The early MMA and submission grappling matches at ONE Championship’s latest U.S. primetime spectacle, ONE Fight Night 48: Erdogan vs. Elliott, captured everyone’s attention inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, October 2.
A Brazilian wrecking ball handed one of the flyweight MMA division’s last unbeaten stars his first career loss, and a pair of grapplers from opposite sides of the globe went catch for catch in a closely contested 10-minute battle.
Here’s what went down in the early MMA and submission grappling bouts from the Thai capital.
Antonio “The Flash” Cesar shattered the previously unblemished record of Joshua “Flyin Hawaiian” Perreira, as he controlled every phase of their flyweight MMA clash before stopping him at 5:00 of round one.
The 29-year-old Hawaiian kept the fight on the outside with kicks from the start, defending Cesar’s early takedown attempts well. Eventually, “The Flash” secured the takedown and went to work with elbows from inside closed guard.
Back on the feet, every kick from Perreira was caught by the 22-year-old Brazilian, who answered with a right punch. But soon, the grappling sensation dragged him back to the canvas, hunted for a choke, and finished the opening frame with ground-and-pound and a powerful knee to the head.
When the bell sounded to end round one though, Perreira struggled to get to his feet. He stumbled to his corner, the referee called the doctor over, and the Hawaiian told his team his eye was too damaged to continue. Just like that, the fight was waved off.
The stoppage extended Cesar’s winning streak to 10 and bumped his record to 15-2. In the process, the Brazilian handed the “Flyin Hawaiian” the first loss of his MMA career.
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Catches, reversals, and leg lock battles defined a compelling 10-minute featherweight submission grappling contest, and in the end, Ruan Alvarenga edged out Shoya Ishiguro by a narrow margin.
Ishiguro, who moved up two weight classes from the flyweight division, threatened with leg attacks early, but the 28-year-old Brazilian star maintained his composure and worked to establish side control.
Alvarenga dropped down to attack with a leg lock, but the Japanese grappler spun out of the entanglement. The Brazilian then locked in a heel hook that the referee awarded as a catch, putting him ahead on the scorecards.
Soon, Alvarenga advanced to mount, putting his rival in a difficult position, but the 30-year-old Japanese athlete reversed it to find safety in the Brazilian’s guard. Both men rose to their feet before dragging the action back to the canvas, where Ishiguro went back to his leg attack game and secured a catch of his own with a heel hook to even the score.
With one catch apiece, the judges awarded the aggression factor to Alvarenga, handing him the split decision and his second straight win in ONE Championship. That improved his overall record to 22-6.
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