Striker Robin “D’ Ilonggo” Catalan put on an all-around dominant performance, shutting down Indonesian grappler Stefer “The Lion” Rahardian en route to a unanimous decision victory at ONE: Eternal Glory held in Jakarta Indonesia.
Catalan was a step ahead on all fronts, as he easily prevented Rahardian’s takedowns, while also picking the hometown favorite apart in the striking department and landing some takedowns of his own.
After three rounds of action, it was Catalan who walked away with the win on all three of the judges’ scorecards.
Other Filipino fighters were not so fortunate. Joshua “The Passion” Pacio yielded his ONE Strawweight World Championship after losing a split decision to Japanese martial arts veteran Yosuke “Tobizaru” Saruta.
Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly lost to Singapore’s Christian “The Warrior Lee. He finished the Filipino Team Lakay veteran in the first round with punches.
After a brief exchange on the feet, Lee took matters to the ground and worked himself into full mount. From top, Lee pounded Kelly with downward strikes until the referee called a halt to the contest.
Saruta put together a tremendous performance, scoring a monumental upset. He was relentless with his chain wrestling, taking Pacio down on numerous occasions while trading powerful combinations on the feet. Throughout five action-packed rounds, both Saruta and Pacio put forth their best effort.
In the end, it was Saruta who was able to garner two of the three judges’ nods to win by split decision.
In a ONE Super Series Muay Thai contest, Thailand’s Mongkolpetch Petchyindee Academy and New Zealand’s Alexi Serepisos put together an inspiring battle between world-class strikers. Over the course of three back-and-forth rounds, it was Mongkolpetch who proved to be faster and stronger, constantly a step ahead of his opponent throughout the contest.
In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Mongkolpetch to win by unanimous decision.
In a spirited encounter between two talented atomweights, Indian wushu champion Puja “The Cyclone” Tomar scored an upset victory when she defeated hometown hero Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol of Indonesia.
Tomar used her striking to tag Lumban Gaol repeatedly with counter right hands while showcasing solid grappling offense and defense across three rounds. In the end, two of three judges saw the bout in Tomar’s favor to win by split decision.
