Kryklia Dominates Stoica, Nong-O Demolishes Rodlek at One: Collision Course

One Championship returned for its penultimate event in 2020 with the first part of One: Collision Course, which went down at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, on Dec. 18.

What a way to finish! #ONECollisionCourse #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/uyGveU7DzJ

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 18, 2020

In the main event, Roman Kryklia notched his first title defense of his light heavyweight kickboxing belt at the end of a one-sided clash with Andrei Stoica. The Ukrainian champion took advantage of his longer reach to hit his Romanian opponent with stinging jabs and flying knees. Stoica attempted several times to answer with his highly regarded right hook, but Kryklia didn’t fall into the classical trap of “Mister KO.” In the fifth stanza, Kryklia accidentally headbutted his adversary, forcing the Romanian athlete to take a few minutes to recover. When the action resumed, the champion came close to finishing his opponent, but he could not secure the stoppage as time expired. After five dominant rounds, all three judges rewarded Kryklia with a unanimous decision victory.

Nong-O STOPS "The Steel Locomotive" in his tracks to retain the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title! #ONECollisionCourse #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/sBLPDzR2P7

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 18, 2020

The co-main event featured a muay Thai clash for the divisional championship between Nong-O Gaiyanghadao and Rodlek PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym. After a tense opening round where they studied one other from a distance, the fighter started exchanging shots in the second round. Nong-O used his boxing combinations while Rodlek aggressively attacked his opponent’s lead leg. Nong-O pressured the challenger early in Round 3 with some relentless combinations, and he caught Rodlek with a right hand that sent his opponent crashing to the canvas. Rodlek was unable to stand up for the count, and the official time of the stoppage came at 1:12.

In the MMA main attraction, former One titleholder Marat Gafurov (18-3) narrowly captured a split decision over Lowen Tynanes (10-1). “Cobra” had to sweat more than usual to take home the victory, but his notorious wrestling skills helped him keep Tynanes at bay. The Hawaiian had his moments, especially in the striking exchanges, but it was not enough to impress the majority of the judges.

Earlier that night, Yusup Saadulaev (20-5-1) handed Troy Worthen (7-1) his first career defeat when he won a decision in their One’s bantamweight battle; Yodkaikaew Fairtex (6-2-1) escaped with a split decision over Tatsumitsu Wada (22-12-2, 1 NC) in a One flyweight clash; and the first bout on the card saw Wei Xie (6-3) smash Chan Rothana (7-4) at 1:39 into the third round of their One flyweight encounter.