Let's take a look at ONE 157

What a card. This very well might be one of the best cards ONE had ever made, although an extremely controversial decision looks to plague the company for months to come. It really is a shame as the Flyweight Muay Thai Grandprix saw some amazing performances, the title fights were masterful displays of persistence and technique, and the two grappling showcases were a refreshing break from the constant striking. 

The main event of the night gave us one of the most disgusting robberies I had ever witnessed. Petchmorakot Petchyindee vs. Jimmy Vienot ends in a split decision victory for Petchmorakot despite the fact that Vienot dominated the fight, dumping Petchmorakot several times in each round. His kicks were crisp and his work inside the clinch mirrored that of the Champion. Even round 3, where Vienot was knocked down after he was caught out with an amazing counter right hook, was a round he ended up dominating. To add insult to injury, Petchmorakot spent the fifth round backpedaling in true (and awful) thai stadium fashion. How anyone could have scored the fight for Petchmorakot, who spent more time picking himself off the canvas than fighting, is beyond me. This is abysmal, and downright embarrassing for ONE.

This robbery was made all the sadder as it followed the fairy tale ending of Prajanchai Pk.Saenchai vs. Joseph Lasiri. Lasiri walked away with the title by way of TKO in the third round, following a bad cut that led Prajanchai to quit before round 4. Lasiri was masterful in his craft, didn't give in to emotions, and once an uppercut opened an unfortunate cut right over the eye of the champion he didn't hesitate to pour on the pressure. Many people have questioned whether Prajanchai even trained for this fight, but many more people praised the hard work and dedication that Lasiri has put in to pull off the upset of the year. 

Moving onto the Flyweight Grand Prix, Rodtang Jitmuagnon vs. Jacob Smith proved to be a technical display that finished with the predictable outcome – Rodtang moves on to the semi-final. Jacob Smith offered a good challenge in the first half of the first round, however once Rodtang got into second gear it was all in the favour of the Thai. Clearly taking this fight more seriously than some of his previous ones leading up to the Grandprix, he came in with expert evasive defense, carefully picked counter shots, and selective moments of aggression. I welcome this new Rodtang against that of the showboating Iron Man. 

Stepping in from the alternate bout to cover for Haggerty's absence, Josue Cruz walked out to a song that seemed to never end, basking in the moment. This was made all the more unfortunate once he was put away by Walter Goncalves within the first thirty seconds of Round 1. A swift body shot followed by knees to the head forced the referee to call the fight off. A great performance from Goncalves that made me wish we had seen him go against Haggerty. Nevertheless, Goncalves moves on to the semifinals. 

In an outcome that is both surprising and not, Superlek Kiatmoo9, one of the favourites for this tournament, defeated Taiki Naito by Unanimous decision. Despite many writing off Naito he managed to hold on until the end and was resistant against the Thai favourite. Alongside them, Savvas Michael moves onto the semifinal after defeating Amir Naseri by unanimous decision after having held a dominant position throughout the fight. 

Further results go as follow:

Garry Tonon vs. Tye Ruotolo

Tye Ruotolo wins via submission.

Shinya Aoki vs. Kade Ruotolo

Kade Ruotolo wins via unanimous decision. 

Asha Roka vs. Alyse Anderson

Alyse Anderson wins via submission in the first round. 

Davit Kiria vs. Mohammed Boutasaa 

Mohammed Boutasaa wins via unanimous decision. 

Nat Jaroonsak vs. Zena Bano 

Nat Jaroonsak wins via submission in the first round. 

Sherzod Kabutov vs. Denis Puric

Sherzod Kabutov wins via unanimous decision.

Elipitua Siregar vs. Robin Catalan 

Elipitua Siregar wins via submission in the first round.