Bangkok, Thailand, was on fire thanks to the 20 athletes who brought the heat to Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on April 5 at ONE Friday Fights 58: Superbon vs. Grigorian II.
Kickboxing and Muay Thai took center stage at the Madison Square Garden of the East, and luminaries, fresh faces, and emerging contenders came to shine under the bright lights.
Here is a look at five extraordinary highlights from the event that aired live in Asia primetime.
Superbon Can Be Pound-For-Pound Great
With the ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Title on the line, #1-ranked Superbon and #2-ranked Marat Grigorian left it all in the ring.
The Thai superstar focused on the Armenian’s body early on, but Grigorian answered with punches. As the bout went into the championship rounds, it could have been anybody’s night.
But Superbon’s bodywork continued to pay off as he was born again in the final six minutes. The 33-year-old took control of the outcome and brought home the unanimous decision victory.
With the trilogy tipped in the Thai’s favor, Superbon can now look forward to unifying the gold against another familiar foe — lineal titleholder Chingiz Allazov.
The impending meeting wouldn’t just determine the undisputed ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion, but the pound-for-pound best kickboxer on the planet.
Nong-O Remains A Force At Bantamweight
A loss at ONE Friday Fights 58 could have eliminated former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama as an elite contender.
After all, Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai was determined to take over Nong-O’s #2 position and usher the legend out of the title picture. But the 37-year-old forced Father Time to wait a little longer.
The former bantamweight king was motivated to push the pace from the opening bell. Although Kulabdam avoided a devastating match-ending blow, he absorbed tremendous punishment.
After nine minutes, Nong-O clearly accomplished his goal and stayed within striking distance of old foe Jonathan Haggerty and the latter’s ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship.
Asahi Proves That Seksan Is Beatable
Seksan Or Kwanmuang took ONE by storm in 2023 with an incredible eight-fight winning streak. But as epic as last year was for the Thai star, Japan’s Yutaro Asahi made sure the respected legend began 2024 with a loss.
While he could have crumbled under the pressure of his organizational debut against a top star in Muay Thai, the Japanese fighter stayed composed and impressed onlookers with his technique. During their 142-pound catchweight contest, Asahi even used his intellect to outpoint “The Man Who Yields To No One.”
The Phoenix Gym athlete always led the action and never allowed Seksan to make it a firefight. Because of that, Asahi thrust himself onto the global stage with a dynamic victory.
Shadow Belongs In The Spotlight
If someone looked purely at the results, he would have thought Shadow Singha Mawynn had an easy night in Bangkok. But Erik Hehir ensured that was not the case in their featherweight Muay Thai showdown.
Shadow jumped out in front in the first round by dropping the Swedish athlete with a left elbow. Hehir leveled the score in the second frame, setting the stage for Shadow to rebound in front of a roaring Lumpinee Boxing Stadium crowd.
Ignited by tasting his own medicine, Shadow closed the second round strong by putting Hehir down from a right hand. In the third round, the Thai athlete gave Hehir no time to recover, finishing him with two right high kicks.
The thrilling conclusion gave the former Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai World Champion his first win in ONE and proved he could hang with the best of them at ONE Friday Fights.
Peacock Is Ready For The Global Stage
Winning Road to ONE: Canada and arriving on the global stage would have already been an inspirational tale for limb-different fighter Jake Peacock. But it wasn’t good enough for “The One.”
The 30-year-old proved he belonged on the world’s greatest striking roster with a three-round showcase against Kohei Shinjo in their bantamweight Muay Thai battle.
Peacock kept Shinjo off balance throughout the nine minutes of action and made the Japanese athlete wear the damage on his face after a left hand in the third round. The talented English-Canadian athlete continued hunting for the finish until the final bell rang.
He pushed his professional record to 13-1 with an impressive ONE debut to show the world he is more than a story — he is now one of the world’s best Muay Thai athletes fighting in the world’s best weekly Muay Thai series.