One Championship : Bad Blood took place Friday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.- An interim heavyweight champion was crowned, and a Muay Thai master won once again.
Russian fighter
It was a strong performance from the 34-year-old, who is now undefeated in 11 matches, as he slugged away until he scored a stunning second-round knockout.
A wrestler and boxer by trade, Malykhin showed off both disciplines in each of the two rounds the fight lasted, scoring a takedown and fighting from top before drilling his left fist into the target area of Grishenko's face in the second.
Malykhin's accuracy increased the later the bout got, and it was not long until he got his finish — a powerful right hand that sent Grishenko onto his back, unconscious, with 80 seconds left on the clock in the second.
Watch Malykhin's victory right here:
—ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) February 11, 2022
Malykhin looked tearful in his post-match interview, especially when he held the interim belt.
Before long, he issued a formal challenge to One's full champion — Arjan Bhullar who "declined multiple offers to defend" his belt at Bad Blood, according to MMA Fighting.
Victory advanced Malykhin's pro
Jonathan Haggerty reasserts Muay Thai mastery
One of the great Muay Thai fighters in the game, Jonathan Haggerty returned his third win in succession since losing back-to-back fights against the iconic Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
Haggerty fought Mongkolpetch Petchyindee in a flyweight match Friday.
Showing fast fists and attacking Petchyindee with gusto in the first, Haggerty had to show his resilience in the second when he was hurt from a variety of blows.
One of the ways in which Haggerty has raised his game in recent years regards the way he uses his elbow, and he scored significant damage over his opponent's eye using that strike.
—ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) February 11, 2022
After three rounds, judges awarded Haggerty a unanimous decision.
Both Haggerty, and One's new interim heavyweight champ Malykhin, were rewarded with $50,000 performance-related bonus checks for the nature of their wins.
The first fight of the night ended with a no contest
It was fortunate One Championship organized 10 fights for the Bad Blood event as the very first bout of the night ended in a no contest.
This means neither fighter won, lost, or drew.
In the case of Sunoto and Tial Thang's bantamweight contest, Thang kept throwing low blows — knee strikes to the groin — and Sunoto eventually had enough, unable to continue.
Watch the weird fight in its entirety on YouTube:
Elsewhere on the card, Odie Delaney beat heavyweight opponent Thomas Narmo with a shoulder lock submission in the first round, and then got on the mic to say: "I went to some real dark places in my life."
Continuing, Delaney said: "I've been on the edge of suicide and I want to shed a light on that stuff to maybe save some lives. I'm here to rep that."
Later, One Championship debutant Woo Sung Hoon scored an 18-second knockout, adding his name to the talent-rich flyweight division, and winning a $50,000 performance check, just like Malykhin and Haggerty had.