ONE Championship Latest News and Results: Ben Askren makes short work of Aoki
ONE Championship (ONE) electrified the packed Singapore Indoor Stadium with another evening of authentic world-class martial arts action, hosting ONE: IMMORTAL PURSUIT.
In the main event, Ben “Funky” Askren of the United States retained the ONE Welterweight World Championship with a quick stoppage victory over Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki of Japan. It took Askren only 57 seconds to retain the most prestigious award in ONE Championship’s welterweight division.
Askren effortlessly secured the stoppage after Aoki pulled his American counterpart into his patented guard, giving the champion an opening to unleash heavy blows with ease. As Aoki started to cover up to defend himself, Askren relentlessly poured down a barrage of solid punches that left the referee with no other choice but to call a halt to the championship clash.
“I think this is it. If I get the opportunity to prove I’m number one, then I’ll take the opportunity. I don’t need any more money. I just want to show the fans that I’m the best welterweight in the world. Other than that, I’m out,” said Askren.
In the co-main event of the evening, Evolve lightweight standout Amir Khan of Singapore figured in his most impressive performance yet, overwhelming lightweight veteran Adrian “The Hunter” Pang with a showcase of impeccable striking and great takedown defense. The 22-year-old Khan consistently kept Pang out of range with his combinations from the outside, while circling away from Pang’s most powerful blows. In the end, all three judges scored in favor of Khan who wins by unanimous decision after three rounds.
A gruelling bantamweight showdown between Brazil’s Leandro “Brodinho” Issa and South Korea’s Dae Hwan “Ottogi” Kim transpired inside the ONE Championship cage, as neither of the two warriors would give each other any quarter for three whole rounds. In the end, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Issa turned in another well-rounded performance to claim victory via unanimous decision.
After pulling off an impressive promotional debut last August, “Mighty” May Ooi of Singapore continued her winning ways inside the ONE Championship cage by toppling Cambodia’s Vy Srey Khouch in the first round via submission. Leaning on her impressive grappling prowess, Ooi made Srey Khouch wave the white flag with a deep rear-naked choke, cementing her place in the organization’s female strawweight division.
A heated featherweight matchup ended abruptly, when China’s Li Kai Wen was disqualified for illegal blows to the back of the head of opponent Ahmed “The Wolverine” Mujtaba of Pakistan. Mujtaba was given five minutes to recover from injury, but was unable to continue after the allotted time expired.
Rising martial arts star Tiffany “No Chill” Teo of Singapore kept her unblemished professional record intact by making quick work of Indian opponent Puja Tomar to win via submission in the very first round. With 53 seconds remaining in the period, Teo latched onto a wrenching armbar to compel Tomar to tap, claiming the victory.
Japanese martial arts veteran Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi pulled off a sensational victory in front of a passionate Singaporean crowd by routing Filipino standout Gina Iniong, solidifying her position as the top contender in ONE Championship’s talented female atomweight bracket. Yamaguchi punctuated the marquee match-up by grinding out Iniong in the third frame, steering the former world title contender to a unanimous decision victory.
Asian martial arts veteran Arnaud “The Game” LePont made a successful return to the ONE Championship cage, submitting the Philippines’ Richard Corminal with an arm triangle choke in round one. After a brief moment on the feet, LePont wasted no time in taking the action to the mat, where he slowly took mount and worked on the submission finish to force the tap.
In the second preliminary bout of the evening, Malaysian standout Muhammad Aiman reinserted his name into the winner’s column by outworking promotional newcomer Yang Fei of China in a tactical three-round catchweight contest.
Kicking off ONE: IMMORTAL PURSUIT was a high-octane strawweight encounter as the debuting Miao Li Tao of China shared the ONE Championship cage with Cambodian striking specialist Sim Bunsrun.
Official results for ONE: IMMORTAL PURSUIT
- ONE Welterweight World Championship bout: Ben Askren defeats Shinya Aoki by TKO (Strikes) at 0:57 minutes of round 1
- Lightweight bout: Amir Khan defeats Adrian Pang by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
- Bantamweight bout: Leandro Issa defeats Dae Hwan Kim by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
- Women’s strawweight bout: May Ooi defeats Vy Srey Khouch by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:58 minutes of round 1
- Featherweight bout: Ahmed Mujtaba defeats Li Kai Wen by Disqualification (Illegal Blows)
- Women’s catchweight bout (58kg): Tiffany Teo defeats Puja Tomar by Submission (Armbar) at 4:07 minutes of round 1
- Women’s atomweight bout: Mei Yamaguchi defeats Gina Iniong by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
- Lightweight bout: Arnaud LePont defeats Richard Corminal by Submission (Arm Triangle) at 3:16 minutes of round 1
- Catchweight bout (69.4kg): Muhammad Aiman defeats Yang Fei by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
- Strawweight bout: Miao Li Tao defeats Sim Bunsrun by TKO (strikes) at 1:49 minutes of round 1