Rittewada Petchyindee Academy had a victorious ONE Championship debut, and it came in a rather clever way.
Rittewada walked away with a second-round TKO win over #1-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Saemapetch Fairtex in the main event of the previously recorded ONE: NEXTGEN II, which aired last Friday, November 12, from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
It was a bummer ending for Saemapetch, who looked really good before the stoppage.
The former World Title challenger’s hands were on point, making Rittewada pay each time he stepped into striking range with straight lefts and right hooks. He even scored a knockdown late in the first round, as a left straight-right hook combo floored the debuting Rittewada.
Unfortunately for Saemapetch, the night would end early as a determined Rittewada connected on a sharp left elbow in one of the exchanges in the second round, and while it didn’t seem to trouble Saemapetch, the damage was visible.
With a cut opened above the right eye of Saemapetch, the ringside doctor had no choice but to stop the contest and award the win to Rittewada at the 2:10 mark of the second round.
In the co-main event, Tang Kai may have shown that there’s a new player in the ONE featherweight division after making short work of “The Big Heart” Yoon Chang Min in their mixed martial arts clash.
The Sunkin International Fight Club standout needed less than a round to dispatch his South Korean foe and claim his eighth straight win.
In control for most of the round with his stiff jabs and well-placed body shots, Tang seized the opportunity when Yoon dropped his hands momentarily and connected on a left hook flush on the jaw.
Yoon instantly crumbled, and Tang followed up with five more unanswered punches forcing referee Justin Brown to stop the match and give the Chinese athlete the TKO win. With the victory, Tang improved to 13-2 and earned his fifth straight win in The Home of Martial Arts.
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