5 Takeaways From ONE: Big Bang

Excellent grappling in the women’s divisions 

The first two fights on ONE: Big Bang featured some brilliant grappling. First up was Ritu Phogat against Jomary Torres with a dominant grappling performance. It took only a round for her to impose superior grappling to take down her opponent, stay on top, and work some brilliant ground and pound for the finish. The mounted crucifix isn’t a common position, but it is an impressive one. 

Next up was a much closer match between Ritu Phogat and Jomary Torres. Jihin had some interesting guard work in the first round, working butterfly sweeps and threatening a triangle and an armbar, and adding on her grappling work in round two was enough to win her the match. Bi Nguyen looked shocked at the decision – and she might be right if she was only considering the final round where she clearly landed the better shots – but the damage could clearly be seen on the Vietnamese woman’s face. The match was razor close and could have gone the other way with some minor changes. 

Phenomenal head kick moves Masunayne into the official rankings 

In what was the shortest fight on ONE: Big Bang, Masunyane knocked out his number three ranked opponent cold with a head kick. Rene Catalan just wasn’t able to get going this match. This could easily have been a performance of the night from Bokang Masunyane, and it’s interesting to see this man begin his climb in the official rankings. 

Kickboxing matches reach a terrific pace 

In two excellent kickboxing matches, Andy Souwer and Murat Aygun each won their matches in style. Souwer landed terrific body shots and uppercuts, dominating his opponent, while Aygun kept up a kickboxing pace unbecoming of a light heavyweight. 

Garry Tonon maintains a perfect record and sets his case for a title shot

BJJ superstar Garry Tonon took to the stage once again and kept his undefeated MMA record. He dominated the first two rounds, threatening choke after choke, but was unable to finish Koyomi Matsushima. The third round was much closer but not nearly enough to tip the scales. With that win, it’s likely that Tonon will be eyeing up a title shot in the coming year. 

Want to hear more about his preparation and his plans in ONE? Check out our interview with Mr. Tonon here: https://youtu.be/yBmA8NCPTFA

Gregorian finishes Kondratev in the main event 

With a heart in the mouth moment in round one, and Gregorian getting knocked down, he came back like a freight train and finished Kondratev with a beautifully placed body shot in the second. It was a fantastic performance from the debutant. 

Featured Photo Credits to ONE Championship

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