ONE 163 full recap and results

There was a changing of the guard when Petchtanong Petchfergus snatched the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title from Hiroki Akimoto in the main event of ONE 163 this Saturday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Petchtanong, a true veteran with more than 350 professional wins, was a picture of poise against Akimoto and he used that calm mindset to dictate the match from the onset.

The Thai star never strayed from his game plan and he methodically broke down Akimoto with a series of roundhouse kicks down the Japanese striker’s ribs. Akimoto did try his hardest to swing the fight in his favor, but Petchtanong held firm for a split-decision win.

In the co-main event, Roman Kryklia captured the ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix when he knocked out rival Iraj Azizpour in the second round of their titanic clash.

The final of the ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix proved to be the perfect battlefield between the two warriors to end their storied rivalry, and the match itself was nothing short of electrifying.

Azizpour had control in the first round when he landed a big overhand right that knocked down Kryklia. The 6-foot-7 Ukrainian giant, however, more than returned the favor in the second.

Kryklia came firing, blasting Azizpour with a knee and then a flurry of punches to score a knockdown of his own. The ONE light heavyweight kickboxing world champion eventually folded the Iranian star with another barrage to take the win 1:28 into the second.

Meanwhile, Saygid Izagakhmaev might have just booked his slot for a world title shot.

The No.4-ranked lightweight captured a powerful first-round knockout win over Japanese legend Shinya Aoki that certainly pushed him closer to a shot at ONE lightweight world champion Christian Lee.

Though the fight was billed as a classic sambo vs. Brazilian jiu-jitsu chess match, it was anything but. Izagakhmaev went headhunting and clocked Aoki with some wicked striking to get the finish 1:26 into the first.

Aung La N Sang emerged victorious in his legend-vs-legend matchup against Yushin Okami taking a dominant first-round knockout win.

The fight was billed as a battle of the greatest Asian middleweights of their generation, and Aung La made sure that the distinction would be his and his alone. The Burmese legend went into the attack the moment the bell rang and he tagged Okami with a huge knee strike to start his onslaught.

Aung La then battered Okami with an unstoppable ground-and-pound barrage to take the finish 1:42 into the first.

Woo Sung Hoon scored arguably the biggest win of his career when he knocked out former ONE flyweight world title contender Yuya Wakamatsu.

In a battle of two knockout artists, it was the South Korean star who found the target earlier and stronger. Woo hunted down Wakamatsu inside the circle and tagged the No.3-ranked flyweight contender with several looping left hooks.

After sending Wakamatsu to the ground, Woo launched a tempest of undefended strikes that prompted the referee to call a stop to the fight 2:46 into the first.

Kwon Won Il went back to the winner's circle when he knocked out Mark Abelardo in the final round of their bantamweight bout.

Towering five inches taller than his opponent, the 5'10" South Korean had no problem tagging Abelardo from distance, but it was a short strike that proved pivotal in the bout. Kwon landed a knee on Abelardo’s temple when the Fairtex Gym fighter lunged for a takedown attempt.

Kwon then tagged Abelardo repeatedly with punches, prompting the referee to stop the contest 3:45 into the third. The South Korean star now has seven finishes in as many wins in the promotion and has won four of his last five matches.

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ONE 163 complete results

Here are the complete results from ONE 163.

Main card:

Petchtanong Petchfergus defeated Hiroki Akimoto via split decision to claim the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title.

Roman Kryklia defeated Iraj Azizpour via TKO at 1:28 of Round 2 (ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix).

Saygid Izagakhmaev defeated Shinya Aoki via TKO at 1:26 of Round 1 (MMA – lightweight).

Aung La N Sang defeated Yushin Okami via TKO at 1:42 of Round 1 (MMA – middleweight).

Woo Sung Hoon defeated Yuya Wakamatsu via TKO at 2:46 of Round 1 (MMA – catchweight of 139 pounds).

Kwon Won Il defeated Mark Abelardo via TKO at 3:45 of Round 3 (MMA – bantamweight).

Lead card:

Ahmed Krnjic defeated Bruno Chaves via unanimous decision (kickboxing – heavyweight).

Ahmed Mujtaba defeated Abraao Amorim via submission (triangle choke) at 4:32 of Round 1 (MMA – lightweight).

Asahi Shinagawa defeated Rui Botelho via split decision (Muay Thai — 57.15kg catchweight).

Bianca Basilio defeated Milena Sakumoto via submission (rear-naked choke) at 0:42 of Round 1 (submission grappling – strawweight).

Kirill Gorobets defeated Bruno Pucci via unanimous decision (MMA – featherweight).