Tag Archives: Adrian Pang

BEN ASKREN Stops SHINYA AOKI To Retain ONE WELTERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), electrified the packed Singapore Indoor Stadium with another evening of authentic world-class martial arts action. The Lion City once again played host to ONE: IMMORTAL PURSUIT, featuring the absolute best in local and international martial arts talent. In the main event, Ben “Funky” Askren of the United States retained the ONE Welterweight World Championship with a quick stoppage victory over Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki of Japan. In the co-main event of the blockbuster card, Amir Khan of Singapore withstood a gallant effort from Australia’s Adrian Pang to emerge triumphant in their three-round lightweight showdown.

In the main event of ONE: IMMORTAL PURSUIT,  ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben “Funky” Askren of the United States left an indelible mark in what was billed as the last bout of his illustrious martial arts career, defeating Japanese legend Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki by way of first-round technical knockout. It only took Askren 57 seconds to retain the most prestigious award in ONE Championship’s welterweight division. Askren effortlessly secured the stoppage after Aoki pulled his American counterpart into his patented guard, giving the champion an opening to unleash heavy blows with ease. As Aoki started to cover up to defend himself, Askren relentlessly poured down a barrage of solid punches that left the referee with no other choice but to call a halt to the championship clash.

Ben Askren, ONE Welterweight World Champion, stated: “I think this is it. If I get the opportunity to prove I’m number one, then I’ll take the opportunity. I don’t need any more money. I just want to show the fans that I’m the best welterweight in the world. Other than that, I’m out.”

In the co-main event of the evening, Evolve lightweight standout Amir Khan of Singapore figured in his most impressive performance yet, overwhelming lightweight veteran Adrian “The Hunter” Pang with a showcase of impeccable striking and great takedown defense. The 22-year-old Khan consistently kept Pang out of range with his combinations from the outside, while circling away from Pang’s most powerful blows. In the end, all three judges scored in favor of Khan who wins by unanimous decision after three rounds.

A gruelling bantamweight showdown between Brazil’s Leandro “Brodinho” Issa and South Korea’s Dae Hwan “Ottogi” Kim transpired inside the ONE Championship cage, as neither of the two warriors would give each other any quarter for three whole rounds. Although Kim would have his moments on the feet, most of the action took place on the ground where Issa enjoyed an advantage. In the end, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Issa turned in another well-rounded performance to claim victory via unanimous decision.

After pulling off an impressive promotional debut last August, “Mighty” May Ooi of Singapore continued her winning ways inside the ONE Championship cage by toppling Cambodia’s Vy Srey Khouch in the first round via submission. Leaning on her impressive grappling prowess, Ooi made Srey Khouch wave the white flag with a deep rear-naked choke, cementing her place in the organization’s female strawweight division.

A heated featherweight matchup ended abruptly, when China’s Li Kai Wen was disqualified for illegal blows to the back of the head of opponent Ahmed “The Wolverine” Mujtaba of Pakistan. Mujtaba was given five minutes to recover from injury, but was unable to continue after the allotted time expired.

Rising martial arts star Tiffany “No Chill” Teo of Singapore kept her unblemished professional record intact by making quick work of Indian opponent Puja Tomar to win via submission in the very first round. With 53 seconds remaining in the period, Teo latched onto a wrenching armbar to compel Tomar to tap, claiming the victory.

Japanese martial arts veteran Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi pulled off a sensational victory in front of a passionate Singaporean crowd by routing Filipino standout Gina Iniong, solidifying her position as the top contender in ONE Championship’s talented female atomweight bracket. After dealing with Iniong’s signature right hand and takedowns in the first round, Yamaguchi turned the tide in the second stanza by resorting to her  superb grappling pedigree. On the canvas, Yamaguchi continuously pummeled Iniong with thudding strikes and tried to bring the bout to a close with savvy submissions attempts. Yamaguchi punctuated the marquee match-up by grinding out Iniong in the third frame, steering the former world title contender to a unanimous decision victory.

Asian martial arts veteran Arnaud “The Game” LePont made a successful return to the ONE Championship cage, submitting the Philippines’ Richard Corminal with an arm triangle choke in round one. After a brief moment on the feet, LePont wasted no time in taking the action to the mat, where he slowly took mount and worked on the submission finish to force the tap.

In the second preliminary bout of the evening, Malaysian standout Muhammad Aiman reinserted his name into the winner’s column by outworking promotional newcomer Yang Fei of China in a tactical three-round catchweight contest. Aiman and Yang employed efficient strategies from bell to bell, with the Malaysian utilizing his speed and power to connect on a handful of thudding strikes on Yang, who responded with solid hooks and takedown attempts. After going back-and-forth for three rounds, Aiman was declared the victor by way of unanimous decision.

Kicking off ONE: IMMORTAL PURSUIT was a high-octane strawweight encounter as the debuting Miao Li Tao of China shared the ONE Championship cage with Cambodian striking specialist Sim Bunsrun. In his first outing as a ONE Championship competitor, Miao delivered an outstanding performance by stopping Bunsrun in the first round. The 25-year-old native of Beijing, China got the job done by catching Bunsrun with a perfectly-executed right cross and then going for the finish with follow-up blows on the mat.

Official results for ONE: IMMORTAL PURSUIT

ONE Welterweight World Championship  bout: Ben Askren defeats Shinya Aoki by TKO (Strikes) at 0:57 minutes of round 1

Lightweight bout: Amir Khan defeats Adrian Pang by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Bantamweight bout: Leandro Issa defeats Dae Hwan Kim by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Women’s strawweight bout: May Ooi defeats Vy Srey Khouch by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:58 minutes of round 1

Featherweight bout: Ahmed Mujtaba defeats Li Kai Wen by Disqualification (Illegal Blows)

Women’s catchweight bout (58kg): Tiffany Teo defeats Puja Tomar by Submission (Armbar) at 4:07 minutes of round 1

Women’s atomweight bout: Mei Yamaguchi defeats Gina Iniong by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Lightweight bout: Arnaud LePont defeats Richard Corminal by Submission (Arm Triangle) at 3:16 minutes of round 1

Catchweight bout (69.4kg): Muhammad Aiman defeats Yang Fei by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Strawweight bout: Miao Li Tao defeats Sim Bunsrun by TKO (strikes) at 1:49 minutes of round 1

In case you missed the action log on to www.onefc.com/livestream for the full replay of the fights at only US $9.99.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

Veteran competitor Adrian Pang confident in embodying ‘Hunter’ moniker against young Singaporean foe

Adrian “The Hunter Pang, who is extremely hailed as an ultra-tough opponent known for giving his all in bruising battles, steps into the ONE Championship cage for the first time in a year when locks horns with young Singaporean standout Amir Khan on Friday, 22 November on the undercard of ONE: IMMORTAL PURSUIT.

After dropping close and competitive decisions to Eduard Folayang and Roger Huerta in 2016, Pang is in danger of becoming a stepping stone for up and coming lightweights such as Khan, who has been vocal about his desire for a shot at the ONE Lightweight World Championship.

Pang’s 23-year-old opponent is riding high a five-bout winning streak and holds the record for most knockouts in ONE Championship history at seven.

Adrian Pang

According to a seasoned competitor like Pang, he wants to see for himself just how tough and dangerous the Singaporean prospect claims to be.

“It is like the young bull versus the old bull. I actually wanted to compete against him. I thought it would be a tough match for me. He is young and he will have heaps of energy, but he has not had a real good matchup yet,” he said.

“I have competed all around the world, I have been up and I have been down, so I will be the one to give it to him,” Pang added.

The 40-year-old Australian veteran knows that he will need to be at his absolute best to defeat Khan.

“Amir Khan is a great martial artist and definitely well-rounded. I do not like to look at much tape of my opponents and choose to focus on what I bring to the table. The game is martial arts, and it is martial arts that we shall do,” he stated.

Pang trained twice a day at one of Australia’s most popular martial arts facilities, Integrated MMA, a gym that he owns and operates.

Each session runs anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half, and he focuses on a variety of disciplines including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, boxing, and wrestling.

In addition, Pang dedicates some of his sessions to an intense strength-and-conditioning program.

Adrian Pang

As Khan aims to extend both of his knockout and winning streaks in the hope of getting a world title shot, Pang believes that his Singaporean counterpart will not be having a walk in the park.

Pang, who has an affinity for striking and a granite chin, has never been knocked out in his 16-year run as a professional combatant.

“I have been competing for 16 years. If he thinks he is going to knock me out, he’d better think of something different because positive thinking is not going to help him. No one has ever knocked me out, so if he were to do it, then fine — let him be the first,” he asserted.

Still wanting a chance to become a world champion, Pang is back on the road to redemption and looks to return to winning ways.

“My alias says it all. I won’t be the prey in this bout. I am coming for him and the win. Sorry, but I am not going to be his footstool. I am here to win,” he declared.