Akbar Abdullaev shocks Tang Kai with dominant fifth-round TKO

ONE Championship™ (ONE), the world’s largest martial arts organization, returned to Lumpinee Stadium for another electric evening at ONE Fight Night 27: Tang vs. Abdullaev.

In the main event, #5-ranked featherweight MMA contender Akbar Abdullaev kept his undefeated record intact by dominating and ultimately finishing ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai in a non-title bout.

Abdullaev put together a dominant display as he pummeled Tang for the duration of the contest, showcasing his explosive striking early and often. The Kyrgyzstani athlete also took the Chinese titleholder down for the first time in his career.

As the fight wore on, Abdullaev continued to gain momentum as Tang began to fade. The fifth-ranked contender took Tang down at will, and in the final round, he poured on the ground and pound to score a technical knockout victory.

In the co-main event, Filipina star Denice Zamboanga delivered a historic performance against Ukrainian powerhouse Alyona Rassohyna to win the ONE Interim Women’s Atomweight MMA World Championship.

Zamboanga came out firing behind sharp boxing combinations as she peppered Rassohyna with lefts and rights. As action hit the ground, the #2-ranked contender was on point, preventing her opponent from gaining position.

“The Menace” began to pull away in the second frame, taking Rassohyna down and dropping heavy shots from the top. Zamboanga continued the onslaught until the Ukrainian could no longer defend herself, and the Filipina was awarded a technical knockout victory.

ONE Fight Night 27: Tang vs. Abdullaev Results

Akbar Abdullaev def. Tang Kai via TKO (ground and pound) at 1:21 of round five (MMA - 156.75-pound catchweight)

Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai def. John Lineker via unanimous decision (Muay Thai - 150.75-pound catchweight)

Denice Zamboanga def. Alyona Rassohyna via TKO (ground and pound) at 4:47 of round two to win the ONE Interim Women’s Atomweight MMA World Championship

Luke Lessei def. Cody Jerome via TKO (3 knockdowns in a round) at 2:00 of round one (Muay Thai - 160.5-pound catchweight)

Dante Leon def. Tommy Langaker via unanimous decision (submission grappling - 180-pound catchweight)

Sanzhar Zakirov def. Tatsumitsu Wada via unanimous decision (MMA - strawweight)

Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu def. Aaron Canarte via submission (kimura) at 3:43 of round one (MMA - 160.75 pound catchweight)

Meng Bo def. Chihiro Sawada via unanimous decision (MMA - atom weight)

Dmitrii Kovtun def. Suablack Tor Pran49 via unanimous decision (Muay Thai - bantamweight)

 Performance Bonus Winners:

- Denice Zamboanga (US$50,000)

- Luke Lessei (US$50,000)