Championships were claimed, rivalries were settled, and new contenders began their climb up the ranks at ONE 163: Akimoto vs. Petchtanong this past Saturday, November 19.

The show featured 11 explosive striking, grappling, and MMA fights with a majority of them ending in highlight-reel fashion. To top it all off, two highly regarded kickboxers left the Singapore Indoor Stadium with silver and gold belts.

Here is a quick recap of the action from Saturday night.

Petchtanong dethrones Akimoto

In undoubtedly the biggest stage of his career and in the biggest fight of his life, Petchtanong Petchfergus executed a striking masterclass to defeat Hiroki Akimoto via split decision and bring the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world championship back to Thailand.

Petchtanong showcased an expert body of work over five hard-fought rounds, utilizing strong roundhouse kicks and perfectly placed knees to the midsection of Akimoto that would eventually lessen the defending Japanese titleholder’s output.

The Thai dismissed most of Akimoto’s threats while returning plenty of damage to his rival. By getting the win, Petchtanong proved that he could reach the mountaintop, even after a disastrous start to his ONE Championship career two years ago.

Azizpour and Kryklia collide in ONE heavyweight grand prix final

The ONE heavyweight kickboxing world grand prix championship final delivered in combustible co-main event action as Roman Kryklia and Iraj Azizpour completed their long-awaited trilogy.

The opening stanza favored the loose and wild Azizpour, who knocked down the reigning ONE light heavyweight kickboxing world champion with a massive right in a big round that heavily swung to the Iranian’s advantage.

The second frame saw a complete turn of the dial, however, as a stoic and composed Kryklia let his hands loose to hurt his shorter and stockier foe. The Ukrainian tied him up in the clinch and landed heavy shots to down Azizpour. After barely escaping the referee’s 10-count, Kryklia returned to punish the Iranian with more punches and gained the stoppage victory in what many considered to be the fight of the night.

Kryklia also earned a $50,000 performance bonus for his efforts, as well as the tournament’s silver belt.

Saygid Izagakhmaev quickly smashes Shinya Aoki

In a bout with massive repercussions for the future of ONE’s lightweight division, Saygid Izagakhmaev made good on his promise to steamroll through MMA legend Shinya Aoki.

The Russian entered the contest beaming with confidence, holding nothing back and pulling no punches against the former ONE lightweight world champion. In less than 90 seconds, Izagakhmaev dropped the Japanese veteran and followed up with brutal ground-and-pound, forcing an immediate halt to the proceedings.

Izagakhmaev improved his record to 22-2 and his performance also earned him a $50,000 bonus. In his most dominant victory yet, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s star pupil called out newly crowned two-division ONE world champion Christian Lee and demanded a crack at his lightweight belt.

Overall, Bianca Basilio, Woo Sung Hoon, Izagakhmaev, and Kryklia all pocketed $50,000 in performance bonuses.

ONE 163: Official Results

MAIN CARD

  • Petchtanong Petchfergus def. Hiroki Akimoto via split decision – for bantamweight kickboxing title
  • Roman Kryklia def. Iraj Azizpour via TKO (knee and punches) – Round 2, 1:28 – heavyweight kickboxing grand prix final
  • Saygid Izagakhmaev def. Shinya Aoki via TKO (ground strikes) – Round 1, 1:26
  • Aung La N Sang def. Yushin Okami via TKO (knee and ground strikes) – Round 1, 1:42
  • Woo Sung Hoon def. Yuya Wakamatsu via TKO (ground strikes) – Round 1, 2:46
  • Kwon Won Il def. Mark Abelardo via TKO (knee and punches) – Round 3, 3:45

LEAD CARD

  • Ahmed Krnjic def. Bruno Chaves via unanimous decision – kickboxing bout
  • Ahmed Mujtaba def. Abraao Amorim via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:32
  • Asahi Shinagawa def. Rui Botelho via split decision – Muay Thai bout
  • Bianca Basilio def. Milena Kaori via submission (rear-naked choke) – 0:42 – submission grappling bout
  • Kiril Gorobets def. Bruno Pucci via unanimous decision