Full ONE on Prime Video 1 results: Demetrious Johnson becomes new ONE world champion, Nong-O defends belt for a seventh straight time
ONE Championship blasted through US prime time with ONE on Prime Video 1. Marking the beginning of ONE's 5-year partnership with Amazon Prime Video Sports, ONE on Prime Video 1 has had quite the showing from the Asian martial arts organization. The night saw five fighters win performance bonuses for their unforgettable showing of martial arts greatness.
In the epic main event of ONE on Prime Video 1, former UFC flyweight king Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson successfully avenged his first career KO loss with perhaps one of the coldest walk-off KOs in MMA history.
Against Adriano 'Mikinho' Moraes, 'DJ' had to overcome a significant size and grappling disadvantage to come out as the new ONE flyweight world champion.
The first two rounds saw 'DJ' cautiously employing a stick-and-move strategy on the feet, only to get caught by Moraes' grappling and sent to the mat with ease. Fighting mostly off of his back, Johnson kept himself active by constantly throwing strikes, even opening a cut over Moraes' eyebrow due to an elbow.
Come the third round, Johnson finally found his rhythm and distance as he connected a lot more, putting the world champion on the defensive. In the fourth round, the American MMA icon switched things up by going on a clinch-heavy attack.
The change in strategy paid off as Johnson was able to confuse Moraes enough to land a nifty left straight that sent the Brazilian reeling back. Johnson then finished the night with a clean knee to Moraes' face. He didn't even look at his opponent after landing the knee. 'Mighty Mouse' just coldly walked off.
In his post-fight interview, the new ONE World Champion talked about his future in the sport and what he plans to do next:
"I truly believe that I'm still getting better at 36. It's because the team I surround myself with... I still plan on getting better."
Nong-O Gaiyanghadao defends his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title against Liam Harrison
In the co-main event of ONE on Prime Video 1, ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion and Thai living legend Nong-O Gaiyanghadao proved why he's been dominating the sport for close to 20 years now.
Against the chaotic Liam 'The Hitman' Harrison, Nong-O relied on his vintage cerebral attacks to quickly and methodically dismantle the English challenger.
Nong-O came out more aggressive than usual with lightning-fast left switch kicks to the body and right kicks to the lead leg. Harrison couldn't pressure Nong-O as planned as the world champ was being unexpectedly aggressive. The Thai legend landed a solid leg kick that buckled the left leg of 'The Hitman'.
Nong-O then landed another one in the same spot that dropped Harrison for the count. The Englishman couldn't get up from the damage to his legs and the referee waved the fight off, handing Nong-O the TKO victory.
He also won a $50k performance bonus for it. In his post-fight interview, Nong-O chose to speak in English to the US audience at ONE on Prime Video 1. Refusing to use a translator, the world champion said:
"Yeah, in the first minute he [Harrison] pressured me a lot, but I don't really advice it because I handled him then."
Nong-O continued:
"So, in my style, I need to watch, learn the opponent first. So him comes to me forward so I kicked him high, so he came with the block. So after that, I came with the right low kick."
After defending his belt for a record seventh straight time, Nong-O addressed the US crowd who perhaps got a first taste of his greatness:
"Thank you, fans of America for [supporting me]. Thank you, fans all over the world. I work hard. I work really f****ng hard, bro, for this fight because my opponent is a good fighter. Liam is a good fighter. I like his style a lot. No problem for me though [laughs]. So thank you to my team, thank you to my family. Thank you everyone for the support. I will do my best in my next fight, thank you."
Full main card results of ONE on Prime Video 1
The rest of the main card for ONE on Prime Video 1 delivered fireworks from start to finish. Opening the main card for ONE on Prime Video 1 was Iranian Greco-Roman wrestling champion Amir Aliakbari, clinching his first win in ONE Championship. He did so by showcasing his world-class grappling against Italian striker Mauro Cerilli.
The match was followed by another heavyweight MMA showdown between former ONE interim world title challenger Kirill Grishenko and 17-BJJ world champion Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida.
Right away, 'Buchecha' surprised everyone by dropping Grishenko with a lightning-quick leg-kick. The BJJ world champion was definitely showcasing his developing stand-up game. However, just as Grishenko was getting used to Almeida's striking, the BJJ Blackbelt dove in for a double-leg and then transitioned to an Ashi Garami leglock for a heel-hook finish.
The BJJ phenom won a $50K performance bonus and dedicated his win to his fallen best friend, the late jiu-jitsu legend Leandro Lo.
Rounding out the main card of ONE on Prime Video 1 was Muay Thai golden boy Panpayak Jitmuangnon, who knocked out Cypriot star Savvas Michael in the semifinal pairing of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix. It was perhaps the most perfect right-hook-head-kick combination you'll ever see.
Panpayak was a last-minute replacement after ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon had to pull out of the tournament due to weight and hydration issues.
The fight was vintage Panpayak. The Thai prodigy's defense and ability to pull the trigger after defending a strike are second to none. Panpayak caught a kick, threw a right hook to Michael's temple, then followed it with a crisp head kick to shut the lights off the Cypriot. The Thai also won a $50k performance bonus for his efforts.
Panpayak will meet his longtime rival Superlek Kiatmoo9 in the World Grand Prix finals, the eighth meeting of their careers. Remarkably, an alternate fighter emerged as a finalist in the prestigious tournament. It just proves how crazy and unpredictable the sport can be.
Here are the full event results for ONE on Prime Video 1:
Lead card of ONE on Prime Video 1:
- Muay Thai - flyweight: Superlek Kiatmoo9 def. Walter Goncalves via KO (elbow) at 1:35 of round 1.
- Muay Thai - catchweight (128 lbs): Diandra Martin def. Amber Kitchen via decision (Unanimous)
- MMA - catchweight (119.5 lbs): Itsuki Hirata def. Lin Heqin via decision (Unanimous)
- MMA - catchweight (188 lbs): Zebaztian Kadestam def. Iuri Lapicus vis KO (punch) at 0:57 of round 1.
Main card of ONE on Prime Video 1:
- MMA - flyweight: Demetrious Johnson def. Adriano Moraes (c) via KO (flying knee) at 3:50 of round 4.
- Muay Thai - bantamweight: Nong-O Gaiyanghadao (c) def. Liam Harrison via TKO (leg kick) at 2:10 of round 1.
- Muay Thai - flyweight: Panpayak Jitmuangnon def. Savvas Michael via KO (head kick) at 0:10 of round 2.
- MMA - heavyweight: Marcus Almeida def. Kirill Grishenko via Submission (heel hook) at 1:04 of round 1.
- MMA - heavyweight: Amir Aliakbari def. Mauro Cerilli via TKO (elbows) at 4:02 of round 2.