ONE 172: Who won the $50,000 bonuses?
Four fighters walked away with a $50,000 bonus at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, including newly minted ONE world champions Masaaki Noiri and Yuya Wakamatsu.
The first $50,000 bonus of the night went to none other than teen phenom Adrian Lee for his incredible 63-second submission victory over Takeharu Ogawa.
Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that it was Lee’s third bonus in just three appearances inside the Circle. Lee is now a perfect 3-0 in his mixed martial arts career with all of his victories coming via submission.
The second $50,000 bonus went to new ONE flyweight MMA world champion Yuya Wakamatsu.
In the eyes of many, Wakamatsu was a sizeable underdog against former eight-time titleholder Adriano Moraes at ONE 172—but none of that mattered to Wakamatsu. ‘Little Piranha’ delivered the biggest performance of his career, cornering Moraes in the opening round and unleashing a flurry of strikes punctuated by an uppercut that sent the Brazilian crashing to the canvas.
Smelling blood in the water, Wakamatsu delivered a bevy of brutal ground-and-pound strikes, forcing referee Herb Dean to step in and call for the stoppage with less than 90 seconds to go in the first.
In addition to 26 pounds of gold, the Japanese star walked away with a $50k bonus, much to the delight of the hometown crowd.
Masaaki Noiri takes home $50k and a ONE world title with his shocking upset of Tawanchai at ONE 172
In perhaps the most shocking moment of the night, former two-division K-1 champion Masaaki Noiri scored the win of his career, knocking out reigning ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai in the third round of their co-main event clash.
Tawanchai appeared to be in control of the action, but Noiri flipped the script with a massive uppercut against the ropes that sent the Thai fan favorite crashing to the canvas. Tawanchai answered the referee’s count, but Noiri could already smell the blood in the water. Once the fight resumed, Noiri cranked it up to 11, unleashing a flurry of strikes against the ropes that Tawanchai had no answer for.
Before long, the referee had seen enough, bringing a stop to the bout and crowning Noiri the new ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world champion.
Along with a shiny new belt, Noiri left the Saitama Super Arena with a $50,000 bonus check and plans to take a well-earned family vacation.
Last, but certainly not least, Rodtang scored himself another $50,000 bonus and a highlight-reel knockout in the main event of the evening finishing Takeru Segawa just 80 seconds into their long-awaited kickboxing superfight.
‘The Iron Man’ wasted no time going after the former three-division K-1 champion, catching Takeru near the ropes with a vicious left hook that sent ‘The Natural Born Krusher’ to the mat. Despite his best efforts to answer the count, it was clear that Takeru was in no condition to continue fighting, forcing the referee to wave off the bout.
Which $50,000 winning performance at ONE 172 was your favorite?