ONE Fight Night 22 on Prime Video gave fans in Bangkok, Thailand a well-balanced diet of martial arts action capped off with five highlight finishes.
The event took place on Friday, May 3, and featured 11 exciting bouts of submission grappling, kickboxing, MMA and Muay Thai that were broadcast live in US primetime from Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
That said, here’s what we learned after ONE’s last passionate fans exited the iconic arena.
Sundell is a world champion at heart, with or without a belt
Nothing came easy for Smilla Sundell during the week of the ONE Fight Night 22 event, but “The Hurricane” still showed an indomitable spirit. She scored a second-round TKO in her main event clash with Natalia Diachkova, making up for a major setback the day before.
After weighing in at a pound and a half overweight at the weigh-in, Sundell was stripped of her ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Title and had to compete in a 126.5-pound catchweight bout against the Russian.
Being stripped of the belt before defending his world title could have crushed some athletes – but not Sundell. It sparked new determination in the 19-year-old Swedish star.
Although Diachkova damaged Sundell with hammer blows early in the fight, Sundell began to back away her opponent before landing a rib-roasting uppercut. More punches and knees forced “Karelian Lynx” through the ropes, and the referee waved off the action.
Sundell may have celebrated the victory without the belt on her shoulder, but she showed the ability to face adversity with class and prove that she is still a world champion at heart.
Abdullaev is ready for a top five featherweight ranking
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Before Halil Amir moved down to featherweight to face Akbar Abdullaev, the former finished all three of his lightweight fights by knockout and was looking to transfer that power to a new division.
Instead, Abdullaev surprised the crowd by knocking out Amir in the second round, proving he is ready for a top-five ranking in the featherweight division.
After both men separated in a scuffle in the second round, Abdullaev jumped Amir with a left hook to the jaw. His rival fell to the canvas and the Kyrgyz star emerged with his arms in the air.
In doing so, Abdullaev maintained his perfect 11-0 record and received his third $50,000 performance bonus. He also called for a shot at ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai.
Although he is not guaranteed a title shot, Abdullaev is positioning himself as one of the most dangerous threats to Tang’s featherweight throne.
Menshikov is prepared to backtrack on Eersel
After losing to ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Champion Regian Eersel in just 46 seconds last June, Dmitry Menshikov is on a mission to prove he’s better than what the highlight clip suggests.
He entered ONE Fight Night 22 against former title contender Sinsamut Klinmee, having scored back-to-back knockouts over Rungrawee Sitsongpeenong and Mouhcine Chafi – and Sinsamut was next on his target list.
The Thai started strong, using leg kicks to steal points from the scoreboard. But despite Sinsamut appearing in command, Menshikov changed his fortunes after delivering vicious blows to the body, dagger knees to the jaw and elbows that cracked the skull.
The fight’s final combination put Menshikov on a three-fight knockout streak that makes him the top contender for Eersel’s Muay Thai lightweight title.
Wei is a nightmare for kickboxing’s bantamweight division
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In his promotional debut, K-1 champion “Demon Blade” Wei Rui proved to be an instant threat for the ONE World Bantamweight Kickboxing title by overtaking former division king and top contender Hiroki Akimoto.
Akimoto controlled the beginning of the fight, but Wei returned to action as the fight unfolded. The outcome was very tenuous and could have gone either way, but all three judges agreed with “Demon Blade.”
Wei’s debut showing put him at the top of the title race, where he could face Jonathan Haggerty for divisional gold.
However, “Demon Blade” has to keep an eye on Akimoto. Given the small margin of victory, he could have unfinished business with the Japanese kickboxing ace sooner or later.
Basilio is on the path to redemption after a historic victory
Multi-time Jiu-Jitsu world champion Bianca Basilio told ONE that her fight against Nanami Ichikawa would end even faster than her record-breaking ONE debut.
She was right.
When the doorbell rang, Basilio took Ichikawa to the screen and climbed onto her back in the blink of an eye. As if on autopilot, the Brazilian landed a rear naked choke before Ichikawa even had a chance to defend himself.
In 35 exhilarating seconds, Ichikawa fell asleep and Basilio surpassed his previous record of 47 seconds. The quick performance put Basilio back in the win column, but the previous defeat still holds a place in his mind.
Basilio took advantage of the victory to ask for a rematch against old enemy Tammi Musumeci. Getting ONE’s fastest women’s wrestling finish to date will greatly help his cause.
