Rodtang Jitmuangnon Retains Belt, Stopping Jonathan Haggerty In The Third Round

Rodtang Jitmuangnon retained his ONE Flyweight Muay Thai Championship in a rematch against Jonathan Haggerty on Friday, stopping him within three rounds at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Jitmuangnon finished the fight after scoring three knockdowns in the third round. He scored four knockdowns in total, with his first one coming in the first round. Most damage was done with body punches.

The fight main evented ONE Championship’s first card of 2020: “ONE Championship: A New Tomorrow.”

The fight was a rematch from August, where Jitmuangnon and Haggerty fought for five rounds, with Haggerty dropping his belt to Jitmuangnon via decision.

The win was the second defence of the Flyweight Muay Thai belt for Jitmuangnon. His first defence came in October, getting a split decision victory over Walter Goncalves.

In the co-main event of the evening, Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex defeated Puja Tomar in a mixed-martial-arts bout, stopping her with grounded strikes in just under one round.

ONE’s next event will be on Friday, January 31st, returning to the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. Headlining the card will be Joshua Pacio defending his 125-pound belt against Alex Silva.

A full report of ONE Championship: A New Tomorrow can be seen here.

ONE Championship: A New Tomorrow Live Coverage

Kicking off the 2020 schedule for major MMA events, ONE Championship presents “A New Tomorrow” on Friday, live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Main eventing the card is ONE Muay Thai Flyweight Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon attempting to defend his belt against Jonathan Haggerty in a rematch.

In their first Rodtang prevailed via unanimous decision after five rounds of battle. Turning the page to the new year, Haggerty will attempt to start a new chapter of his career, avenging his sole loss within ONE Championship.

In the co-main event slot of the show, Stamp Fairtex returns to face Puja Tomar. In total, the card consists of 12 fights, including MMA, kickboxing and Muay Thai. Follow along with the blog throughout the evening of competition.

Live coverage begins at 5:30AM EST with the seven-fight undercard.

Quick Results:

Bout 1: Roel Rosuaro def. Yohan Mulia Legowo via Unanimous Decision

Bout 2: Ayaka Miura def. Maira Mazar via Submission, Americana (RD 2, 3:01)

Bout 3: Mehdi Zatout def. Han Zi Hao via Criteria Split Decision (Muay Thai Rules)

Bout 4: Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg def. Ma Jia Wen via KO (RD 1, 0:55)

Bout 5: Adam Noi def. Victor Pino via Unanimous Decision (Kickboxing Rules)

Bout 6: Raimond Magomedaliev def. Joey Pierotti via Submission, Guillotine (RD 1, 3:50)

Bout 7: Muangthai PK.Saenchaimuaythaigym def. Brice Delval via Split Decision (Muay Thai Rules)

Bout 8: Liam Harrison def. Mohammed Bin Mahmoud via KO, Punches (RD 1, 2:03) (Muay Thai Rules)

Bout 9: Thanh Le def. Ryogo Takahashi via TKO, Punches (RD 1, 2:51)

Bout 10: Sangmanee Sathian Muaythai def. Kenta Yamada via Unanimous Decision (Muay Thai Rules)

Bout 11: Stamp Fairtex def. Puja Tomar via TKO, Elbows (RD 1, 4:27)

Bout 12: Rodtang Jitmuangnon def. Jonathan Haggerty via TKO, Three Knockdown Rule (RD 3, 2:39) (ONE Flyweight Muay Thai Championship)

Live Coverage

Lead Card

The show started with two shows not shown on the feed. It saw Roel Rosuaro defeat Yoha Mulia Legowo, and Ayaka Miura stopped Maira Mazar in the second round. This was the first card that ONE tested out that split the show into three parts. It started with the lead card, then went on to the prime card, then finished with the main card. The goal of the separation is to make the show more action-packed.

Bout 3: Han Zi Hao vs. Mehdi Zatout (Muay Thai Rules) (145 lbs)

The English broadcast kicked off with a Muay Thai fight between Han Zi Hao and Mehdi Zatout. Like many Muay Thai fights in ONE, this was done with MMA gloves. This show was held in a ring with five ropes. Hao was the more active fighter early in the first round. They both landed good punches in the final minute of the round. Hao got in another solid two-punch combo as the round ended.

Zatout caught a kick early in the second round, dumping Hao to the ground. Hao caught a kick moments later, but couldn’t do anything with the position. Hao continued to be pushing forward more than his opponent. Zatout seemed to get annoyed with his nose in this round. Hao was kicked in the groin in the final minute of the round, causing a short break. Zatout landed a combination of strikes while holding Zao’s leg in the final minute. In a clinch, Zatout swept Hao. He got dumped again before the round ended.

Zatout started the final round with another clinch, getting split by the referee. A cut opened under Zatout’s left eye during this round. Hao landed some punches while Zatout had a hold of his right leg. While Hao was mostly coming in and not facing consequences, Zatout countered with an explosive right in the final minute of the fight. Zatout threw Hao to the ground again, encouraging the crowd while his opponent stood up. The fight went the distance, with Mehdi Zatout getting the criteria split decision victory.

Bout 4: Ma Jia Wen (6-2) vs. Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg (5-2) (155 lbs)

The next fight was an MMA bout between Ma Jia Wen and Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg. This was finally Zoltsetseg’s ONE Championship debut after fighting five times in the promotion’s “Warrior Series.” Heading into this fight, Wen was on a four-fight winning streak. Zoltsetseg was coming forward with strikes early on. He landed a right hook in under a minute which dropped Wen and ended the fight. Coming back into consciousness, Wen tried to put referee Olivier Coste in a heel hook, which took others to separate. Ending a long winning streak, Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg finally had his dominant debut in ONE.

Bout 5: Victor Pinto vs. Adam Noi (Kickboxing Rules) (145 lbs)

The sole kickboxing fight of the evening was next, with Victor Pinto facing Adam Noi. Unlike the Muay Thai fights, the kickboxing fight was done with usual boxing gloves. Pinto was advancing throughout the round. Pinto had Noi against the ropes landing punches, but was hit with a head kick which dropped him. It was scored as a knockdown, with Noi suddenly becoming the fighter who pushed the pace of the fight. He landed many leg kicks.

They picked up right where they left off when the second round started, with the fighters taking turns throwing combinations. The pace was like double the speed of the round before. It felt like every time Pinto put Noi against the ropes he would end up being the one getting hit. As the pace slowed down in the round, Pinto was the one scoring with punches.

Just like the rounds before, they battled up against the ropes more. Most of the time, Noi was the one up against the ropes. Noi was stringing together punches throughout this round. After working an unbelievable pace for nine minutes, the fight went to the judges. With a unanimous decision victory, Adam Noi walked away with the victory.

Bout 6: Raimond Magomedaliev (5-1) vs. Joey Pierotti (12-1) (185 lbs)

Switching back to MMA, Raimond Madomedaliev attempted to bounce back from his ONE Championship loss, facing Joey Pierotti. The fight was the debut in the promotion for Pierotti. Pierotti caught a leg kick right off the bat and went into a standing clinch. Magomedaliev landed elbows in the clinch. They split up, although Pierotti came back in for another clinch. Magomedaliev was hurting Pierotti with elbows, dropping him at one point. Pierotti was cut open, causing the referee to pause the fight to get him checked by a doctor. They resumed after a minute or so of a pause. Magomedaliev landed a clean head kick to resume action., Pierotti went into another clinch where Magomedaliev was able to go back to work with strikes. He landed some knees to the head. Another pause came as Pierotti was bleeding quite a bit. They resumed yet again. Pierotti shot for a takedown, where Magomedaliev put in a standing guillotine. Pierotti tapped out to the guillotine in quick time. Getting his first win in ONE Championship, Raimond Magomedaliev put on nothing short of a dominant performance over Joey Pierotti.

Bout 7: Brice Delval vs. Muangthai PK.Saenchaimuaythaigym (Muay Thai Rules) (145 lbs)

Finishing off the preliminary card was Brice Delval and Muangthai PK.Saenchaimuaythaigym facing off in a Muay Thai contest. Delval dropped Muangthai with a right straight in the first few seconds of the fight. It was not ruled a knockdown. Delval was the much more active fighter at the start. Muangthai heated up a little at the end, throwing more. Muangthai threw a punch or two after the bell, which Delval wasn’t fond of.

Delval scored a front kick early in the second round which pushed Muangthai back. Delval was backing up, avoiding a lot of strikes. Muangthai was finding periodic success with punches, chasing down Delval. Delval caught many kicks throughout the round. He was on his backfoot for the whole round, not throwing much in the second half of the round.

The referee warned Delval in the final round for being too passive. He was also warned in the second round. After the warning, Delval started to come forward more. The fight went it’s three scheduled rounds, heading to the scorecards. When heading to the scorecards, we had a split decision, with Muangthai PK.Saenchaimuaythaigymwalking away with the victory.

Bout 8: Liam Harrison vs. Mohammed Bin Mahmoud (Muay Thai Rules) (145 lbs)

Kicking off the main card was Liam Harrison and Mohammed Bin Mahmoud battling in a Muay Thai fight. Mahmoud landed a good head kick in the second minute of the fight. The first minute was slow-paced, with the referee encourage action a few times. Harrison landed a left hook halfway through the round which dropped Mahmoud. Harrison took him down again with punches, and taken out cold in the third time. Mahmoud was seemingly unaware of where he was the third time around. Showcasing explosive fists, Liam Harrison got a first round win.

Bout 9: Thanh Le (10-2) vs. Ryogo Takahashi (13-3) (155 lbs)

The next fight saw Krazy Bee gym fighter and Shooto veteran Ryogo Takahashi face Thanh Le, who is undefeated in ONE. Takahashi won his first ONE fight in May, stopping Keanu Subba with punches in under two minutes. Le threw a kick to the body early on which Takahashi caught. Both fighters took a while to get going in this fight. Takahashi slipped halfway through the round, getting dropped by a right hook while getting up. Le landed more punches to Takahashi flooring him again, ending the fight. Ending the extensive winning streak of Ryogo Takahashi, Thanh Le advanced to 2-0 in ONE.

Bout 10: Sangmanee Sathian Muaythai vs. Kenta Yamada (Muay Thai Rules) (145 lbs)

Switching back to Muay Thai, Sangmanee Sathian Muaythai fought Kenta Yamada. Sangmanee was throwing good left leg kicks early on. Yamada caught a few kicks, never really getting hit hard by any. Halfway through the round, Sangmanee threw down Yamada in a clinch. He continued with the kicks, really starting to rock Yamada with some. Apart from a few spiking elbows in the clinch, Yamada just took damage in this round.

Sangmanee continued with the strong kicks throughout the second round. A pause came as Yamada got a cut around his left eye. They continued shortly after. The pause didn’t change Sangmanee’s work rate, keeping with the kicks. Yamada charged forward with punches in the final seconds of the round, possibly in his best offence of the whole fight up until this point.

The third round was similar to the two before, as in Sangmanee found a home for kicks to the body. Yamada kept eating them, showcasing toughness more than anything else. Yamada survived for all three rounds, bringing the fight to a decision. Getting a unanimous decision win, Sangmanee Sathian Muaythai put on a great showcase of his kicks on this show.

Bout 11: Stamp Fairtex (3-0) vs. Puja Tomar (4-3) (115 lbs)

In the final MMA fight of the evening, undefeated Stamp Fairtex fought Puja Tomar. As usual, Fairtex had lots of dancing in her walkout. Fairtex was landing leg kicks early. Tomar caught a kick and got a takedown from it, although Stamp got up quickly. They went back to the ground moments later, with Stamp on Tomar’s back trying for a rear-naked choke. She let go of trying for the choke, and took full mount as Tomar flipped over. Tomar shifted around and tried to set up for something with Stamp’s legs. Stamp avoided that, going back into top position and landing some strikes. Stamp got on Tomar’s back again after Tomar grabbed for a leg. Stamp scored unanswered hammerfist strikes and punches from the top position. After starting to incorporate elbows into the attack, the referee stepped in to end the fight. Extending her MMA record to four-straight wins, Stamp Fairtex put on a brief and damaging performance against Puja Tomar.

Bout 12: Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Jonathan Haggerty (ONE Flyweight Muay Thai Championship) (135 lbs)

In the main event of the evening, Rodtang Jitmuangnon put his ONE Flyweight Muay Thai Championship on the line against Jonathan Haggerty in a rematch. The two fighters traded leg kicks to start the fight. Rodtang landed a good body punch. He landed a two-punch body combination a minute into the fight which dropped Haggerty. When they resumed, Rodtang was targeting the body even more.

Rodtang continued to target the body in the second round. Halfway through the round, Rodtang dumped Haggerty to the ground. Haggerty was landing good teep kicks every once in a while.

Rodtang threw Haggerty to the ground in a clinch to open the third round. Haggerty was backing up, but also landing strikes often. A timeout was called halfway through the round as Haggerty was hit in the eye. When they resumed, Rodtang smothered Haggerty. A combination of shots to the body dropped Haggerty for the second time in the fight. He got a cut around his right ear as well. After the knockdown, Haggerty got swept to the ground. In the third minute of the fight, Haggerty got dropped again. Rodtang landed another punch to the body to Haggerty, who was up against the ropes. Haggerty hit the ground for the third time in the fight, calling an end to the competition. After four knockdowns, Rodtang Jitmuangnon retained his ONE Flyweight Muay Thai Championship against Jonathan Haggerty, not needing scorecards this time.

ONE Championship: Dawn of Heroes Full Report

On Friday morning, ONE Championship hosted one of it’s bigger cards of the year. Besides it’s two championship bouts, the card also featured former UFC fighters Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson in their second ONE Championship fights. Since the card took place at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, the show also had its fair share of Filippino fighters. Let’s look at the stacked 14 fight card, beginning with the prelims.

Bout 1: Sunoto vs. Muhammad Aiman (Bantamweight)

Starting off the evening in Manila was a MMA bout between Sunoto and Muhammad Aiman. Aiman had the youth advantage, being a whole decade younger than Sunoto. The first two minutes had evenly matched striking. Sunoto got a takedown in the third minute. Aiman was able to stand up and take it back to striking. Throughout the bout it was Aiman who was frequently coming forward. With two minutes left in the second round, the referee asked them for more action. Aiman landed a good overhand right shortly after. Sunoto got a takedown stuffed. Aiman tried for a guillotine in the final round. The fight went all three rounds with Aiman having a good finish, putting Sunoto in a corner and landing punches. Muhammad Aiman got the unanimous decision victory.

Bout 2: Ayaka Miura vs. Samara Santos (Strawweight)

In the next bout we had Japan’s Ayaka Miura face Brazil’s Samara Santos. Miura swarmed Santos right off the bat and scored a takedown. Miura landed knees to the head from top position while in the hold. Miura was in the hold for a few minutes, only escaping in the closing seconds of the round. Miura did the same thing at the start of the second round, getting another takedown. She put in an americana from side position, which gave her the win.

Bout 3: Miao Li Tao vs. Pongsiri Misatit (Catchweight 125 lbs)

In a catchweight bout, Miao Li Tao fought Pongsiri Misatit. Misatit comes from the Tiger Muay Thai gym. Tao landed a takedown in the first minute, eventually going into top position and throwing elbows and punches. He took Misatit’s back and tried for a rear naked choke. At the start of the second round, Tao threw Misatit to the ground. Tao stayed dominant until there was a minute and half to go, where Misatit got up. He was able to take Tao’s back for a few moments before he lost it. As the round as concluding, Tao put in a rear naked choke but couldn’t hold it for long enough. By the time the third round came around it was obvious that Tao was in complete control. It was easily his best round. The fight went it’s allotted time, with all three judges giving the fight to Miao Li Tao.

Bout 4: Xie Bin vs. Edward Kelly (Featherweight)

The next fight had the first Filippino fighter on the card. Of course he got a warm welcome from the crowd. Both fighters landed some hard shots early on. Bin landed a takedown in the first minute. They stood up in clinch up against a corner. Exiting clinch, Bin landed a clean right cross punch. Bin scored another takedown over halfway through the round. He tried for a d’arce choke which looked pretty secure. Kelly stayed in this position for a long time before Bin let it go. Kelly took top position, postured up and landed some strikes. He stood up and dove down onto Bin with more strikes. In the first minute of the second round, Bin caught a kick and turned it into a takedown. He was in control for the minute that they were on the ground. Halfway through the round he scored a trip takedown. In top position, Bin focused more on punches this time. The referee stepped in due to punches to the back of the head. He was given the designated five minutes for injury time. The fight ended during the break, with the judges deciding who won the bout. With Edward Kelly out of the ring, it was announced that all three judges gave it to Xie Bin.

Bout 5: Yushin Okami vs. James Nakashima (Welterweight)

The fifth preliminary bout included Yushin Okami from Japan and James Nakashima from the United States. Nakashima, who trains in the MMA Lab, was putting his undefeated streak of 11 wins on the line. Okami tried for a single leg takedown early on, getting Nakashima to the ground for maybe a second. He held Nakashima’s torso from behind until Nakashima spun around and grabbed his neck. Nakashima went to the ground in an attempt for a guillotine choke. Still trying for the choke, Nakashima transitioned from being on his back into top position. Nakashima let the hold go eventually. The first rounded ended with both fighters in a standing clinch. In the second round, Okami had a takedown blocked quickly. Nakashima landed a right jab which dropped Okami. He landed a few more shots from top position, but Okami recovered and stopped the flurry. Nakashima had many more takedowns stopped in the third round. The fight went the distance with all three judges giving it to James Nakashima. He seemed injured afterwards, having trouble walking around.

Bout 6: Daichi Takenaka vs. Leandro Issa (Bantamweight)

In the second bantamweight bout of the night, Daichi Takenaka fought Leandro Issa. Takenaka demonstrated good striking from the start, stringing together fast combinations. Issa caught Takenaka, but Takenaka was the one who got the better of a takedown. While on the ground, a cut on Issa’s forehead became visible. Issa was able to take top position in a half guard after Takenaka was on his back for a while. During the stand-up trading in the second round, Issa landed a powerful overhand right, although it didn’t seem to both Takenaka. What seemed like another cut was opened on Issa’s face. While Issa was responding with strikes of his own, Takenaka had a higher volume of punches. With a minute left in the round, Takenaka tried for a guillotine. The stream cut out before round three started, with it coming back when Daichi Takenaka was announced as the winner via TKO. I guess that’s one of the downsides of covering an event online instead of in person.

Bout 7: Dae Sung Park vs. Honorio Banario (Lightweight)

Dae Sung Park was on the non-favoured end of the pro-Phillipines crowd, with Honorio Banario having the crowd on his side. Both fighters were in a clinch at the start, but the referee split them due to inactivity. The split seemingly favoured Park, as he exploded with punches and kicks, dropping Banario. In the closing seconds of the first, Banario landed a couple of punches that shook Park, and then got a takedown. The second round was a break for both fighters, with no takedowns or hard shots. Park landed a good body kick halfway through the final round. Park threw down Banario for a takedown in the closing seconds of the fight.

Bout 8: Yuya Wakamatsu (10-4) vs. Geje Esta (Flyweight World Grand Prix Reserve Bout)

In the final preliminary bout we had the reserve bout for the flyweight grand prix. While still in the feeling out process of the fight, Yuya Wakamatsu landed a two-punch combo which dropped Geje Esta and ended the bout. The win was a good bounce back from his loss against Demetrious Johnson back in March.

Bout 9: Andrew Miller vs. Rodlek PK.Saenchaimuaythaigym (Muay Thai) (Bantamweight)

After ONE did the introduction of all main card fighters, we had our first muay thai bout of the evening. Worth noting that the muay thai bouts on this card were done with MMA gloves. While both fighters threw punches in the first round, it felt like Rodlek threw the harder punches. Miller slipped in the final seconds of the round. Rodlek had another good round. In the final round, Rodlek landed a right cross which dropped Miller. He got up, although the referee had seen enough and ended it.

Bout 10: Reece McLaren vs. Danny Kingad (Flyweight World Grand Prix Semi-Final)

We got the first of two semi-final Flyweight GP fights next. Reece McLaren fought Danny Kingad. McLaren got a takedown in the first minute of the bout. Kingad tried for an armbar but lost it immediately. The crowd erupted when he almost put in the move. McLaren was on Kingad’s back for a long time, but then Kingad took top position as the round was ending. It was overwhelming how loud the crowd was cheering. McLaren took the fight back to the ground in the second round after Kingad missed a kick. When they went back to stand-up, Kingad threw good strikes. McLaren scored another takedown and kept in control for the second half of the round. At the start of the final round, Kingad was able to reverse a takedown. When they stood back up, he defended a take as well. McLaren stopped Kingad’s momentum with a takedown. Kingad had lots of ground control in the second half of the round. He had a strong round. In a split decision, Danny Kingad walked away with a victory. I doubt that score would be the same in a 10 point must system fight.

Bout 11: Demetrious Johnson vs. Tatsumitsu Wada (Flyweight World Grand Prix Semi-Final)

To see who would face Danny Kingad in the finals, Demetrious Johnson battled Tatsumitsu Wada. During the fight, Wada looked way bigger than Johnson. In the first round, both fighters battled in the clinch for a minute or so before Wada took Johnson’s back and landed on the canvas. Johnson flipped himself around for a moment, until Wada brought him back to the position before. While he didn’t do much, Wada was in control for most of the first round. A large amount of the second round was contested in a standing clinch. Both fighters threw knees to the mid-section and legs during the clinch. Johnson eventually got a double leg takedown. He was in top position for the rest of the round. In the first minute of the third round, Johnson caught a leg and got a single leg takedown. Wada was hit with an elbow on the ground which cut him open. The referee stopped halfway through the round for the cut to be checked on. The fight resumed, with Wada getting up from the ground with a minute left in the fight. With 20 seconds left in the fight, Wada took Johnson’s back. Just like the other semi-final fight, the bout went all three rounds. While it was a challenging bout for Demetrious Johnson, he won the fight via unanimous decision.

Bout 12: Eduard Folayang vs. Eddie Alvarez (Lightweight World Grand Prix Semi-Final)

Another familiar face for people who don’t frequent ONE was in the next fight. In his second ONE Championship fight, Eddie Alvarez fought Eduard Folayang in the semi-finals of the lightweight GP. Folayang was throwing explosive kicks throughout. Alvarez seemingly got dropped by a leg kick. Folayang did ground and pound, attempting to close out the fight, but Alvarez was able to take top position. Folayang gave up his back and was put in a rear naked choke which ended the bout. In what could have been another tragic stoppage for Alvarez, he was able to out-wrestle Folayang to win.

Bout 13: Jonathan Haggerty vs. Rodtang Jitmuangnon (ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship)

The co-main event of the evening was a muay thai bout for the promotion’s flyweight muay thai championship. Jonathan Haggerty attempted to defend his belt. It was schedule for five rounds of three minutes. Haggerty did a good job of utilizing push kicks in the first round. In the second round Rodtang landed an elbow after the referee shouted to stop a break. Rodtang woke up in the third round, letting his fists go a little more. This was a really exciting round to watch. Rodtang was obviously confident in his third-round performance, jumping on the ropes and egging on the crowd when the round ended. Rodtang’s performance peaked in the fourth round when he scored a knockdown via punches. The fight went all five rounds. By unanimous decision, Rodtang Jitmuangnon was crowned the new ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion.

Bout 14: Martin Nguyen (12-3) vs. Koyomi Matsushima (11-3) (ONE Lightweight Championship)

In the main event of the evening, Martin Nguyen attempted to defend his ONE Lightweight Championship against Koyomi Matsushima. After some quiet stand-up, Matsushima scored a takedown. Many more times Matsushima would score takedowns and out-wrestle Nguyen. In an attempt to defend, Nguyen would put some of his body outside of the ring, which Matsushima was fed up with by the time the round was ending. In the final moments of the first round Nguyen landed a knee exiting a takedown attempt by Matsushima. Early in the second round Nguyen was able to stuff a takedown. Nguyen kept it in stand-up in the second and started to lay down hard strikes. Matsushima was getting pelted with punches on the ground until the referee stepped in and ended the bout.