Tawanchai kayos Larsen to earn shot at ONE Featherweight world title

Fifth-ranked featherweight Muay Thai contender Tawanchai dominated ONE newcomer Niclas Larsen to kayo the Danish fighter in the second round.

With the victory, Tawanchai earned a shot at reigning ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Petchmorakot Petchyindee, as well as a US$50,000 performance bonus.

In a battle of elite bantamweight contenders, No 4-ranked Fabricio Andrade scored a quick first-round finish over No 2 Kwon Won Il.

Andrade stalked Kwon around the Circle from the opening bell, looking to land the fight-ending blow. That came in the form of a left body kick that crumpled the South Korean, who could not recover from the impact.

Andrade’s performance established him as a world title threat and earned him a US$50,000 performance bonus.

Fifth-ranked flyweight contender Reece McLaren authored a slick submission victory over dangerous knockout artist Xie Wei.

After getting dropped by a thunderous right hand from the Chinese fighter, McLaren recovered and turned to his world-class grappling. Within moments, McLaren had Xie’s back and secured a rear-naked choke to force the tap.

Former ONE Flyweight World Champion and current No 2-ranked contender Kairat Akhmetov routed highly-regarded Japanese veteran Tatsumitsu Wada in an impressive performance.

Akhmetov took home a unanimous decision after three rounds and called for a world title shot.
Veteran martial artist Guto Inocente survived an early onslaught from Serbian sensation Rade Opacic to produce a come-from-behind knockout victory in the first round.

Former ONE Strawweight World Champion and current No 5-ranked contender Alex Silva put together a tremendous performance against Adrian Mattheis, finishing the rising Indonesian star with a crafty submission in their highly anticipated rematch. The victory also earned Silva a US$50,000 bonus.