairtex[/autotag] to capture her first ONE title after another highly-competitive battle.

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It was a disappointing night for Singapore’s own [autotag]Amir Khan[/autotag] (12-7), who was submitted by rising Japanese prospect [autotag]Kimihiro Eto[/autotag] (17-5), while Asian MMA legend [autotag]Yoshihiro Akiyama[/autotag] (15-7) defied his 44 years to knock out [autotag]Sherif Mohamed[/autotag] (9-6) in the first round of their welterweight bout.

There was also an impressive win for Florida’s [autotag]Troy Worthen[/autotag] (7-0), who extended his unbeaten record with a dominant victory over New Zealand’s [autotag]Mark Abelardo[/autotag] (19-7).

ONE’s cameras were on hand to capture the emotion of the fighters after their respective bouts as they headed back to the locker room on one of the more unusual nights of their fighting careers. Check out their reactions, featuring tears of joy and defeat, via the video above.

And if you’ve got some extra time to kill, be sure to stick around at the end of the behind-the-scenes video, as ONE have included the full fight from Todd’s title bout with Fairtex.

ONE Championship 109 results: Yoshihiro Akiyama rolls back the years to flatten Sherif Mohamed

Asian MMA icon Yoshihiro Akiyama produced a stunning one-punch knockout to stun Sherif Mohamed at “ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle” in Singapore.

Asian MMA legend [autotag]Yoshihiro Akiyama[/autotag] turned the tables on heavy-handed [autotag]Sherif Mohamed[/autotag] to score a stunning first-round knockout and show that at 44, he still possesses the sort of punching power that can finish a fight in an instant.

Akiyama (15-7) had to weather an early storm against Mohamed (9-6) when the Egyptian came flying out of his corner throwing bombs from the opening bell and tagged the Japanese-Korean star in the opening exchanges of their bout at “ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle.”

Mohamed had clearly arrived in Singapore looking to overwhelm the older man, and kept the pressure on as he chased the backpedaling Akiyama around the cage, connecting with heavy punches as he dominated the first 90 seconds of the fight.

But Akiyama eventually found his feet and briefly halted Mohamed’s charge with a thumping leg kick that clearly affected his opponent. He then narrowly missed with a spectacular spinning heel kick to the head as the veteran showed his physical gifts were still very much at his disposal.

Then, with Mohamed launching into another charge, “Sexyama” struck. A perfectly-timed short left hand connected flush on the onrushing Mohamed’s chin, sending the former EFC champion crumbling down to the canvas. Akiyama moved in to land a finishing shot to his downed foe, and the fight was swiftly stopped to give the former UFC veteran a stunning knockout win – his first victory since his win over Amir Sadollah at UFC Fight Night 52 in Saitama in September 2014.

After his victory, Akiyama told ONE co-commentator Mitch Chilson, “This is the start of my martial arts journey,” before asking for the chance to fight in South Korea.

“I want a chance, if possible, in Korea,” he said.

Eto stuns Singapore’s Khan with quickfire submission

The top-billed MMA fight on the card saw Singaporean lightweight contender [autotag]Amir Khan[/autotag] submitted in swift fashion by Japanese grappler [autotag]Kimihiro Eto[/autotag] as the ONE Warrior Series graduate announced himself as a legitimate threat to the lightweight division’s best.

Khan (12-7) looked to settle into his striking early, but was quickly taken to the canvas by Eto (17-5-2), who pinned his man against the fence, then locked up a tight rear-naked choke that eventually put Khan to sleep inside the opening two minutes of the matchup.

Teo surges back into title contention at strawweight

It may have been a disappointing night for Singapore’s Khan, but it was a huge night for his compatriot as former women’s strawweight title challenger [autotag]Tiffany Teo[/autotag] stopped surging Japanese judoka [autotag]Ayaka Miura[/autotag] to position herself for a potential title rematch with the woman who beat her to win the inaugural title, China’s Xiong Jing Nan.

Xiong was an interested spectator at cageside as Teo (9-1) used her striking skills to nullify Miura’s grappling attack before eventually finishing an exhausted “Zombie” with body shots on the ground with 15 seconds remaining in the fight.

Miura (10-3) had actually started well, and appeared to be dominating the action on the mat, but Teo managed to escape before settling into her striking rhythm to pepper the Japanese contender with a constant jab and chopping leg kicks en route to a last-gasp stoppage victory.

“ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle” official MMA results:

  • Kimihiro Eto def. Amir Khan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:39
  • Yoshihiro Akiyama def. Sherif Mohamed via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:04
  • Tiffany Teo def. Ayaka Miura via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 4:45

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • [autotag]Denice Zamboanga[/autotag] def. [autotag]Mei Yamaguchi[/autotag] via unanimous decision
  • [autotag]Troy Worthen[/autotag] def. [autotag]Mark Abelardo[/autotag] via unanimous decision
  • [autotag]Honorio Banario[/autotag] def. [autotag]Shannon Wiratchai[/autotag] via split decision
  • [autotag]Ritu Phogat[/autotag] def. [autotag]Wu Chiao Chen[/autotag] via unanimous decision
  • [autotag]Murad Ramazanov[/autotag] def. [autotag]Myung Ho Bae[/autotag] via TKO (ground strikes) – Round 1, 4:53
  • [autotag]Jeff Chan[/autotag] def. [autotag]Radeem Rahman[/autotag] via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:00

‘ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle’ live results

Stay up to date with MMA Junkie’s live results as ONE Championship returns to Singapore for its latest offering: “King of the Jungle.”

The coronavirus may have forced the postponement and cancellation of a host of sporting events across Asia in recent weeks, but ONE Championship is continuing its 50-event 2020 schedule, undeterred.

The Asian promotion returns to its administrative home of Singapore for “King of the Jungle,” for an unusual behind-closed-doors event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, with a fight card topped by kickboxing and muay Thai title fights. But here at MMA Junkie, our focus will be on the MMA matchups, with one of Singapore’s finest looking to shine on home soil.

Singaporean lightweight contender Amir Khan returns to action against Japanese prospect Kimihiro Eto looking to move back into title contention, while 44-year-old Asian MMA icon Yoshihiro Akiyama will bid to secure his first win as a ONE Championship athlete – and his first win in five and a half years – when he takes on Egypt’s Sherif Mohamed.

Japanese female judoka [autotag]Ayaka Miura[/autotag] could catapult herself straight into the strawweight title picture with victory over former title challenger [autotag]Tiffany Teo[/autotag] while, in the featured preliminary bout, longtime atomweight contender [autotag]Mei Yamaguchi[/autotag] will hope to secure a trilogy fight with old adversary Angela Lee with a decisive win over [autotag]Denise Zamboanga[/autotag].

Fans in the United States can stream the preliminary “lead card” live via the video player above from 4:30am E.T., with the main card streaming on B/R Live from 7:30am E.T.

Fans in other countries can stream the event in its entirety via YouTube here.

“ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle” live MMA results include:

  • Kimihiro Eto vs. Amir Khan
  • Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Sherif Mohamed
  • Ayaka Miura vs. Tiffany Teo

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Mei Yamaguchi vs. Denice Zamboanga
  • [autotag]Mark Abelardo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Troy Worthen[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Honorio Banario[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Shannon Wiratchai[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Wu Chiao Chen[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ritu Phogat[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Myung Ho Bae[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Murad Ramazanov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jeff Chan[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Radeem Rahman[/autotag]

Yoshihiro Akiyama returns at ONE Championship 109 in February

Fan favorite Japanese fighter Yoshihiro Akiyama will turn 45 in July, but he’s not done yet.

Fan favorite Japanese fighter [autotag]Yoshihiro Akiyama[/autotag] will turn 45 in July, but he’s not done yet.

Akiyama (14-7) will return next month in a middleweight bout against [autotag]Sherif Mohamed[/autotag] (9-5) at “ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle,” the promotion announced today. Akiyama, known as “Sexyama” to his legion of fans, arguably is the highest profile MMA fighter on a card that is topped with a trio of fights in ONE’s Super Series.

ONE Championship 109 takes place Feb. 28 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. The card streams on the B/R Live app.

After a seven-fight run in the UFC in which he went just 2-5, but won three straight “Fight of the Night” bonuses, Akiyama stepped away from the sport after a split decision loss to Alberto Mina in late 2015. But this past June, he returned under the ONE banner to fight for the first time in nearly four years. His comeback ended in a decision loss to Agilan Thani in China, giving him six losses in his past seven fights.

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Egypt’s Mohamed will be looking for his first win under the ONE banner. He has dropped three of his past four fights over a three-year stretch, and all three of those setbacks have been in ONE fights. After a win outside the promotion in August 2017, he came back to ONE on a week’s notice and lost to a decision to Thani. Then this past June, he was stopped by Rong Fan with a second-round TKO for his second straight loss.

Other key MMA fights on the card include a fight between former welterweight title challenger [autotag]Amir Khan[/autotag] (12-6) and [autotag]Kimihiro Eto[/autotag] (16-5-2), and a women’s strawweight bout between two-time title challenger [autotag]Mei Yamaguchi[/autotag] (21-11-1) and [autotag]Meng Bo[/autotag] (14-5).

The ONE Championship 109 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (B/R Live app)

  • Kimihiro Eto vs. Amir Khan
  • Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Sherif Mohamed
  • Meng Bo vs. Mei Yamaguchi

PRELIMINARY CARD (B/R Live app)

  • [autotag]Mark Abelardo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Troy Worthen[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Honorio Banario[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Shannon Wiratchai[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ayaka Miura[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tiffany Teo[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Wu Chiao Chen[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ritu Phogat[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Hexi Getu[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Adrian Mattheis[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jeff Chan[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Radeem Rahman[/autotag]

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