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ONE: WINTER WARRIORS set the martial arts world ablaze on Friday, 3 December, with a stacked six-fight card that aired dwell from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The action-packed night was headlined by a profitable ONE Light-weight Kickboxing World Title protection by Regian “The Immortal” Eersel over Islam Murtazaev and the epic conclusion of a historic Grand Prix.
With the confetti now swept away, listed here are three key takeaways from the primary installment of the WINTER WARRIORS occasion sequence.
#1 Stamp Is Full
Stamp Fairtex shocked followers throughout the globe when she submitted wrestling star Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat with an armbar to win the ONE Girls’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Remaining.
The previous ONE kickboxing and Muay Thai queen didn’t simply declare the match belt and punch her ticket to a gathering with divisional titleholder “Unstoppable” Angela Lee – she additionally showcased her outstanding transformation right into a well-rounded blended martial artist.
The times of calling Stamp a one-dimensional striker are formally over. She shut down the wrestling assaults of Phogat and utilized her fast-developing expertise on the canvas to assault with a triangle choke earlier than transitioning to the armbar and forcing the faucet.
Distinctive submission expertise now complement the Thai’s elite stand-up recreation, and she or he needs to be thought-about harmful in all areas after Friday’s stunning show.
There’s little doubt that Lee will face an extremely tough problem when she defends her gold in opposition to the Fairtex megastar in 2022. In the meantime, Stamp saved her dream of turning into ONE’s first three-sport World Champion very a lot alive.
#2 Akimoto Derails Qiu’s Hype Practice, Eyes Capitan
Chinese language famous person “The Tank” Qiu Jianliang stepped into The House of Martial Arts with an 18-fight successful streak, however Japanese striker Hiroki Akimoto stole his thunder with a sterling efficiency of their bantamweight kickboxing matchup.
The division’s #3-ranked contender went after his opponent with unrelenting stress throughout all three rounds. A relentless barrage of strikes saved Qiu off-balance, and when the ultimate bell sounded, the judges got here again with a clear-cut unanimous determination.
The win pushed Akimoto’s total report to a formidable 25-1, together with 4 straight triumphs in ONE Championship.
He’s seemed nothing wanting phenomenal since transferring up from flyweight, and he needs to be seen as a severe risk to problem Capitan Petchyindee Academy for the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title.
#3 Dagi Is Again And Prepared For A Title Shot
The light-weight blended martial arts rematch between #5-ranked Timofey Nastyukhin and #3-ranked Dagi Arslanaliev delivered the fireworks that it promised. However when the bout reached its conclusion, the consequence didn’t change from the primary time they met again in 2018.
The Turkish powerhouse ended Friday’s barn burner with a final-round TKO to say his dominance over Nastyukhin whereas reaffirming his standing as one of many prime lightweights on the planet.
The emphatic ending additionally reignited Arslanaliev’s World Title hopes. He beforehand marched into the 2019 ONE Light-weight World Grand Prix Championship Remaining on a four-fight successful streak, however after being hospitalized with pneumonia, he got here up brief.
Now, a full-strength Arslanaliev is trying pretty much as good as ever. His victory at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS despatched an emphatic message to each ONE Light-weight World Champion Okay Rae Yoon and former king Christian “The Warrior” Lee.
Dagi is again, and he’s coming for the strap.
Learn extra: Kingad vs. Akhmetov Headlines ONE: WINTER WARRIORS II On 17 December
