ONE 172 results: Suriyanlek vs Ryusei Kumagai

Kicking off a stacked night of fights at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang was a 132-lb kickboxing clash between Thai standout Suriyanlek Por Yenying and Japanese knockout artist Ryusei Kumagai.

While Ryusei was making his highly anticipated ONE Championship debut, Suriyanlek is a familiar name to ONE fans. Competing primarily under the ONE Friday Fights banner, Suriyanlek went into his 11th promotional appearance determined to bag another big win after scoring an impressive TKO over Thant Zin at ONE 170 in January.

Round 1: Both fighters open up with leg kicks, but neither hit. Ryusei lands with a stiff low kick and Suriyanlek fires back with a right hand. Suriyanlek looks to apply some pressure, prompting Ryusei to pepper him with some nasty calf kicks. Ryusei throws a nice knee near the ropes that just misses the mark. Ryusei throws a kick up the middle. As the shorter fighter, Suriyanlek struggles to close the distance without eating either a jab or a calf kick.

Backing up Suriyanlek to the ropes, Ryusei continues to land kicks to the legs and body at will. Suriyanlek punches his way out of the corner and connects with a solid straight to the body just before the bell sounds.

Round 2: Ryusei opens with a solid jab. Suriyanlek attempts to respond with a left, but swings and misses. Ryusei lands a knee up the middle that sends Suriyanlek stumbling backward.

Still, the Thai is undeterred and continues to march forward, attacking the body of his opponent. Ryusei uses the knee once again, but Suriyanlek is really starting to let the leather fly, landing a nice right hand.

Ryusei keeps attacking Suriyanlek’s lead leg which has the Thai ramping up his attack, perhaps recognizing that it’s just a matter of time before his leg gives out. Suriyanlek throws a calf kick of his own but eats a left hand that has him backing away.

Ryusei unleashes a flurry of strikes against the ropes, forcing Suriyanlek to clinch up and ride out the remaining seconds of the second round.

Round 3: Suriyanlek comes out aggressive, but the forward pressure makes it easy for Ryusei to go right after the Thai’s lead leg. Suriyanlek swings big and misses, taking him off balance momentarily. Suriyanlek rips to the body but eats a right hand in the process. Suriyanlek comes right back with an overhand right.

During an exchange in the center of the ring, the referee calls time to warn Ryusei about clinching. The fight resumes, but another brief stoppage occurs due to an incidental clash of heads.

Fortunately, neither fighter is injured and the fight resumes without issue. Ryusei immediately lands another leg kick and Suriyanlek’s leg buckles. Suriyanlek swings for a desperation knockout shot, but Ryusei’s distance management is too much for the Thai to overcome.

---

ONE 172 - Suriyanlek vs Ryusei Kumagai Official Result

After three rounds of back-and-forth action in the ONE 172 opener, Ryusei came out on top via unanimous decision, improving his overall record to 19-1.

Suriyanlek fell to 7-4 under the ONE Championship banner and has now lost two of his last three on martial arts’ biggest global stage.

Official Result: Ryusei defeated Suriyanlek via unanimous decision (kickboxing - 132lb catchweight)