“Mighty Warrior” Kang Ji Won just made a name for himself in the ONE Championship heavyweight division – and he did so in explosive fashion.
Kang pulled off a major upset as he scored a sensational one-punch KO win in the first round over Amir Aliakbari in the main event of the previously recorded ONE: FISTS OF FURY II, which aired on Friday, 5 March, from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The win was Kang’s second straight come-from-behind victory, and with it, he effectively derailed the hype surrounding the Iranian’s debut.
From the onset, Aliakbari looked as menacing as advertised as he nailed Kang with two solid punches that quickly showed on the South Korean’s face – Kang found himself bleeding from the nose and developed a lump under his left eye.
This encouraged Aliakbari to move forward and push “Mighty Warrior” into the Circle Wall for an early finish.
But Kang wasn’t going to allow himself to be a part of Aliakbari’s highlight reel. Instead, he made one of his own.
Kang ducked under Aliakbari’s right cross and then countered with a beautiful left hook that turned the lights out for Aliakbari in the 1:54 mark of the firsr round.
With the victory, “Mighty Warrior” now takes his second-straight first round win after he beat Aliakbari’s teammate – Mehdi Barghi – last February.
But it’s not just Kang who showed up on Friday night.
Anatoly “Spartak” Malykhin also had a heavyweight debut to remember as he finished Alexandre “Bebezao” Machado in the first round of the co-main event.
Malykhin overwhelmed Machado as he took his opponent’s back and then secured the takedown before transitioning into the crucifix position.
There wasn’t anything Machado could do as “Spartak” rained down one uncontested blow after the other to get the finish in the 3:28 mark of the first round.
With two sensational heavyweight performances at ONE: FISTS OF FURY II, ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera has his work cut out for him when he returns to The Home Of Martial Arts.