Yuya Wakamatsu and Christian Lee successfully defended their ONE MMA world titles with brutal second-round TKO victories on AN 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on Sunday, November 16. Both champions overcame adversity before unleashing devastating final scenes that earned bonuses from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
Wakamatsu made his first title defense against reigning strawweight king Joshua Pacio. The Japanese fighter endured early trouble as Pacio stunned him with short hooks, then survived a guillotine choke attempt from the Filipino legend.
The flyweight title holder held Pacio’s back and unloaded punches and ground knees throughout the first round. Despite the relentless barrage, Pacio showed resilience and reached the second frame.
His survival proved short-lived. Wakamatsu connected with a clean one-two combination that dropped the challenger at 54 seconds of the second round and then hit him with knees to the head until the referee stopped the match.
Lee handed undefeated Turkish challenger Alibeg Rasulov his first career defeat in their lightweight title rematch. The two-division ONE world champion denied every takedown attempt before connecting with a knee to the body and a high kick in the second round.
When Rasulov shot for another takedown, Lee sprawled and locked him in a D’Arce choke. He unleashed grounded knees until the referee intervened at 2:32 of the second round, improving his record to 18-4 with 17 finishes.
Takeru, Ruotolo and Suakim score spectacular bonus wins at ONE 173
Takeru Segawa earned his first ONE Championship victory on home soil. He stopped Denis Puric via TKO at 2:49 of the second round, after scoring four knockdowns. The former three-division K-1 champion confused the Canadian-Bosnian veteran with several strikes in the opening frame, causing him to drop twice.
Puric stormed back with heavy punches in round two. But the Japanese star proved too much and scored two more knockdowns to force the stoppage. He improved to 45-5 as he positioned himself for another crack at Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
Tye Ruotolo continued his flawless MMA transition. He submitted undefeated Japanese star Shozo Isojima with a rear naked choke at 2:26 of the first round. The three-time ONE Welterweight World Champion Submission Grappling showed the progression before taking the fight to the canvas.
He worked ground-and-pound before taking the back and securing the finish. He remained undefeated in mixed martial arts, while earning a bonus.
Suakim Sor Jor Tongprajin overcame early adversity to score a stunning TKO of Jake Peacock 26 seconds into the third round. He endured problems in the opening round. The three-division Muay Thai world champion then dropped the British-Canadian with a devastating left hook in the final stanza. By doing this he improved to 155-59.
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