Despite the difficult turns of events, One Fight Night 8 once again proved to be another immensely entertaining card. It may have gone through some rough changes, as it was originally headlined by the anticipated clash between new undisputed heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar and interim heavyweight champion Anatoly Malykhin.
Yet the bout was scrapped due to injury on Bhullar’s side. Nonetheless the excitement kept going with a matchup between the unstoppable Rodtang and new defending champion, Superlek for the Flyweight Kickboxing Title.
Unfortunately, Rodtang was injured and replaced by Thai-Aussie Danial Williams. Nevertheless, the main event, along with other bouts, proved to be quite the banger. With that being said, let’s countdown the Top 3 Finishes from One Fight Night 8.
3. Akbar Abdullaev vs. Oh Ho Taek
In our main card, we had Kyrgyzstan’s Akbar Abdullaev against South Korea’s Oh Ho Taek, who was 9-2-1 at the time.
This record included a 7-fight-win streak with the Korean’s last outing being against Ryogo Takahashi in the One Circle.
Boasting an undefeated record of 8-0 with a 100% finishing rate, Abdullaev was making his One debut here. He kept both records intact, and in dominant fashion too.
After a quick exchange, Abdullaev wasted no time pressuring Oh with his punches. 37 seconds into round 1, Oh tried to shoot for a takedown, only to get caught with a right uppercut that decked him. Abdullaev proceeded to rain ground and pound to finish the fight at 0:44.
This convincing win earned Abdullaev a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
2. Niclas Larsen vs. Eddie Abasolo
The preliminary card featured the San Francisco Bay Area’s very own Eddie Abasolo.
With a 13-4 record, Abasolo took on Niclas Larsen of Denmark. Holding a record of 47-12, Larsen already had a couple fights under the One banner and was ranked no.5 in the One Featherweight Muay Thai rankings.
Nevertheless, “Silk-E-Smooth” made easy work of his Danish foe. Staying calm and utilizing beautiful footwork, Abasolo landed a jab-elbow-spin-elbow combination 20 seconds into the first round.
This combination left a cut on Larsen’s left eye that prompted referee Olivier Coste to pause the fight at 1:35 of round 1.
The fight continued, and although Larsen constantly tried walking Abasolo down, it was Abasolo who used better movement and footwork, allowing him to land shots at will.
In round 2, Abasolo continued with his gameplan, and sent Larsen to the canvas with a right teep 12 seconds in.
Larsen continued trying to pressure Abasolo, but to no avail, as Abasolo continued demonstrating his “Silk-E-Smooth” movement to outstrike Larsen.
By 2:03, Abasolo knocked Larsen down with a right punch. With Larsen failing to make the 10 count, the fight was stopped at 2:14 of round 2.
1. Superlek Kiatmookao vs. Danial Williams
We saved the best for last as we head into our main event: Superlek vs. Danial Williams for the Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship.
Originally booked to defend his title against the dangerous Rodtang, the 131-29-4 Superlek instead faced Rodtang’s former foe, the 24-8 Danial Williams.
In round 1, Williams was light on his feet, whereas Superlek was planted and took center circle.
With Williams hopping around the circle, Superlek stayed firm in his stance as he locked in on his target and landed hard kicks. At 1:30, Williams caught Superlek’s kick and dropped him with a punch.
In round 2, Superlek became more aggressive, as he landed combo after combo ending with knees or head kicks.
In round 3, Superlek continued with his devastating kicks and knees, and at 1:32, knocked Williams down with a right head kick.
Having survived the 10 count, Superlek continued his onslaught and put Williams out with a punching combination at 1:53. This caused referee Olivier Coste to stop the fight at 1:55 of round 3.
Superlek walked away with not just the belt, but also a cool $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
