ONE FC: Aoki submits Shalorus to retain lightweight crown

ONE FC lightweight champion Shinya Aoki successfully defended his belt by submitting Kamal Shalorus in the “Reign of Champions” headliner on Friday night, August 29 at the World Trade Center in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Aoki effortlessly compelled Shalorus to wave the white flag at the 2:15 mark of the first round when he latched on a deep rear-naked choke.

The 31-year-old Japanese fighter dragged his Iranian counterpart down to the ground early in the opening frame and started to lurk for loopholes to exercise his submission pedigree.

As Shalorus eventually gave up the mount position before turning to his back, Aoki capitalized on his opponent’s vulnerable position to fasten the match-ending strangle.

“To be honest, I was really scared to get into the fight [with Kamal Shalorus], so I practiced really hard for two months [for this title defense],” Aoki said through his translator in a post-fight interview.

With his win over Shalorus, Aoki has notched his 24th submission triumph and improves his mixed martial arts (MMA) record to 36-6, 1 NC.

On the other hand, Shalorus (9-4-2) heads back to the losing territory after riding high on a two-bout winning streak since joining ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) in 2013.

Askren demolishes Suzuki to win welterweight title

Former Bellator MMA champion Ben Askren dethroned ONE FC welterweight king Nobutatsu Suzuki in a dominating performance, crowning himself as the promotion’s new ruler of the 170-pound weight class.

Askren, the undefeated NCAA Division I All-American wrestler who inked an exclusive contract with Asia’s largest MMA organization last December after failing to draw interest from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, rushed across the cage and had Suzuki on his back in less than 10 seconds.

The finish was imminent as Askren hammered an endless ground-and-pound assault until Suzuki offered no resistance other than trying to protect his face with his arms.

Referee Oliver Coste stepped in to call a halt to the contest at 1:24 of the first round and awarded the technical knockout to Askren.

“Like I told Suzuki, if these other welterweights want it, they can come get it the hard way. It’s not going to be a good night for them. It’s going to be a tough night. Probably, they’ll be going home with some marks on their face, but come on in,” Askren stressed.

Aside from winning the ONE FC welterweight belt, Askren (14-0) kept his unblemished MMA standing intact.

Meanwhile, Suzuki downgrades his prizefighting record to 11-2-2 and suffers his first setback under the ONE FC banner.

Jadamba punishes Oishi in five rounds to capture featherweight belt

Relying on his vast arsenal of tenacious striking options, Jadamba Narantungalag (10-3) pummeled Koji Oishi (25-10-10) in five rounds to walk away with the ONE FC featherweight championship.

Jadamba had the clear advantage in the stand-up department from bell to bell, picking up the cageside judges’ unanimous vote.

Oishi took a significant amount of damage as his output lacked throughout the contest that ultimately allowed Jadamba to settle into a groove, which minimized the Japanese’s chance of finding a fight-altering moment.

Jadamba received the opportunity to vie for the gold-plated strap when renowned Pinoy combatant Eric Kelly pulled out from his title tilt with Oishi as he was not medically cleared to compete at ONE FC: Reign of Champions.

In other matches, Roger Huerta (22-7-1, 1NC) made an emphatic return to the ONE FC cage after a two-year hiatus as he trounced Christian Holley (10-1) with knees and punches to claim a first-round stoppage.

Featherweight newcomer Herbert Burns (4-0) snapped the seven-fight winning streak of Hiroshige Tanaka (10-2) via unanimous decision, while James McSweeney (14-11) knocked out Cristiano Kaminishi (8-2) with a soccer kick in the first round of their 205-pound encounter.

Earlier in the night, Filipino boxer Ana Julaton tasted her first defeat in her MMA stint by yielding to Malaysian fighter Ann Osman by split decision. – Rappler.com