11/4/23: Jonathan Haggerty Stops Fabricio de Andrade To Earn ONE Kickboxing Title
Today's issue talks results from around the combat sports world
Welcome to the Saturday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today is a busy issue of the newsletter! We’re going to recap three events from Friday night, then preview three shows that will take place today. Let’s waste no time and get right into it.
Jonathan Haggerty Earns ONE Championship Kickboxing Title, Defeats MMA Champ Fabricio de Andrade
ONE Championship’s Muay Thai 145-pound champion Jonathan Haggerty became a two-combat sport titleholder on Friday night, defeating MMA champ Fabricio de Andrade in a kickboxing bout.
Haggerty’s win headlined ONE Fight Night 16, which took place early Saturday morning from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Haggerty stopped de Andrade in the second round of their kickboxing fight, capitalizing on a strong moment in the round and earning a finish from it. After rocking de Andrade with a head kick, Haggerty kept the pressure on him by charging forward with punches. He eventually scored a right cross that dropped de Andrade and kept him down past the 10-count, causing the fight to end.
Haggerty is now only the eighth fighter in ONE Championship history to simultaneously hold two belts in the promotion. He is also only the fourth to hold two belts from different combat sports at the same time.
Haggerty earned ONE’s Muay Thai 145-pound title earlier this year, scoring a first-round finish win against Nong-O Gaiyanghadao to claim the title.
Like Haggerty, de Andrade was also chasing two-title status this weekend. “Wonder Boy” claimed the promotion’s 145-pound MMA belt in February, stopping UFC vet John Lineker in the fourth round of a title fight. Prior to that win, he quickly rose up the ONE ranks with five consecutive wins from 2020 to 2022.
ONE Fight Night 16 also included four MMA bouts. Earlier in the night, undefeated heavyweight prospect Ben Tynan won his promotional debut against Kang Ji Won, and Ayaka Miura returned to the win column with a scarf hold americana finish over Meng Bo.
Here are the quick results:
Main Card (8:00PM EDT / 7:00AM ICT) (Amazon Prime Video)
Bout 10: Jonathan Haggerty def. Fabricio de Andrade via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:57) (ONE Kickboxing Featherweight Championship)
Bout 9: Tye Ruotolo def. Magomed Abdulkadirov via Decision Unanimous (ONE Grappling Middleweight Championship)
Bout 8: Seksan Or Kwanmuang def. Karim Bennoui via Decision, Unanimous (Muay Thai Bout)
Bout 7: Halil Amir def. Ahmed Mujtaba via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 5:00)
Bout 6: Sinsamut Klinmee def. Mouhcine Chafi via Decision, Unanimous (Muay Thai Bout)
Bout 5: Rui Botelho def. Zhang Peimian via Decision, Split (Kickboxing Bout)
Bout 4: Ayaka Miura def. Meng Bo via Submission, Scarf Hold Americana (RD 1, 2:09)
Bout 3: Ben Tynan def. Kang Ji Won via Submission, Head and Arm Choke (RD 3, 1:22)
Bout 2: Cristina Morales def. Supergirl via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:54) (Kickboxing Bout)
Bout 1: Lito Adiwang def. Jeremy Miado via Decision, Unanimous
Hugo Cunha Dethrones Eduardo Neves, Earns LFA Heavyweight Championship
In a rare instance of a major regional belt changing hands, Hugo Cunha took the LFA Heavyweight Championship off Eduardo Neves on Friday night with a second-round submission outcome.
Cunha’s victory headlined LFA 171, which took place from Cajamar, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Just a few minutes after Cunha found himself in trouble during the fight, he was able to regain control of the main event and secure a submission win.
Neves earned a knockdown in the second round, dropping Cunha with a left cross. Cunha eventually recovered from this, returning to his feet and later scoring a takedown from a clinch position.
Cunha then quickly moved into full mount, where he scored a series of punches on Neves. After briefly losing the position, Cunha moved back into full mount and locked in an arm triangle choke, forcing a tap from Neves.
A title change is rarely seen in major promotions like LFA, as many champions are quickly called up to bigger promotions like UFC, Bellator, or PFL shortly after their first championship victory. Friday painted a different picture, as returning champion Neves dropped his belt to Cunha.
Neves earned his title in March, scoring a first-round stoppage against Hyago Silva. He then took a loss outside of the LFA, putting on an unsuccessful outing against Jhonata Diniz on “Dana White’s Contender Series.”
Cunha, a former ONE Championship fighter, was given an LFA title shot after earning a first-round finish victory over Fernando Batista in May. His record is now a solid eight wins and one loss. After his win, Cunha said that he will be ready whenever UFC wants him on their roster.
Earlier on the card, undefeated Jefferson Nascimento earned the interim LFA Lightweight Championship with a second-round finish victory against Gabriel Costa.
Nascimento stormed Costa with punches, flooring him with a hard right hook as part of a combination of strikes that got through on Costa. After landing a few ground and pound shots, the referee stepped in to end the fight.
Nascimento’s record now includes a flawless 11 victories as a pro, including four wins in LFA. Costa also entered this bout with an undefeated record, having attained eight wins from 2020 to 2023.
Nascimento called for a chance on the UFC roster after his win.
Here are all the results from LFA’s busy card this Friday:
Main Card (9:00PM EDT / 10:00PM BRT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 13: Hugo Cunha def. Eduardo Neves via Submission, Arm Triangle Choke (RD 2, 4:25) (LFA Heavyweight Championship)
Bout 12: Jefferson Nascimento def. Gabriel Costa via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:24) (Vacant Interim LFA Lightweight Championship)
Bout 11: Marcio Barbosa def. Gian Sarturi via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:08)
Bout 10: Marcos Degli def. Alisson Murilo via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Jose Augusto def. Richard Jacobi via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Michael Oliveira def. Antonio Eduardo via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:31)
Preliminary Card
Bout 7: Jose Ochoa def. Juscelino Pantoja via Submission, Arm Triangle Choke (RD 1, 4:20)
Bout 6: Gustavo Silva def. Demison Rodrigues via Disqualification, Illegal Kick (RD 3, 1:16)
Bout 5: Gabriel Silva def. Henrique Marques via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Ryan Garcia def. Alessandro Gambulino via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:38)
Bout 3: Lucas Camacho def. Guilherme Uriel via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:28)
Bout 2: Geovanis Palacios def. Gabriel Ramos via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Lany Silva def. Sarah Barwick via Decision, Unanimous
Fatima Kline Earns CFFC Title In Dominant Performance Against Short-Notice Opponent
23-year-old Fatima Kline became the second-ever flyweight champion in CFFC history on Friday night, putting together a one-sided performance against short-notice opponent Sara Cova, with the bout culminating in a third-round stoppage.
Kline’s victory headlined CFFC 127, which took place from the Horseshoe Casino & Hotel in Tunica, Mississippi, USA.
Kline was able to take down Cova throughout the fight, easily getting her to the ground in all three rounds. As the fight progressed, Kline also started to open up with strikes on the feet, at times teeing off with combinations.
The referee decided to stop the fight in the third round after Kline landed a series of ground and pound shots to Cova. It marked the end of a dominant performance for the undefeated prospect both on the feet and on the ground.
Kline was originally scheduled to face fellow undefeated strawweight Jazmin Navarrete. However, due to Navarrete having troubles getting into the U.S., short-notice opponent Sara Cova stepped in to compete.
Cova entered this card with a record of five wins and three losses. She was coming off a finish defeat from earlier this year against Caroline Gallardo.
Because of the short-notice nature of Cova entering the fight, the bout was changed from a strawweight title fight to a flyweight championship contest.
Kline now has a flawless record of five wins since turning pro in 2021. Her four previous appearances all came in all-women’s promotion Invicta FC. In her post-fight interview, she said that she’s ready for a shot in the UFC.
“I’ve always dreamed about being in the UFC,” said Kline in her post-fight interview. “I just proved I’m the best regionally, and now I’m ready to prove that I’m the best in the world.”
Kline also offered to fight in a CFFC strawweight title match if a UFC opportunity isn’t available next.
CFFC was full of finishes, with just two of 10 bouts going to scorecards. Here are the quick results for the show:
Main Card (9:00PM EDT / 8:00PM CDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 10: Fatima Kline def. Sara Cova via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 3:56) (Vacant CFFC Flyweight Championship)
Bout 9: Jamelle Jones def. Jesse Murray via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:12)
Bout 8: Kevin Pease def. Carlton Terrance via Submission, Arm Triangle Choke (RD 1, 4:40)
Bout 7: Jhimuel Natividad def. Ethan Melisano via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:45)
Bout 6: Gage Gill def. DeAndre Anderson via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:23)
Bout 5: Keanan Patershuk def. Khadzhimurat Bestaev via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:34)
Preliminary Card
Bout 4: Chase Mann def. Jarious Gill via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Phillip Latu def. Justus Faaiu via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 0:27)
Bout 2: Steve Collins def. Brennan McKisick via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Adryan Grundy def. Harvey Mardis via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:25)
Saturday: What’s On
Jailton Almeida Looks To Keep Fast UFC Rise Going Against Derrick Lewis
For the past couple of years, Jailton Almeida has gained prominence in the UFC without much resistance from opponents. With an impressive record of 19 wins through 21 appearances and a UFC main event win already under his belt, he’s quickly rising up the heavyweight rankings.
Almeida will have a chance to score another big win on Saturday night, facing Derrick Lewis in the main event of a “Fight Night” card from the Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Lewis will be a big veteran test for Almeida. He has an extensive 27-fight UFC record, including 10 previous five-round bouts. After snapping a three-fight skid earlier this year with an upset win over Marcos Rogerio de Lima, Lewis will attempt to become the first person to beat Almeida in the UFC and stop his momentum.
Similar to UFC’s other Brazil card this year, Saturday’s show includes numerous prospects from the country. In the co-main event, 15-fight undefeated welterweight Gabriel Bonfim will look for his third victory in the promotion.
UFC’s card lost two bouts on Friday after a series of weight misses. A main card fight between Ismael Bonfim and Vinc Pichel, as well as a prelim bout between Victor Hugo and Daniel Marcos, was removed from the card on Friday, as first reported by Jacque Enriquez.
Here’s a full look at the lineup:
Main Card (9:00PM EDT / 10:00PM BRT) (ESPN+)
Bout 11: Jailton Almeida (19-2) vs. Derrick Lewis (27-11) (Heavyweight)
Bout 10: Gabriel Bonfim (15-0) vs. Nicolas Dalby (22-4-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 9: Rodrigo Nascimento (10-1) vs. Don’Tale Mayes (10-5) (Heavyweight)
Bout 8: Caio Borralho (14-1) vs. Abus Magomedov (25-5-1) (Middleweight)
Bout 7: Rodolfo Vieira (9-2) vs. Armen Petrosyan (8-2) (Middleweight)
Preliminary Card (6:00PM EDT / 7:00PM BRT) (ESPN+)
Bout 6: Elves Brener (15-3) vs. Kaynan Kruschewsky (15-1) (Catchweight 165 lbs)
Bout 5: Elizeu Zaleski (24-7) vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov (22-2) (Welterweight)
Bout 4: Vitor Petrino (9-0) vs. Modestas Bukauskas (15-5) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 3: Angela Hill (15-13) vs. Denise Gomes (8-2) (Strawweight)
Bout 2: Montserrat Ruiz (10-3) vs. Eduarda Moura (9-0) (Strawweight)
Bout 1: Kaue Fernandes (8-1) vs. Marc Diakiese (16-7) (Lightweight)
OKTAGON To Crown Flyweight Champ In U.K. Debut
European MMA promotion OKTAGON will appear in the U.K. for the first time this Saturday, presenting a card from the AO Arena in Manchester, England.
The promotion will crown a flyweight champion in the main event, as Cage Warriors vet Aaron Aby will take on former UFC fighter Elias Garcia for the vacant title. Aby is riding the momentum of two wins from earlier this year, and Garcia is coming over to OKTAGON after scoring a trio of victories in Combate Global.
Lower on the card, former KSW Heavyweight Champion Scott Askham will make his promotional debut, facing Marc Doussis in a light heavyweight bout.
Here’s how the card looks:
Main Card (11:00AM EDT / 3:00PM GMT)
Bout 11: Aaron Aby (15-7-1) vs. Elias Garcia (9-2) (Vacant OKTAGON Flyweight Championship)
Bout 10: Scott Askham (19-6) vs. Marc Doussis (9-2) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 9: Jakub Bahnik (9-4) vs. Akonne Wanliss (7-2) (Lightweight)
Bout 8: Jake Quickenden (0-0) vs. Paul Smith (0-0) (Middleweight)
Bout 7: Jack Cartwright (10-1) vs. Junior Assis (8-5) (Bantamweight)
Bout 6: George Satines (0-0) vs. Denis Frimpong (0-1) (Lightweight OKTAGON Challenge Finale)
Bout 5: Jaroslav Pokorny (16-10) vs. Shem Rock (9-1-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 4: Alex Lohore (23-9) vs. Ion Surdu (13-5) (Welterweight)
Bout 3: Shoaib Yousaf (10-3) vs. Konmon Deh (14-9) (Catchweight 150 lbs)
Bout 2: Lee Chadwick (28-18-1) vs. Zdenek Polivka (8-7) (Catchweight 190 lbs)
Bout 1: Hascen Neri Gelezi (4-1) vs. Aaron McDonald (0-0) (Lightweight)
RIZIN Heads To Azerbaijan For First Non-Japan Event
Since its start nearly a decade ago, RIZIN has been the top MMA promotion in Japan. But during that time, despite having a roster that comes from all around the world, the promotion never ventured outside of the country. Last year, the promotion briefly discussed venturing outside of Japan’s borders for a show in Hawaii, but not much has come from that since then.
But this weekend, RIZIN’s first non-Japan event will take place in a region that a pair of their more notable roster talents have emerged from: Azerbaijan. On Saturday morning, RIZIN LANDMARK 7 in Azerbaijan will take place at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku. In the main event, RIZIN Featherweight Champion and Azerbaijan’s own, Vugar Karamov, will face off against Chihiro Suzuki.
Karamov scored his fourth consecutive RIZIN win in the summer, picking up a first-round submission against Mikuru Asakura to gain the belt. He’s now facing Suzuki, a name that has been on the rise for years in RIZIN. Suzuki earned his sixth recent win in July, overcoming former Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull.
Tofiq Musayev, the first Azeri fighter to gain prominence in RIZIN through winning their 2019 lightweight tournament, will compete in the co-main event against Koji Takeda. Saturday will mark his first match inside Azerbaijan since 2018.
A large number of talents will be making their RIZIN debuts as part of the undercard as well. Here’s the full lineup:
Main Card (9:00AM EDT / 5:00PM AZT) (FITE)
Bout 10: Vugar Karamov (19-4) vs. Chihiro Suzuki (11-3) (RIZIN Featherweight Championship)
Bout 9: Tofiq Musayev (21-5) vs. Koji Takeda (15-5) (Lightweight)
Bout 8: Nariman Abbasov (29-4) vs. Ali Abdulkhalikov (12-2) (Lightweight)
Bout 7: Mehman Mamedov (6-6) vs. Ferit Goktepe (4-1) (Catchweight 132 lbs)
Bout 6: Tural Ragimov (21-9) vs. Kim Kyung-po (12-4) (Lightweight)
Bout 5: Jaures Dea (10-5) vs. Ilkhom Nazimov (9-3) (Featherweight)
Bout 4: Anastasiya Svetkivska (2-2) vs. Farida Abdueva (2-0) (Strawweight)
Bout 3: Quentin Domingos (11-3) vs. Shota Betlemidze (18-2-1) (Heavyweight)
Bout 2: Ilyar Askhanov (12-5) vs. Vladislav Rudnev (7-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 1: Hasan Mezhiev (12-0) vs. Konstantin Merkulov (5-2) (Light Heavyweight)
Notes On: ONE Championship & CFFC
Two MMA bouts took place earlier this morning as part of ONE’s “Friday Fights 39” card.
Moises Ilogon (3-0) extended his undefeated record in his ONE debut, dropping Cho Joon Gun (3-3-1) late in their close stand-up battle, finishing him with ground and pound shots.
Lucas Gabriel (8-1) picked up his second ONE Championship victory, gutting out a unanimous decision victory over Kurbanali Isabekov (9-2).
During CFFC 127 on Friday night, promotion CEO Robert Haydak announced that Eddy Torres (4-1) has suffered an injury in training that will force him out of his CFFC 128 bout on December 15th against Robert Wusstig (8-15).