ONE Championship held its inaugural all-female event tonight at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. ONE Championship: “Empower” was headlined by a ONE Women’s Strawweight (125-Pound) Championship bout between Jingnan “The Panda” Xiong and challenger Michelle Nicolini.
In the co-main event, Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga put her unbeaten record on the line against former Road FC, Deep Jewels and Rizin champ Seo Hee Ham in one of four atomweight (115-pound) grand prix quarterfinal bouts. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for ONE: “Empower” tonight.
ONE Women’s Strawweight (125-Pound) Championship
Jingnan “The Panda” Xiong vs Michelle Nicolini
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Olivier Coste. Xiong landed a hard kick that buckled Nicolini’s lead leg early in the fight and Nicolini dove at Xiong’s ankle to try to take her down. Xiong remained on her feet and so Nicolini pulled guard to get her down. Xiong stood back up and Nicolini followed. She charged at Xiong and backed her up all the way across the cage, then pulled guard again. Once more, Xiong stood up. She kicked at Nicolini’s legs until Nicolini was also brought back to her feet. Xiong dropped Nicolini with a big right hand and followed with a hammerfist on the ground, but Nicolini recovered and Xiong forced her to stand up. Another right hook and a leg kick scored for Xiong as Nicolini desperately tried to get her down. Xiong landed two more body kicks and Nicolini briefly tripped her to the mat.
Round 2:
After an uneventful opening minute, Xiong dropped Nicolini with a leg kicks in the second round. Nicolini got back to her feet and Xiong landed another leg kick. She snapped Nicolini’s head back with a straight right and Nicolini dove at Xiong’s lower leg. Xiong blasted her with punches from the top, but Nicolini latched on to an Achilles lock from the bottom and Xiong had to quickly roll to escape. The fight returned to the feet and both women were warned for inactivity. Xiong landed a body kick and she backed Nicolini up to the cage with punches to finish the round.
Round 3:
Time was called early in the third round when Xiong was poked in the eye. Action was sparse after the start until Xiong landed a leg kick and a one-two. Nicolini took Xiong’s back and then tried to jump guard after Xiong turned into the clinch. Xiong stayed on her feet and held Nicolini up against the cage while trying to shake her off. Nicolini eventually pulled her down to the mat and tried to set up a submission from the bottom. Xiong threw short punches and Nicolini worked for a gogoplata in the dying seconds.
Round 4:
Nicolini continued to pursue takedowns in round four and Xiong did well to keep her distance. She landed an overhand right and a lead left hook. Time was briefly called when Nicolini was poked in the eye, but the round continued and Xiong landed an uppercut. She followed with a right hook and easily avoided a Nicolini takedown attempt. Xiong wisely picked her shots with punches while staying out of Nicolini’s grasp, and that continued until the bell.
Round 5:
Xiong landed crisp punches on the feet during the opening 90 seconds of the final round, but Nicolini managed to close the distance and pulled guard. She attempted a triangle choke and Xiong quickly stood up to escape. She avoided a sloppy clinch attempt from Nicolini and cracked her with a four-punch combo. A fatigued Nicolini tried unsuccessfully to pull guard and was forced back to her feet again. Time was called after yet another eye poke; this time to Nicolini’s left eye. Action continued and Xiong used her jab to set up an overhand right. She finished strong with inside leg kicks and two overhand rights.
Winner: Jingnan Xiong by Unanimous Decision after five 5:00 rounds. She improves to 16-2-0 and remains the ONE Women’s Strawweight Champion.
ONE Women’s Atomweight (115-Pound) GP Quarterfinal
Seo Hee Ham vs Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Mohamad Sulaiman. Both fighters pawed out with their lead hands as they looked to gauge range in the opening minute. Zamboanga clinched and tried to sweep out Ham’s leg. Ham stayed on her feet and both women landed knees to the body in a prolonged clinch battle. Zamboanga kept Ham pinned against the fence and she finally got her down mere seconds before the bell sounded.
Round 2:
Ham struck first with a straight left hand and a right-left combo in the second round. Another left hand landed for Ham and she followed with a combination as Zamboanga circled to her left. She rushed forward and took Ham down against the base of the cage. Zamboanga landed short punches as Ham worked back to her feet. She prevented Ham from getting off of the cage and more knees to the body were exchanged. Zamboanga landed a slashing elbow to Ham’s face and the fighters were separated. Zamboanga jabbed and Ham landed a straight left at the bell.
Round 3:
Zamboanga kept her distance and jabbed while avoiding punches from Ham in the final round. Ham landed a straight left and ate a powerful kick to the body in return. Zamboanga stepped forward with a right hand and the fighters clashed heads. A cut was immediately opened on Zamboanga’s forehead and time was called for the doctor to check on it. After a lengthy delay to work on Zamboanga’s cut, the fight was allowed to continue and she immediately took Ham down into side control. Ham got back to full guard and Zamboanga, bleeding from the forehead again, struck from the top with punches. She continued to do so until the end of the fight.
Winner: Seo Hee Ham by Split Decision after three 5:00 rounds. She improves to 24-8-0 and advances on to the ONE Women’s Atomweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals.
ONE Women’s Atomweight (115-Pound) GP Quarterfinal
Nong Stamp “Fairtex” vs Alyona Rassohyna
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Mohamad Sulaiman. Stamp jabbed in the opening minute and kept her distance until Rassohyna moved forward and took her down. Rassohyna locked on a guillotine choke as Stamp got back to her feet, but Stamp escaped and Rassohyna took her down into the scarf hold position. Stamp was able to power out and stood again, but ate knees to the body and head as Rassohyna maintained a front headlock. Stamp countered a takedown attempt by locking on a rear-naked choke from back control. Rassohyna defended and escaped, but Stamp retained back control until the bell.
Round 2:
Stamp grazed with a head kick in the second round and countered a Rassohyna body kick with a straight right. Single kicks were exchanged and Rassohyna landed a one-two. She followed with another one and time was called when Stamp noticed that she had forgotten her mouthpiece at the start of the round. The fight continued and Rassohyna took Stamp down. She tried to transition to a heel hook, but lost the position and Stamp stood over her while kicking at her legs. Rassohyna was stood up and Stamp landed a right hook in close. Rassohyna countered with a back elbow strike and she landed a right hand as Stamp threw a leg kick. Body kicks were exchanged and Stamp reversed a takedown attempt into top position. She finished the round in Rassohyna’s guard.
Round 3:
The final round began with an exchange of right hands and Stamp easily reversed another takedown. From the top, Stamp moved to side control and then took Rassohyna’s back. Rassohyna turned to her side and managed to get back to half-guard. She then returned to full guard and went belly-down with an armbar. Stamp was in some trouble, but she managed to free her arm after about 30 seconds and retook top position. Rassohyna then turned her attention to an inside heel hook attempt, but that allowed Stamp to blast her with punches and elbows from the top. Stamp stood up with one minute to go and Rassohyna followed. Rassohyna landed a knee and just missed with a spinning backfist.
Winner: Nong Stamp by Split Decision after three 5:00 rounds. She improves to 6-1-0 and advances on to the ONE Women’s Atomweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals.
ONE Women’s Atomweight (115-Pound) GP Quarterfinal
Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat vs Meng Bo
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Olivier Coste. Bo landed two early leg kicks and Phogat dove at her ankles in search of a takedown. Bo remained on her feet and she stayed outside of the range of Phogat’s lunging punches. Time was called after a clash of heads and Bo landed two knees in a clinch after the restart. Phogat responded with two knees of her own and the fighters separated. A right cross landed for Bo and she sprawled out of another Phogat takedown attempt. Two right hands from Bo backed Phogat up and Bo dropped her with a quick flurry of punches. On the ground, Bo landed left hands and knees as Phogat tried to get back up. Phogat briefly stood and Bo took her back down. She moved to mount and then to a belly-down armbar, but Phogat escaped and stood up. She scored a takedown of her own at the bell.
Round 2:
Bo wobbled Phogat with a right hook very early in the second round, but Phogat countered with a takedown and passed to side control on the ground. She landed elbows to Bo’s face and Bo tried to stand up. Phogat kept her in a kneeling position and landed knees and elbows to Bo’s head. Bo rolled to her back and Phogat kept the pressure on with right hands and a knee. She moved to a top-side crucifix and peppered Bo with punches, but Bo quickly exploded out from the bottom and she returned to her feet. The fighters exchanged punches and both landed combinations in the final ten seconds.
Round 3:
Phogat ducked into a front kick from Bo while attempting a takedown in round three. She fell to her back, but rose to her feet soon after and then took Bo down into side control. Phogat landed elbows to Bo’s face and knees to her body. Bo could not push Phogat off and Phogat continued to attack the body with knees and elbows. Bo eventually managed to get back to half-guard, but that did not slow down Phogat’s offence at all. She scored with numerous punches to Bo’s face until the end of the fight.
Winner: Ritu Phogat by Unanimous Decision after three 5:00 rounds. She improves to 6-0-0 and advances on to the ONE Women’s Atomweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals.
ONE Women’s Atomweight (115-Pound) GP Quarterfinal
Itsuki “Strong Heart Fighter” Hirata vs Alyse “Lil’ Savage” Anderson
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Mohamad Sulaiman. Anderson opened the fight with a one-two and Hirata countered with a leg kick. She landed an overhand right and a body kick as Anderson moved forward. Anderson clinched, but it was Hirata who scored a trip takedown and she worked from the top in Anderson’s guard. Anderson postured for a triangle choke from the bottom and Hirata landed punches to her face. Anderson almost trapped Hirata in a triangle, but Hirata kept both arms in and she punched from the top. Late in the round, Hirata stood up and kicked at a downed Anderson’s legs.
Round 2:
Hirata countered two punches from Anderson with a leg kick and a clinch attempt. Anderson shrugged her off once, but Hirata secured the clinch on her second try and landed short knees before whipping Anderson down to the mat. Hirata landed on top in side control, but Anderson attempted an inverted triangle choke from the bottom and that allowed her to stand up. Hirata landed three knees to Anderson’s face and took her down again. She moved back to side control and Anderson attempted another inverted triangle. Hirata quickly escaped and she landed elbows from the top while Anderson threw knees to Hirata’s head from the bottom. Anderson was warned for knees to the back of Hirata’s head. Hirata stayed on top and landed short punches and hammerfists to Anderson’s face.
Round 3:
Anderson stuffed a takedown and landed a kick to Hirata’s body early in the final round. Hirata landed a counter right cross and Anderson missed with a spinning backfist. She dropped Hirata with a right cross, but Hirata recovered immediately and got back to her feet. A clinch battle ensued and Anderson prevented Hirata from taking her down. The fighters battled for position against the cage and Hirata got Anderson down into side control with 45 seconds remaining. She landed knees to the side of Anderson’s head and short elbows to her forehead until the end of the fight.
Winner: Itsuki Hirata by Unanimous Decision after three 5:00 rounds. She improves to 5-0-0 and advances on to the ONE Women’s Atomweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals.
ONE Women’s Atomweight (115-Pound) GP Reserve Bout
Julie Mezabarba vs “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi
Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Mohamad Sulaiman. Mezabarba established her jab in the opening seconds and she landed a right cross and a hard uppercut as the shorter Yamaguchi tried to close the distance. Another right hand landed for Mezabarba, who followed with a step-in knee to the body. Yamaguchi struggled to land anything and Mezabarba smiled at her while landing jabs and an overhand right. Yamaguchi finally landed a right hook to Mezabarba’s jaw shortly before the bell.
Round 2:
Mezabarba stuffed a takedown attempt early in round two and she punished Yamaguchi with a knee to the body. Her reach advantage allowed her to continue to land long jabs and quick right hands to Yamaguchi’s face. Yamaguchi lunged forward with a pair of overhand rights, but they appeared to have little effect. Mezabarba landed a hard one-two and Yamaguchi retreated momentarily. With two minutes to go, Yamaguchi finally clinched and Mezabarba countered with a knee to her face. Both women landed short punches in a clinch as Yamaguchi held Mezabarba against the cage. She pinned Mezabarba in place and scored with right hooks to her face and body until the final seconds when Mezabarba broke free and the round ended with an exchange of punches.
Round 3:
The final round began with Mezabarba landing more jabs, but Yamaguchi connected with a lead left hook and an overhand right before initiating a clinch against the cage. For the next 90 seconds, Yamaguchi landed knees to Mezabarba’s thighs until Mezabarba reversed the clinch and hurt her with a big knee to the body. Yamaguchi backed up and recovered quickly, but Mezabarba landed a nice leg kick and that prompted Yamaguchi to clinch again. Mezabarba countered with another knee to the body and she broke free with a combination. Both women landed right hooks and Yamaguchi tried for a takedown, but time expired.
Winner: Julie Mezabarba by Unanimous Decision after three 5:00 rounds. She improves to 9-2-1 and will advance on in the ONE Women’s Atomweight Grand Prix in the event of an injury.