ONE FC’s “Honor and Glory” was nine fights worth of hard-hitting action. Six of those fights ended in finishes (often in the first round), and those that went the distance never disappointed.
“Honor and Glory” will also go down in history as the first ONE FC event to feature the newly-crowned vice president, and the last man to hold the UFC middleweight title before Anderson Silva’s seven-year reign of terror, Rich Franklin.
MAIN EVENT
Welterweight bout: Ben Askren def Bakhtiyar Abbasov (Submission – Arm Triangle)
And “The Funky One” extends his unbeaten streak to thirteen! Abbasov may have shocked the world by putting the wrestling legend on the receiving end of a hard take down, but Askren recovered quickly and did what he does best: rode his opponent and pounded away. Though Abbasov rolled from his back to his knees over and over again, he couldn’t shake Askren off. When the first round neared its end, Askren maneuvered his way to full mount and slid to Abbasov’s side, securing an arm triangle choke.
After having his hand raised in victory, Askren put his typical cockiness on display and made it clear to the world that the current welterweight champion, Nobutatsu Suzuki, had better bring him his title, or have it taken “the hard way.”
CO-MAIN EVENT
Lightweight bout: Vincent Latoel def Eddie Ng (Knockout – Punches)
Things didn’t start out well for Latoel. As soon as the first bell rang, Ng ran in and controlled his opponent in the clinch. When Latoel finally broke free, Ng nailed him with kicks.
However, as is too often the case in MMA (especially at ONE FC), the tide quickly turned, and Latoel bombarded Ng with vicious rights and lefts. Referee, Yuji Shimada, had no choice but to call an end to the fight in the first round, much to the ire of the Singaporean audience.
MAIN CARD
Featherweight bout: Jadambaa Narantungalag def Honorio Banario (Unanimous Decision)
Not all great fights end in finishes, and this fight proved it. From the first to the final bell, this fight was a tornado of overhand strikes, chopping kicks, and hard slams. Every time one fighter took control, his opponent took control back. Banario, however, seemed to have slowed in the third round – letting Narantungalag bully him with hard overhand punches and takedowns. It was almost certainly this round that helped propel the Mongolian to his unanimous decision victory.
Lightweight bout: Caros Fodor def Willy Ni (Submission – Kimura)
Another first round win in what turned out to be yet another night of exciting fights at ONE FC. Though Willy wrestled Caros into a deep guillotine choke, Fodor was able to shake Ni off and soften the Dutchman up with some ground-and-pound. Fodor then stood up, worked his way to side mount, and finished Ni off with a kimura.
Featherweight bout: Major Overall def Bruno Pucci (Knockout – Soccer Kick)
And another big win for Singapore – even if it was from an American expat. Though Major didn’t look too good early on – telegraphing his punches and scrambling into a near-submission loss – he quickly turned the tide on his opponent. After being stood up by the referee, Major rocked Pucci with a hard right and then punted his grounded opponent’s head, immediately putting Pucci’s lights out.
Heavyweight bout: Alain Ngalani versus Chi Lewis Parry ends in a No Contest
After suffering what had to be one of the worst knees to the groin in MMA history, Alain Ngalani was not able to recover in the required five-minute time limit.
Bantamweight bout: Radeem Rahman def Raymond Tan (Referee Stoppage due to Strikes)
It’s official, ladies and gentleman. Radeem Rahman is a machine! Here is a guy who can get manhandled by an opponent who is ten centimeters taller than him – an opponent who dealt him two knockdowns that would have put any other fighter to sleep – and Rahman was still able to bounce back in the second round and demolish his opponent with vicious ground-and-pound. The twenty-six-year-old Singaporean’s performance may have saved the night for the crowd in Kallang.
UNDERCARD
Catchweight bout: Nik Harris def Brad Robinson (Split Decision)
Yet another disappointing fight for the hometown audience in Kallang. Though the American-born resident of Singapore, Brad Robinson, was able to push the pace and manhandle his opponent against the cage for all three rounds, Harris out struck his opponent, earning him a split decision victory.
Bantamweight bout: Casey Suire def Stephen Langdown (Submission – Rear Naked Choke)
Not a good start for the Singaporeans, here. While Langdown came in aggressively, Suire sealed his opponent’s fate when he sent him stumbling to the floor after a hook. Though Suire had to work in Langdown’s half guard for a minute or two, he was able to take Langdown’s back after a failed sweep attempt and secure a rear naked choke.
