Ben “The Problem” Woolliss may have tasted defeat at ONE Fight Night 43, but he proved beyond doubt that he belongs among kickboxing’s elite.
The 32-year-old Grimsby striker pushed former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Petchtanong Petchfergus all the way before dropping a competitive unanimous decision to one of the division’s most decorated veterans in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 43, which aired live on Sky Sports in the early hours of Saturday morning from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium.
For a man who battled Crohn’s disease for over a decade – at one point, he was unable to last 15 seconds on the pads without collapsing – going three full rounds with a former ONE Championship title holder represented another extraordinary achievement.
But Petchtanong made him work for every second of the battle.
Petchfergus lands a left hook
The opening round saw the Englishman take a calculated approach, as he pressed forward and picked at the Thai veteran. Woolliss changed his stance repeatedly, keeping the Thai guessing while poking and prodding for an opening. Petchtanong stayed composed, stabbing out long kicks to control the range.
The pace picked up in round two, as Petchtanong moved forward with combinations punctuated by kicks. Meanwhile, the Brit continued to brilliantly cut angles whilst throwing punches, and he incorporated standalone kicks to the head and body.
Petchfergus lands a left hook
Then, in the final minute of the second frame, Petchtanong aggressively moved forward with his shots and put the Grimsby native on the back foot. The Thai even set a trap – he deliberately left his lead leg exposed, and when “The Problem” attacked it, the 40-year-old was waiting. His counter kick smashed into Woolliss’s standing leg, buckling his knee momentarily.
When they did engage at close range, Petchtanong got the better of the exchanges. The Thai’s left hand snapped Woolliss’ head back repeatedly, his kicks continued finding their target, and he evaded most of the Brit’s attacks.
Woolliss’ record now stands at 4-1
By the latter half of the frame, “The Problem” turned up the heat and the veteran seemed comfortable backing away. Woolliss didn’t give him time to rest, opting to throw everything athim in the dying seconds of the bantamweight kickboxing match, including a wild spinning backfist followed by a desperate flurry.
In the end, the judges were unanimous in awarding Petchtanong the decision, which moved his career record to 360-57.
For Woolliss, it marked his first ONE Championship defeat, just two months after stopping former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion John Lineker with leg kicks in the first round.
Even though the Grimsby star fell on the wrong side of a decision, he proved to the world that he belongs with the sport’s top talents and that he could be a real “problem” for the bantamweight kickboxing division’s finest.
Tang Kai dominates Shamil Gasanov, retains featherweight belt
Tang Kai’s record improved to 20-3
In the main event, China’s Tang Kai enjoyed a commanding performance, as he finished Russian challenger Shamil “The Cobra” Gasanov to retain the ONE Featherweight MMA World Title.
Gasanov, a near-flawless contender who is known for his formidable Dagestani wrestling and submission prowess, was determined to take the reigning champion down to the canvas and work his grappling magic.
Tang Kai retained the featherweight title against his Dagestani challenger
However, Tang stuffed nearly every single one of “The Cobra’s” takedown attempts and forced him to fight on the feet, where the Chinese title holder held a decisive edge.
The 30-year-old Shaoyang native peppered Gasanov with punches and kicks throughout the contest, slowly grinding him down with blows until his body could take no more.
the Russian challenger Gasanov’s ONE record dropped to 6-2
It all reached a conclusion in the fourth round, where Tang’s low kicks were too much for the Russian to handle. Halfway into the frame, another crushing kick to the lead leg forced Gasanov to crumble to the canvas, and a few hammerfists finished the contest.
With the victory, Tang – China’s first-ever male MMA World Champion – retained his belt and showed everyone that he is more dangerous than ever.
ONE Fight Night 43 – Full Results
– ONE Featherweight MMA World Championship: Tang Kai (c) defeated Shamil Gasanov via TKO (ground and pound) at 2:41 of round four
– Bantamweight Kickboxing: Petchtanong Petchfergus defeated Ben Woolliss via unanimous decision
– Bantamweight Submission Grappling: Diogo Reis defeated Yuki Takahashi via unanimous decision
– Flyweight Muay Thai: Aslamjon Ortikov defeated Jordan Estupinan via TKO (three knockdowns) at 2:06 of round two
– Strawweight MMA: Fabio Henrique defeated Yosuke Saruta via TKO (ground and pound) at 0:39 of round two
– Bantamweight Muay Thai: Nontachai Jitmuangnon defeated Felipe Lobo via unanimous decision
– Bantamweight MMA: Lito Adiwang defeated Eko Roni Saputra via TKO (punches) at 0:34 of round one
– Featherweight Kickboxing: Luo Chao defeated Denis Souza Jr. via split decision
– Atomweight Muay Thai: Martyna Dominczak defeated Johanna Persson via unanimous decision
Watch the ONE Championship live on Sky Sports. Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with NOW.
