Superbon Captures Inaugural ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title With Shocking KO Of Giorgio Petrosyan

15 October 2021 – Singapore: ONE Championship™ (ONE) returned to the Singapore Indoor Stadium with ONE: FIRST STRIKE, which aired live on Friday, 15 October. The event featured an all-kickboxing card for the first time in ONE history, highlighted by the prestigious ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix quarterfinal round and a battle for the inaugural ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title.   [Official ONE: FIRST STRIKE Photo Gallery]   [Superbon - Post-Fight Interview]   [Marat Grigorian - Post-Fight Interview]   In the main event, #2-ranked featherweight kickboxing contender Superbon of Thailand overpowered #1-ranked contender and legendary Italian-Armenian striker Giorgio Petrosyan to win by spectacular second-round knockout.   Petrosyan was calculated to start the bout, moving forward with precise boxing combinations, while Superbon looked to land his vaunted right kick.   After a cautious first round, action picked up in the second, with Petrosyan pushing to close the distance. Following a heated exchange, Superbon unleashed a dynamite right kick to the head, connecting with Petrosyan’s chin and scoring the emphatic finish.   ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Quarterfinal Third-ranked featherweight kickboxer and former three-time Glory Kickboxing World Champion Marat Grigorian of Armenia defeated former two-time K-1 Kickboxing Champion Andy Souwer of the Netherlands, winning by technical knockout in the second round. Grigorian barreled forward early, pressuring Souwer with heavy-handed combinations. A left hook from Grigorian sent his opponent to the mat in round one, with Souwer beating the count. Another left hand from Grigorian in round two put Souwer on the seat of his pants. This time, the Dutch legend signaled to the referee that he could no longer continue.   ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Quarterfinal Fourth-ranked featherweight kickboxer Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong of Thailand overcame a spirited effort from ONE Championship debutant and #5-ranked Tayfun Ozcan of Turkey. Sitthichai was aggressive from the opening bell, keeping his opponent at range with powerful left kicks to the body. Ozcan held the speed advantage and was accurate with counters. However, Sitthichai's forward pressure scored major points on the scorecards. In the end, two of three judges saw the bout in favor of Sitthichai to win by split decision.   ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Quarterfinal Two-time K-1 Kickboxing Champion Chingiz Allazov of Belarus made quick work of former WBC Muay Thai World Champion Samy Sana, stopping the French-Algerian fighter in just 39 seconds. After a head kick wobbled Sana in the first round, Allazov moved in to close the show. A well-placed left hook to the liver was all it took to crumple Sana and keep him down for good.   ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Quarterfinal Former Glory Kickboxing World Champion Davit Kiria of Georgia dominated former K-1 Kickboxing Champion Enriko Kehl of Germany, flooring his opponent three times with devastating punches en route to a first-round technical knockout win. After hurting Kehl early, Kiria pressed the issue, blasting the German fighter with a volley of haymakers along the Circle Wall.   Kicking off the action at ONE: FIRST STRIKE, Serbian heavyweight kickboxer Rade Opacic overwhelmed Patrick Schmid of Switzerland with a furious body attack. Opacic sent him to the canvas twice in the first round and then two more times in the second to take home the technical knockout victory.   Official Results for ONE: FIRST STRIKE Kickboxing - Featherweight: Superbon def. Giorgio Petrosyan via KO at 0:20 of Round 2 Kickboxing - Featherweight: Marat Grigorian def. Andy Souwer via TKO at 2:26 of Round 2 Kickboxing - Featherweight: Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong def. Tayfun Ozcan via Split Decision Kickboxing - Featherweight: Chingiz Allazov def. Samy Sana via KO at 0:39 of Round 1 Kickboxing - Featherweight: Davit Kiria def. Enriko Kehl via TKO at 2:50 of Round 1 Kickboxing - Heavyweight: Rade Opacic def. Patrick Schmid via TKO at 1:19 of Round 2   ONE: FIRST STRIKE - YouTube: https://youtu.be/qMj574F6Vmw   ONE: FIRST STRIKE - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVDbFkwNPpl/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CVDajMONZyq/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CVDWZTHtCy6/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CVDSQTqs36g/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CVDQCijldXk/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CVDOU8SrNDL/   ONE: FIRST STRIKE - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=237622215061585 https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=423365169141429 https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1480618785672074 https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=4688188024536098 https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2927314254250051 https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=559914711732835   ONE: FIRST STRIKE - Twitter: https://twitter.com/ONEChampionship/status/1449027434280415233 https://twitter.com/ONEChampionship/status/1449025865782751235 https://twitter.com/ONEChampionship/status/1449009984025481219 https://twitter.com/ONEChampionship/status/1449002959119937544 https://twitter.com/ONEChampionship/status/1448998414063001603

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com or follow us on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship Instagram: www.instagram.com/ONEChampionship TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ONEChampionship Twitter: www.twitter.com/ONEChampionship YouTube: www.youtube.com/ONEChampionship

About ONE Championship™ ONE Championship ranks among the world's top 10 sports media properties for viewership and engagement and has a cumulative reach of over 400 million fans, according to Nielsen. ONE produces and distributes world-class events across more than 150 countries, featuring martial artists and World Champions from over 80 nations and all styles of martial arts including MMA, Muay Thai, and kickboxing. ONE can be viewed on many of the largest global free-to-air and digital broadcasters, including Star Sports, Beijing TV, iQIYI, TV5, Turner Sports, SCTV, Startimes, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, Great Sports, Spark Sport, Match TV, Dubai Sports, and more.

Kevin Belingon Wants a Knockout Win Against Bibiano Fernandes

After a disqualification loss at ONE: A NEW ERA, a split decision in November last year, and another loss via submission in 2016, Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon is looking for a decisive finish in his match against Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes and reclaim his glory at ONE: CENTURY on 13 October in Japan.

“It is hard to tell how it will end, but I’m looking for a knockout so that all talks will be settled,” Belingon said. 

“It’s hard to leave this to the judges because there would be doubts there. I have to get that knockout win.”

In the last bout against the 39-year old Brazilian, Belingon was confident he would be able to defend his title with his powerful strikes. Unfortunately, things went south because of an accidental elbow to the back of Bibiano’s head. In the upcoming fourth bout, Belingon is confident that nothing can stop him from taking back his title.

“More than ever, I am familiar with Bibiano – his style, the way he moves. I already know what to expect and what I’ll do in our fourth match,” he said.

“For our game plan, I’m leaving it to coach Mark Sangiao so I can effectively counter his striking and takedowns.”

Belingon believes that he needs to restore order after his Team Lakay teammates lost their titles in their respective divisions. When he enters the Circle again at the Ryogoku Kokugikan

in Tokyo, Japan, he will draw inspiration from Joshua “The Passion” Pacio’s victorious title rematch and use that as his own motivation to succeed.

“This is so important for us. If we get the belt back, I think it will prove that we’re number one in Asia,” said the 31-year-old. 

“I am inspired by Joshua because he got his belt back. Now I have to get mine back and bring it home to Baguio.”

Danny Kingad Excited To Share The Stage With Fellow Team Lakay Members

Danny “The King” Kingad is gearing up to face Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Reece “Lightning” McLaren at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES in front of his compatriots on August 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

Kingad will be one of five athletes from Team Lakay who will see action on the card. 

When he was young, Kingad was a troubled teen treading on the wrong path. Eventually, he was course-corrected after joining the Baguio-based Team Lakay during his senior year of high school. There, he was groomed to become an excellent athlete and a role model.

Being a member of Team Lakay is something Kingad is extremely proud of.

“Being a member of Team Lakay has played a huge factor in my improvement, not only as an athlete but as a human being as well,” Kingad said. 

“Prior to joining the team, I knew very little about martial arts apart from the basic kicks and punches. Under the guidance of my coach, I learned proper execution as well as other skills such as grappling, submission wrestling, fluid striking, and others. 

“When I was young, I was in a very bad crowd and it had a negative impact on my life. Team Lakay helped me out of that dark place and taught me values like respect and honor, and I generally became a better person.”

Kingad will compete on the same stage with four of his Team Lakay brothers, including Eduard Folayang, Honorio Banario, Geje Eustaquio, and Edward Kelly. 

Training five athletes simultaneously may seem like an overwhelming task for Team Lakay coach Mark Sangiao, but the team’s discipline and teamwork makes his job easier and more efficient. Kingad also does his best to maximize training and finds some advantages in training in a group setting.

“Personally, I think having five of us Team Lakay members competing on the same card is advantageous,” Kingad concluded. 

“Everyone’s always at the gym training and we’re all focused and determined to be in the best condition possible. We know we are all individually responsible for the outcome of our bouts, so we help each other get to where we want to be. 

“At the event, it serves a huge boost to our morale knowing that we have family cheering us on from our corners, no matter the result. I can say our bond at Team Lakay is unbreakable.”

Kingad is on the rise and continues to rack up wins. We can only expect he shines brighter in Manila when he performs alongside his Team Lakay brothers in front of his countrymen. If he’s able to defeat McLaren, Kingad will move on to the final round of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix, where he will face the winner between Demetrious Johnson and Tatsumitsu Wada.

Edward Kelly Is Happy To Share The Stage With His Team Lakay Brothers

Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly is highly-motivated to face “The Stalker” Xie Bin on August 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

Kelly, who will be the first Team Lakay representative to see action at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES, will be competing in the stacked card alongside Eduard Folayang, Honorio Banario, Geje Eustaquio, and Danny Kingad. 

Also known as “The Ferocious,” Kelly has mixed emotions sharing the stage with four of his teammates.

“I feel a little pressure for me to do well in my next match,” Kelly said. 

“When you are performing on the same night with Eduard, Honorio, Geje, and Danny, I feel the need to do well and win. I also feel inspired because I know that I am not alone and no matter what happens, we will be there for each other.”

The Filipino featherweight contender will return to action against Xie, who himself is riding a six-bout win streak with four victories coming by way of submission. The Baguio City native, who excels in striking, along with the rest of his team has formulated a game plan for his upcoming bout, particularly in dealing with Xie’s grappling.

“Xie Bin is really a great submission athlete,” Kelly said. 

“I know that I have more experience fighting professionally than him but I am not underestimating his skills in any way. Making his opponents tap may be his strongest point but I believe that his striking is his weakness and that is where I will take the match. I just need to time my strikes accurately and prepare to defend myself from his takedowns.”

As Kelly prepares for his upcoming match, he feels confident knowing that he won’t be the only athlete representing the host country that night. In fact, Kelly says he draws strength from knowing his entire team will be there in his corner, as usual.

“I’m really happy and excited to share the stage with my brothers,” Kelly concluded.

 “We have done a lot of things together for the longest time and to compete together in our country is just a huge boost to our morale.”