THE Circle inside the Ryogoku Kokugikan was home to an exhibition of skill and valor, with some athletes completely dominating their rivals and others displaying sizeable improvements from their previous bouts.
Picking the top three matches from the first half of ONE Championship’s historic double-header event was no easy task, but here they are.
Christian Lee Destroys “Dagi’s’’ Dominant Streak
Christian “The Warrior” Lee gave Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev the toughest run of his career to date by spoiling his four-bout winning streak at ONE: Century Part I.
The Singaporean star was laser-focused throughout the duel, combining his grappling and wrestling techniques to dominate his opponent on the ground.
The Evolve MMA athlete also displayed a salvo of lightning-fast takedowns to disrupt Arslanaliev’s power shots.
There was no surprise when all three judges’ handed Lee the unanimous decision victory, alongside ONE’s prestigious new belt.
Angela Lee’s Redeems Herself in Xiong Rematch
“Unstoppable” Angela Lee leveled the score against “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan in the most-anticipated rematch of the year.
The pair came out guns blazing as Lee swarmed Xiong with strikes and “The Panda” worked the counters.
In later rounds, “Unstoppable” found her tempo and started to build a spell of dominance over the Chinese athlete, using her grappling to its full extent.
A suplex tipped the scales in favor of the Singaporean, as she started to gain control for the rest of the bout.
It was all over for the ONE Strawweight World Champion as Lee sunk in a rear-naked choke that forced Xiong to tap 12 seconds before the final bell.
Janet Todd Registers Highlight-Reel Knockout Against Vandaryeva
The women’s atomweight Muay Thai division saw a clash of power versus range when Janet “JT” Todd and Ekaterina “Barbie” Vandaryeva squared off.
Both athletes immediately came into the bout looking to serve damage. “JT” worked her way into the pocket with stinging punches and heavy low kicks, while her Belarusian opponent made good use of her height advantage.
The American made no mistakes in the second and landed a picture-perfect head kick that landed on her foe’s chin, sending “Barbie” crashing to the canvas.
“Barbie” could not answer referee Atsushi Onari’s eight-count, and he handed Todd a sweet victory in a land she had always dreamed of competing in.
