Ben “The Problem” Woolliss may have suffered a loss at ONE Fight Night 43, but he proved beyond a doubt that he belongs among kickboxing’s elite.
The 32-year-old Grimsby striker pushed former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Pechtanong Petchfergus to the finish before dropping a unanimous decision to one of the division’s most decorated veterans in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 43, broadcast live on Sky Sports from Bangkok’s Lumpini Stadium on Saturday morning.
For a man who has battled Crohn’s disease for over a decade (at one point he couldn’t last 15 seconds on the pads without collapsing), completing three rounds with the former ONE Championship titleholder represented another incredible achievement.
But Petchtanong made him work every minute of the battle.
Petchfergus lands a left hook.
In the opening round, the Briton took a calculated approach, pushing forward and picking off the Thai veteran. Woolliss continued to change stances, urging the Thai to take advantage while keeping him guessing. Petchtanong maintained his composure and controlled the range with long kicks.
The pace picked up in the second round as Petchtanong advanced with combinations highlighted by kicks. Meanwhile, the Englishman continued to brilliantly cut angles while throwing punches and incorporating stand-alone kicks to the head and body.
Petchfergus lands a left hook.
Then, in the final minute of the second frame, Petchtanong aggressively pushed forward and fired a shot that put the Grimsby native on the back foot. The Thais even set up traps. The 40-year-old was waiting when “The Problem” attacked him, with his front legs deliberately exposed. His counter kick struck Woolliss’ standing leg, momentarily snapping his knee.
When they engaged at close range, Petchtanong got the better of the exchange. The Thai’s left hand repeatedly snapped Woolliss’ head back and his kicks continued to find their target, dodging most of the Briton’s attacks.
Woolliss’ record currently stands at 4-1.
In the second half of the frame, “The Problem” heated up and the veteran seemed to ease off. Woolliss didn’t give him time to rest and decided to throw everything, including a wild spinning backfist with a desperate lunge in the closing moments of their bantamweight kickboxing match.
In the end, the judges gave Petchtanong a unanimous decision, moving his career record to 360 wins and 57 losses.
For Woolliss, it was his first ONE Championship loss just two months after he stopped former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion John Lineker with a leg kick in the first round.
Even though the Grimsby star made some poor decisions, he proved to the world that he is among the top talents in the sport and can be a real “problem” for the best in the bantamweight kickboxing division.
Tang Kai defeats Shamil Gasanov to retain featherweight belt
Tang Kai’s record improved to 20-3.
In the main event, China’s Tang Kai put on a commanding performance as he defeated Russian challenger Shamil “The Cobra” Gasanov to retain the ONE Featherweight MMA World title.
Gasanov, a near-perfect competitor known for his powerful Dagestani wrestling and submission abilities, was determined to work his grappling magic by dragging the reigning champion to the canvas.
Tangkai retained his featherweight title against a challenger from Dagestani.
However, Tang blocked nearly all of “The Cobra’s” takedown attempts, forcing him to fight him directly as the Chinese titleholder held a decisive advantage.
The 30-year-old from Shaoyang harassed Gasanov with punches and kicks throughout the contest, slowly crushing him with blows until his body could take no more.
Russian challenger Gasanov’s ONE record drops to 6-2.
It all came to a conclusion in the fourth round, with Tang’s low kicks being too much for the Russian to handle. About halfway through the frame, another hard kick to the front leg sent Gasanov crashing to the canvas and a few hammerfists finished the contest.
Tang, China’s first male MMA world champion, came away victorious, retaining his belt and showing everyone that he is more dangerous than ever.
ONE Fight Night 43 – Full Results
– ONE Featherweight MMA World Championship: Tang Kai (c) defeats Shamil Gasanov via TKO (ground and pound) at 2:41 of round 4.
– Bantamweight Kickboxing: Petchtanong Petchfergus defeated Ben Woolliss by unanimous decision.
– Bantamweight Submission Grappling: Diogo Race defeated Yuki Takahashi by unanimous decision.
– Flyweight Muay Thai: Aslamjon Ortikov defeated Jordan Estupinan via TKO (three knockdowns) at 2:06 of the second round.
– Strawweight MMA: Fabio Henrique defeated Yosuke Saruta by TKO (ground and pound) at 0:39 of round 2.
– Bantamweight Muay Thai: Nonthachai Jitmuangnon defeated Felipe Lobo by unanimous decision.
– Bantamweight MMA: Lito Adiwang defeats Eko Roni Saputra via TKO (punches) at 0:34 of Round 1.
– Featherweight Kickboxing: Luo Chao defeated Denis Souza Jr. by split decision.
– Atomweight Muay Thai: Martina Domincak defeated Johanna Persson by unanimous decision.
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