- IT’S HAMMER TIME: Nobutatsu Suzuki (top) attacks Brock Larson.
ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC), Asia’s largest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organisation, wowed the sold-out crowd in attendance at the iconic Stadium Negara with ONE FC: WAR OF NATIONS.
Fans were treated to a night of unforgettable mixed martial arts action, culminating in Nobutatsu Suzuki being crowned the inaugural ONE FC Welterweight World Champion by beating American Brock Larson by Unanimous Decision.
His victory meant he is the inaugural ONE FC welterweight world champion.
Larson asserted his wrestling credentials by taking Suzuki down and landing several elbows in the first round. Suzuki enjoyed success with his accurate knees in the second round that had Larson scrambling for a takedown. The third round was fairly tentative, with Suzuki attempting several knee strikes while Larson tried in vain to get a takedown.
The American then started to tire as his Japanese opponent kept calm to score the victory.
The co-main event of the night featured a clash of highly touted bantamweights. Dae Hwan Kim continued his meteoric rise up the ranks by submitting Kevin Belingon in the first round.
Adriano Moraes emphasised why he is considered the best flyweight prospect in the world with a clinical display against Yasuhiro Urushitani. His explosive striking was on full display in the first round, catching the Japanese veteran with a well-timed flying knee. He then proceeded to demonstrate his grappling skills in the second round, with a sleek manoeuvre that quickly saw him take Urushitani’s back and sink in the rear naked choke.
- TAKE THAT: Peter Davis (left) lands a kick on Waqar Umar.
Hometown favourite Peter Davis kicked off the main card with an emphatic finish to overcome the tenacious Waqar Umar. Waqar Umar managed to overcome his visa issues to arrive in time for the bout. He weighed in at the Lightweight limit on the day of the event and went on to deliver one of the most exciting bouts of the evening.
Davis nearly finished the fight in the first round with ground and pound from the mount position, while Waqar also had his moments of success, coming close with an armbar attempt of his own. Davis showcased his signature Wuji Chuan striking to start the second round, rocking Umar with a high kick. He continued with a takedown and dropped several vicious elbows that had Umar noticeably wincing in pain. That forced referee Olivier Coste to jump in and stop the fight, much to the delight of the thousands of Malaysian fans who packed Stadium Negara.
- IN YOUR FACE: Saiful Merican in action against Khim Dima.
Malaysia’s Saiful Merican started the night’s festivities by overcoming Khmer boxing champion Khim Dima in a battle of two standup artists. He controlled the bout with superior ground control, winning the bout in two of the judges’ scorecards.
Official results for ONE FC: WAR OF NATIONS:
Welterweight bout: Nobutatsu Suzuki defeats Brock Larson by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 minutes of round 3
Bantamweight bout: Dae Hwan Kim defeats Kevin Belingon by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:39 minutes of round 1
Flyweight bout: Adriano Moraes defeats Yasuhiro Urushitani by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:48 minutes of round 2
Lightweight bout: Kamal Shalorus defeats Ariel Sexton by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 minutes of round 3
Catchweight bout: Andrew Leone defeats Shinichi Kojima by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 minutes of round3
Lightweight bout: Kotetsu Boku defeats Arnaud Lepont by TKO (Strikes) at 4:06 minutes of round 1
Lightweight bout: Peter Davis defeats Waqar Umar by Submission (Verbal Tapout) at 3:07 minutes of round 2
Featherweight bout: Herbert Burns defeats Harris Sarmiento by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 minutes of round 3
Flyweight bout: Saiful Merican defeats Khim Dima by Split Decision at 5:00 minutes of round 3
